Today is a happy day! I came home from Florida. It was my first time ever leaving my Chuka Monkey for a whole night... 2 even! I hated being away from her. She apparently did fine. She asked for Mama a few times but didn't cry when she was told that Mommy would come home later. My big girl. When I did come home she was napping, so when she woke, Chad got her and brought her out to the living room. When she saw me she got so excited and ran right up to me and gave big hugs and kisses. Melted Mommy's heart completely.
Rick and Jo went to Cancun and bought maracas for her. She loves them! She "shake it shake it shake its" when you tell her to. She looks you right in the eye and gets this intense look on her face and shakes them like crazy. When Matt tried to take one away, as Uncle Matt does oh so often, she yelled, "NO, MINE!!!" Oh my, here it begins! Then she saw our reactions and continued to take things and say, "mine!" Her words are becoming much more clear.
She was also taking the lid off and on a candle tin and out of no where, she exclaims, "I do it!" We were so surprised! We asked her to do it again, and she did, though not quite as good as the first time. She's a crazy little talker now. She refers to herself as "me" or "Kat". She points to pics of herself and says, "Kat! Meow meow meow!" If you ask her if she's our Kat Kat she meows as well. She also hisses if you ask her what a mad kitty says.
Also, she'll find some beads or one of her pieces of jewelry and say "oh lala". We always say that when we tell her she's pretty, and now she does it to let us know that she's pretty. On that note, if you ask her if she's pretty, she smiles and shakes her head no. We gasp and say, "OH YES YOU ARE!!!" and she laughs!
She likes us to copy her now. She'll cross her arms over her chest and rock from side to side. Then we'll do it too. She laughs, then drops her hands, makes sure we dropped our hands, etc. She finds new things to do, like clasp her hands, clap, etc. She's a very creative little girl.
Tonight we got Baskin Robbins ice cream and she fed herself the entire bowl with a big girl spoon! She got real upset when Mommy had to hold it while we drove home. But we put her in her high chair and let her go for it and she spoon fed herself all the way. Until the end that is, when she drank it.
When she wants a snack or drink, she'll go get it. IF the cup is empty, she'll say, "Puweeeez! Dink!" So dramatic that girl.
We went to buy Boney Bee some vans shoes for her birthday and Kat freaked out when we got into the store. She said, "Sue!" and sat down and took off her shoes and tried to try on several pairs. She of course got Vans too. I asked her which ones she wanted and she said, "Peen!" (pink) She loves pink. Unfortunately they were 10 bucks extra for the new color, so she got purple. She is still happy.
She doesn't like to read Goodnight Moon anymore before bedtime. Now she points to the crib and says, "bed!" so she just goes to bed. Her bedtime friends have expanded from just brown bear and piggie. Now it's also kitty and star pillow and always a "bee" (blankie). She's very particular. She also has to have on her "pretty light". It's a crystal on a light stand my mom bought for her. She loves it.
That's all for tonight. I'm sure I'll remember more as soon as I logoff.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Monday, June 12, 2006
Well Check
OK so Kat’s appt went well. She weighed 22 lbs, 4 oz. This only puts her in the 20th percentile for weight. She is just over 32 inches tall, which puts her in the 50th percentile for height. Her Dr. said that he thinks she will be tall as she grows older, probably shoot up when she hits puberty. He said that she is healthy and smart. She took a photo with him and afterward, he said that she is “really quite amazing”. He noted that she wasn’t afraid of much, and when she did get nervous, she was easy to talk down. I’m so proud of my girl!
The only vaccination that was ordered this time around was the first varicella. (chicken pox) She didn’t even cry! She tried to pull away and gave the nurse a dirty look, but didn’t cry. We clapped afterward and told her what a big girl she was. The nurse gave her a sticker and boy oh boy was she proud of that sticker.
Starting yesterday, but more so today, she says “meow” when asked to be a kitty. She used to say “mimimimimimi” but now it sounds real. She’ll get down on all 4’s and crawl and meow like a kitty. She’s so freaking cute!
She knows everyone in her family. She says “Tee” for auntie. She says “He” for both Rick and Henry. When she sees my dad or grampa she says “Pa”. Grandma is “Ma”. Chad is “DadDEE” and I’m “Mom Mom”. When you ask her what her name is, it’s “Kat”. She walks around pointing to things and saying their word. Chair, TV, Book, Bob (a piggy bank), I can’t even remember all the words she knows. Pretty much everything in the house she knows, as well as Dog, Cat, Airplane, Water, Car, Pizza. The list goes on. She knows all her body parts. You can ask her to point out pretty much all the colors: red, blue, green, purple, pink, yellow. Pink is her favorite right now and the only one that she’ll name. (You can ask her to point to red and she will, but if you ask what color is that she’ll only tell you pink) She knows her shapes: circle, square, star, heart, oval, rectangle, crescent.
Kat dances more than ever now. If music comes on she’ll look to make sure I’m watching her and then sway to and fro.
Her new favorite game is the copy game. She’ll cross her arms and then look at us, expecting us to cross our arms. We will, and she’ll just grin, then start to sway... we start to sway, she keeps grinning! She’ll then put her hands down on the ground, we copy. She never says anything, just keeps trying different things for us to copy. She is thrilled when 2 or 3 adults are all doing what she leads us to do.
She took a 3.5 hour nap today, which was wonderful. I hope this is a sign of things to come! We’ll see. Probably not. I don’t want to get too excited. Every time I get her from either a nap or waking up in the morning, I say, “Did you sleep well?” and she’ll say, “yeah!” But she says it like the thought about the answer! So cute!
OK well I’m going to go sneak into her room and watch her sleep for a minute then try to drift off myself.
The only vaccination that was ordered this time around was the first varicella. (chicken pox) She didn’t even cry! She tried to pull away and gave the nurse a dirty look, but didn’t cry. We clapped afterward and told her what a big girl she was. The nurse gave her a sticker and boy oh boy was she proud of that sticker.
Starting yesterday, but more so today, she says “meow” when asked to be a kitty. She used to say “mimimimimimi” but now it sounds real. She’ll get down on all 4’s and crawl and meow like a kitty. She’s so freaking cute!
She knows everyone in her family. She says “Tee” for auntie. She says “He” for both Rick and Henry. When she sees my dad or grampa she says “Pa”. Grandma is “Ma”. Chad is “DadDEE” and I’m “Mom Mom”. When you ask her what her name is, it’s “Kat”. She walks around pointing to things and saying their word. Chair, TV, Book, Bob (a piggy bank), I can’t even remember all the words she knows. Pretty much everything in the house she knows, as well as Dog, Cat, Airplane, Water, Car, Pizza. The list goes on. She knows all her body parts. You can ask her to point out pretty much all the colors: red, blue, green, purple, pink, yellow. Pink is her favorite right now and the only one that she’ll name. (You can ask her to point to red and she will, but if you ask what color is that she’ll only tell you pink) She knows her shapes: circle, square, star, heart, oval, rectangle, crescent.
Kat dances more than ever now. If music comes on she’ll look to make sure I’m watching her and then sway to and fro.
Her new favorite game is the copy game. She’ll cross her arms and then look at us, expecting us to cross our arms. We will, and she’ll just grin, then start to sway... we start to sway, she keeps grinning! She’ll then put her hands down on the ground, we copy. She never says anything, just keeps trying different things for us to copy. She is thrilled when 2 or 3 adults are all doing what she leads us to do.
She took a 3.5 hour nap today, which was wonderful. I hope this is a sign of things to come! We’ll see. Probably not. I don’t want to get too excited. Every time I get her from either a nap or waking up in the morning, I say, “Did you sleep well?” and she’ll say, “yeah!” But she says it like the thought about the answer! So cute!
OK well I’m going to go sneak into her room and watch her sleep for a minute then try to drift off myself.
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Bye Bye Boobie, and other stuff
It's been a couple of months since I've updated this! It's because a certain Chuka Monkey keeps me very very busy. Also, I'm working a bunch of extra hours, which sucks.
Anyhow, Kat is doing very well with her words. She says two syllable words now. In fact, her first two syllable word was "cookie". She wanted a cookie from Auntie Candy and I said "how do we ask for a cookie?" and she said, "Coo Kee Pweez". She's so cute. Her next 2 syllable word is "baby". She also says "bown bao" (Brown bear)
Kat has no trouble knowing the difference between "ga" (yes) and "nyoo" (no). She thinks about her answer before she gives it, which I love.
Kat has to go to an outside sitter now, Nanette. Nanette is a school teacher and her husband is a cop. They live just a few minutes from Kaiser. They have a 2 year old boy named Brodie and a 4 month old baby, Ella. Kat plays very well with Brodie. Brodie is in a "mine" phase but Kat is very good natured about it. She is in LOVE with baby Ella. She hold her and says, "me baby" telling me she wants to hold the baby. Then I let her hold the baby, and she kept kissing her and showing the baby where her eyes, nose and mouth are. She is very gentle with Ella and gets upset when Ella cries. When she cries, Kat rubs her tummy and says "baby baby". She's a little mommy.
Let's see, she climbs anything and everything. She can get up onto our bed, which is tall. She can also get herself into her high chair. Today while babysitting Brodie and Ella I came into the room and Kat was standing on top of a table. She moved a chair over to climb on, then got on the table... etc. She's a crazy little monkey with no fear whatsoever.
Kat stopped nursing as of 5-31-06. 17 months old! She was very easy to wean. For a few months now we've been only nursing in the morning when she woke up. One day I decided I'd just try to go get her and change her and feed her breakfast and not mention it. That worked for a couple of days. She asked a couple of times, but no big deal. Then in the shower she latched on for a minute before I could intervene. But I told her I'd get her a big girl sippie cup when we got out and she was fine with that. She hasn't mentioned it since. She's such a good, well adjusted little girl.
Her 18 month checkup is tomorrow with Dr. Gelber. He's such a good Dr... we're going to be very sad when he retires. Kat likes her doctor. He always comments on how she doesn't cry too much.
I know there was more I wanted to mention but it'll have to wait. My brain is a tad mushy now and so I'll see what I can remember and try to write more tomorrow.
Anyhow, Kat is doing very well with her words. She says two syllable words now. In fact, her first two syllable word was "cookie". She wanted a cookie from Auntie Candy and I said "how do we ask for a cookie?" and she said, "Coo Kee Pweez". She's so cute. Her next 2 syllable word is "baby". She also says "bown bao" (Brown bear)
Kat has no trouble knowing the difference between "ga" (yes) and "nyoo" (no). She thinks about her answer before she gives it, which I love.
Kat has to go to an outside sitter now, Nanette. Nanette is a school teacher and her husband is a cop. They live just a few minutes from Kaiser. They have a 2 year old boy named Brodie and a 4 month old baby, Ella. Kat plays very well with Brodie. Brodie is in a "mine" phase but Kat is very good natured about it. She is in LOVE with baby Ella. She hold her and says, "me baby" telling me she wants to hold the baby. Then I let her hold the baby, and she kept kissing her and showing the baby where her eyes, nose and mouth are. She is very gentle with Ella and gets upset when Ella cries. When she cries, Kat rubs her tummy and says "baby baby". She's a little mommy.
Let's see, she climbs anything and everything. She can get up onto our bed, which is tall. She can also get herself into her high chair. Today while babysitting Brodie and Ella I came into the room and Kat was standing on top of a table. She moved a chair over to climb on, then got on the table... etc. She's a crazy little monkey with no fear whatsoever.
Kat stopped nursing as of 5-31-06. 17 months old! She was very easy to wean. For a few months now we've been only nursing in the morning when she woke up. One day I decided I'd just try to go get her and change her and feed her breakfast and not mention it. That worked for a couple of days. She asked a couple of times, but no big deal. Then in the shower she latched on for a minute before I could intervene. But I told her I'd get her a big girl sippie cup when we got out and she was fine with that. She hasn't mentioned it since. She's such a good, well adjusted little girl.
Her 18 month checkup is tomorrow with Dr. Gelber. He's such a good Dr... we're going to be very sad when he retires. Kat likes her doctor. He always comments on how she doesn't cry too much.
I know there was more I wanted to mention but it'll have to wait. My brain is a tad mushy now and so I'll see what I can remember and try to write more tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
16 Month Old Communicator
Ah, my little angel. That's what she is right now. She loves giving hugs and kisses. She's good at it, too! When she hugs, she pats your back a few times, it's precious. It seems like she's grown up a lot in the past couple of weeks. Both physically and mentally. All of a sudden her 12 month stuff doesn't fit her anymore. Now she's 18 month sized. Her pants are all too short, poor baby!
Potty training is coming along. She will grab her diaper and say "pee pee". Up until recently, she's been telling us after, but lately she's been going more on the potty. On Monday, Apr 10th, she went poo poo on the potty for the first time! I was so amazed, and she was so proud! I cheered for her and took a pic of her next to the potty. She kept pointing and clapping for herself. Very cute.
She likes to draw now. She bring her magna doodle and says, "daw" for draw. She has so many words in her little vocabulary it's amazing to me. I can't even think of them all right now. A big one is please, "peez"
We were at dinner last night and the waitress had brought her some tofu in a bowl. She gobbled it all up and then told me "more". I told her we had to wait and ask the lady. When the waitress finally came, she held up her empty bowl and said, "peez?" It was so cute.
She asks very nicely for "dink". She'll bring me her little cups and say either "milk" or "dink". She drinks perfectly out of a regular cup, too. She can also drink perfectly out of a water bottle! For the longest time she didn't grasp that you don't put your whole little mouth around it... so it's neat to see that she's picked up that trick. I give her a cup and tell her, "now, don't spill..." and she walks so carefully to her destination so she doesn't spill. When there is a mess to clean up though, she knows to get a towel and rub it back and forth. It's so cute.
Strawberry Shortcake is still her favorite thing ever. She used to dance to it by lifting up one leg over and over again, but now she's thrown in a few spins. She's so stinking cute. I told her just tonight, "go around and around...." and she tilts her head to the side and spins! Then when we all clap for her, she claps too and looks at everyone, just to make sure that everyone is looking. She's a bit of a ham that one.
We went to visit Aunt Marie and Uncle Charlie the other day and she LOVES her Uncle Charlie. He had her laughing out loud for quite a while. One of the things he does to her is sing, "hello, Hello, HELLO" like a quartet or something. It was making her laugh. After a while he was just walking by and she sang, "hao" to him. She wanted him to sing hello to her again! And of course, he did!!!
Kat loves cats! We read her "Goodnight Moon" every night, and she always points out the cats, and they aren't even in the main focus. She has 3 stuffed cats and loves them all. If she sees anything that even looks like a cat, she's saying, "keee Keee" When we tell her to MEOW it sounds nothing like a meow, but it sounds the same every time. In her mind it must sound like meow.
She's still obsessed with her hair pretties. And she's getting better at saying "pretty". She used to say "pree" but now it's more like "prety" She'll put on in her hair and then just tilt her head and rotate her body back and forth and pretend to be shy about being pretty. Funny girl.
Right now she loves to watch me cook. She likes it when I explain what I'm doing, and she loves to try to help. Poor thing gets banished when the heat gets turned up, but she enjoys being in there when she can.
Her climbing is getting better, which is terrifying. She can get in and out of the tub by herself now.
Oh a big one! She can feed herself a whole tub of yogurt with a spoon! I used still help her a bit with the runny stuff but she cries now if you don't give her the spoon. She's getting so big so fast and it breaks my heart.
Communicating with her is getting so much easier. When she whines, we tell her to "use her words" and usually, she does. She points or says words or shows us, but she's very good at getting us to know what she needs. I love her so.
Potty training is coming along. She will grab her diaper and say "pee pee". Up until recently, she's been telling us after, but lately she's been going more on the potty. On Monday, Apr 10th, she went poo poo on the potty for the first time! I was so amazed, and she was so proud! I cheered for her and took a pic of her next to the potty. She kept pointing and clapping for herself. Very cute.
She likes to draw now. She bring her magna doodle and says, "daw" for draw. She has so many words in her little vocabulary it's amazing to me. I can't even think of them all right now. A big one is please, "peez"
We were at dinner last night and the waitress had brought her some tofu in a bowl. She gobbled it all up and then told me "more". I told her we had to wait and ask the lady. When the waitress finally came, she held up her empty bowl and said, "peez?" It was so cute.
She asks very nicely for "dink". She'll bring me her little cups and say either "milk" or "dink". She drinks perfectly out of a regular cup, too. She can also drink perfectly out of a water bottle! For the longest time she didn't grasp that you don't put your whole little mouth around it... so it's neat to see that she's picked up that trick. I give her a cup and tell her, "now, don't spill..." and she walks so carefully to her destination so she doesn't spill. When there is a mess to clean up though, she knows to get a towel and rub it back and forth. It's so cute.
Strawberry Shortcake is still her favorite thing ever. She used to dance to it by lifting up one leg over and over again, but now she's thrown in a few spins. She's so stinking cute. I told her just tonight, "go around and around...." and she tilts her head to the side and spins! Then when we all clap for her, she claps too and looks at everyone, just to make sure that everyone is looking. She's a bit of a ham that one.
We went to visit Aunt Marie and Uncle Charlie the other day and she LOVES her Uncle Charlie. He had her laughing out loud for quite a while. One of the things he does to her is sing, "hello, Hello, HELLO" like a quartet or something. It was making her laugh. After a while he was just walking by and she sang, "hao" to him. She wanted him to sing hello to her again! And of course, he did!!!
Kat loves cats! We read her "Goodnight Moon" every night, and she always points out the cats, and they aren't even in the main focus. She has 3 stuffed cats and loves them all. If she sees anything that even looks like a cat, she's saying, "keee Keee" When we tell her to MEOW it sounds nothing like a meow, but it sounds the same every time. In her mind it must sound like meow.
She's still obsessed with her hair pretties. And she's getting better at saying "pretty". She used to say "pree" but now it's more like "prety" She'll put on in her hair and then just tilt her head and rotate her body back and forth and pretend to be shy about being pretty. Funny girl.
Right now she loves to watch me cook. She likes it when I explain what I'm doing, and she loves to try to help. Poor thing gets banished when the heat gets turned up, but she enjoys being in there when she can.
Her climbing is getting better, which is terrifying. She can get in and out of the tub by herself now.
Oh a big one! She can feed herself a whole tub of yogurt with a spoon! I used still help her a bit with the runny stuff but she cries now if you don't give her the spoon. She's getting so big so fast and it breaks my heart.
Communicating with her is getting so much easier. When she whines, we tell her to "use her words" and usually, she does. She points or says words or shows us, but she's very good at getting us to know what she needs. I love her so.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Colors, Strawberry Shortcake, Potty
Kat can now consistently identify red, blue, purple, yellow, green, and sometimes pink and orange. She knows circle, square, star and heart... she gets a bit confused with oval and rectangle. Sometimes she does triangle, but not each time yet.
Today I found her sorting candles by color. (Aimee sends candles in the oxyfresh tins, so they have matching lids) She will take off all the lids and then put them on... and she notices when the wrong lid is on the wrong container. I'm not sure what method she is using to sort, but she is sure. She does it the same way each time. She is so smart for her age, and I am so proud of her.
Today after lunch, I took the tray off of her high chair and let her out... and right away she grabbed her bib and started wiping the tray clean. I've never asked her to do that, she just picked it up on her own. She also ate almost an entire cup of banana pudding with a spoon, and hardly any mess. She want to be a big girl so bad, and she's doing a great job!
She still says "pee pee" and points to her diaper, but nothing happens when we put her on the potty. When asked where does pee pee go, she points to the toilet and says, "there!" So she almost gets it.
Today after she finished her chicken she was apparently still hungry, so she started dipping her animal crackers in the ketchup and eating them.
EVERY DAY she wants to watch "Sha" (Strawberry Shortcake)... when the theme song comes on, she starts dancing right away... by lifting up one leg HIGH and then stumbling a few steps and doing it all over again. She's so happy and she makes me so happy.
Right now she loves boxes and containers, anything she can put stuff in... including the toilet... she dropped Daddy's cell phone in there the other day and then put her hands up like, "what? What happened?" ornery little thing!
Today I found her sorting candles by color. (Aimee sends candles in the oxyfresh tins, so they have matching lids) She will take off all the lids and then put them on... and she notices when the wrong lid is on the wrong container. I'm not sure what method she is using to sort, but she is sure. She does it the same way each time. She is so smart for her age, and I am so proud of her.
Today after lunch, I took the tray off of her high chair and let her out... and right away she grabbed her bib and started wiping the tray clean. I've never asked her to do that, she just picked it up on her own. She also ate almost an entire cup of banana pudding with a spoon, and hardly any mess. She want to be a big girl so bad, and she's doing a great job!
She still says "pee pee" and points to her diaper, but nothing happens when we put her on the potty. When asked where does pee pee go, she points to the toilet and says, "there!" So she almost gets it.
Today after she finished her chicken she was apparently still hungry, so she started dipping her animal crackers in the ketchup and eating them.
EVERY DAY she wants to watch "Sha" (Strawberry Shortcake)... when the theme song comes on, she starts dancing right away... by lifting up one leg HIGH and then stumbling a few steps and doing it all over again. She's so happy and she makes me so happy.
Right now she loves boxes and containers, anything she can put stuff in... including the toilet... she dropped Daddy's cell phone in there the other day and then put her hands up like, "what? What happened?" ornery little thing!
Thursday, March 9, 2006
Developmental Milestones
Okay, once again it's been a while, but there are a few new things to report about her majesty. She is very interested in using the potty, though she won't do it yet, she'll tell us she has already gone, and then want to sit on the potty for a while. After she sits there for a while, she grabs the toilet paper and "wipes" herself. It's all very cute.
Today I was putting on her Strawberry Shortcake DVD and I had to flip through some different inputs to get there. In the process, I passed by Elmo. I just kept going, but she turned around and said very clearly, "go back!" It sounded more like "go baa" but still. Using two words to make a sentence at this age, I don't know what to do with her. She's so very smart.
She takes the lid off of the chap stick, puts some on, and then puts the lid back on like a pro. She also pretend answers the cell phone, she'll hold it right up to her ear and say, "hi?" and then continue having an imaginary conversation on the phone. She tells us when she's hungry either by using sign language for "Food" or by going into the kitchen or cabinets and bringing me what she wants. She brings me juice cups when she's thirsty too. Some of this stuff is normal I assume, but some is not... like telling Mommy to "go back". She amazes me every single day.
She doesn't get sad when I leave for work anymore, she just stands at the door and waves and says, "bye bye". She blows kisses and smiles. What a big girl she's becoming.
Oh, and she loves eating her dino bites for lunch... but now her majesty HAS to dip the chicken in Ketchup before she eats it. She saw us doing it and had to do it too. Now she's hooked. She is a very good eater though. She loves her veggies, especially steamed broccoli.
And, right now she is throwing a fit for some reason... sounds like Daddy blocked her freeway into the kitchen, and she's none too pleased. She is very opinionated. I'm glad to have a strong willed child, though I may regret saying that at some point. I'm glad she can think for herself.
Today I was putting on her Strawberry Shortcake DVD and I had to flip through some different inputs to get there. In the process, I passed by Elmo. I just kept going, but she turned around and said very clearly, "go back!" It sounded more like "go baa" but still. Using two words to make a sentence at this age, I don't know what to do with her. She's so very smart.
She takes the lid off of the chap stick, puts some on, and then puts the lid back on like a pro. She also pretend answers the cell phone, she'll hold it right up to her ear and say, "hi?" and then continue having an imaginary conversation on the phone. She tells us when she's hungry either by using sign language for "Food" or by going into the kitchen or cabinets and bringing me what she wants. She brings me juice cups when she's thirsty too. Some of this stuff is normal I assume, but some is not... like telling Mommy to "go back". She amazes me every single day.
She doesn't get sad when I leave for work anymore, she just stands at the door and waves and says, "bye bye". She blows kisses and smiles. What a big girl she's becoming.
Oh, and she loves eating her dino bites for lunch... but now her majesty HAS to dip the chicken in Ketchup before she eats it. She saw us doing it and had to do it too. Now she's hooked. She is a very good eater though. She loves her veggies, especially steamed broccoli.
And, right now she is throwing a fit for some reason... sounds like Daddy blocked her freeway into the kitchen, and she's none too pleased. She is very opinionated. I'm glad to have a strong willed child, though I may regret saying that at some point. I'm glad she can think for herself.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Accomplishments
I was reading this article on Baby Center and I thought I'd mark some of Kat's accomplishments. I'm copying the article for reference:
Self-care
As your child gets older, she'll learn to do more things for herself — from taking off her shirt to getting her own bowl of cereal in the morning. While watching your baby's growing independence can be bittersweet, learning to take care of herself is an important part of your child's personal and social development.
How it develops
Although your child won't make significant progress in self-care until the toddler years, you'll see the first stirrings fairly early on. At about 8 months, your baby will begin to understand how objects relate to one another and may begin using them for their intended function — brushing her hair, babbling on her play phone, and so on. A few weeks later, she'll start learning how to drink out of a cup, and in a few months she'll be able to hold the cup herself (the one-handed grip will come at about 24 months). At 11 months, she'll even start holding out her arm or leg to help you dress her. Kat was doing this around 9 1/2 months... she's always wanted to be independent.
Your child will really start developing her own sense of self in the first few months after her first birthday. By 15 months, your toddler will recognize herself in the mirror — no longer will she reach out and try to touch the "other" baby. She already recognizes herself in the mirror. I'm not real sure when that started though. And soon after, she, like most toddlers, will probably go through a period of adamant no-saying. It's her way of asserting her new feelings of individuation. She hasn't mastered the actual word, but she will hold up her hand and shake her head no often. Especially if she points to something, you grab what you think she's asking for, and that's not it... she'll shake her head no and re-point to the correct object.
As her sense of self increases, so will her achievements in self-care. Over the next three years, your child will master:
Using a fork and spoon: Some toddlers may start wanting to use utensils as early as 13 months, and most children have figured out this all-important skill by 17 or 18 months. By the time she's 4, your child will probably be able to hold her utensils like an adult, and she'll be ready to learn table manners. She has tried this before, but she did a real good job just this last week at Disneyland. She spooned her whole tub of applesauce and fed herself. It was a bit messy, but what an accomplishment! She was proud of herself.
Taking off her own clothes: While this may lead to lots of naked-toddler chase sessions, it's a key accomplishment, and your child will learn to do it sometime between 13 and 20 months. Not yet. When it's bath time, she'll go to Daddy and he'll undo one side of her diaper, then she'll pull it down. She pulls on her clothes like she wants to undress herself, but she doesn't quite have it down yet.
Brushing her teeth: She may start wanting to help with this task as early as 16 months, but she probably won't be able to do it on her own until sometime between her third and fourth birthdays. Kat has been "brushing" her own teeth for probably a month now. When she sees a toothbrush, (anyone's, she's not picky) she starts to brush those cute little teeth. She likes watching Hubby and I brush.
Washing and drying her hands: This skill develops between 19 and 30 months and is something your child should learn before or at the same time as using the toilet — you don't want her spreading bacteria. Kat washes her hands. If you put soap on them and tell her, "wash, wash, wash" she'll rub her hands together. She also washes her hair and belly in the bathtub. She's not really interested in drying, though.
Getting dressed: She may be able to put on loose clothing as early as 20 months, but she'll need a few more months before she can manage a T-shirt and another year or two after that before she'll really be able to get dressed all by herself. At 27 months, she'll probably be able to pull off her shoes. She takes her shoes off now. And she tries to put them on. She hold socks up to her feet but she can't get them on. She puts shirts up against her head but she doesn't realize there is a hole there to get through. She wants to be a big girl so bad.
Using the toilet: Most children aren't physically ready to start toilet training until they're at least 18 to 24 months old, and some won't be ready to begin for as much as a year after that. Two key signs of readiness include being able to pull her pants up and down by herself and knowing when she has to go before it happens. For more, see BabyCenter's complete toilet training guide.We are trying to sit Kat on the toilet each day and talk to her about what she should be doing there. Nothing yet, but she'll do it when she's ready. She is able to tell me "poop" but not before...
Preparing her own breakfast: Toddlers as young as 3 may be able to get themselves a bowl of cereal when they're hungry, and most kids can do it by the time they're four and half. If your child wants to give this a whirl, make it easy for her by leaving kid-size containers of cereal and milk in the cupboard and fridge. She isn't allowed to pour her own yet, though she's be happy to if I'd let her. She isn't that coordinated yet, she's pretty messy! She does go into the cupboard and bring me food when she wants me to cook it for her. And she brings me a juice cup when she's thirsty. She also helps herself to candy that we accidentally left out!
Today while doing her night night routine, she did all the signs for Itsy Bitsy Spider. She can point out most of her body parts and she can usually show me a circle and a square. She seems to recognize blue, but she doesn't get it every time. When I ask her something, she'll think about it, and then shake her head yes or no. When she says yes, she also verbally says "ga" while she shakes her head. When she says no, it's just the head shake. I think I'm not so looking forward to when she starts saying it. She's said it a few times, but it hasn't really stuck.
She recognizes Goofy from Disneyland. She says, "goo" or "ga" and points to the doll Matt bought for her. She also says Brat, Matt, Poop, Yeah, Momma, Daddy, down, that, cracker, please, thank you and some other stuff I can't remember. Oh, Brown bear and Piggy, and baby. She tries to say Kat. None of these words are completely clear, but she is trying real hard. She'll try to repeat almost anything we say, so we have to be careful.
She's a love.
Self-care
As your child gets older, she'll learn to do more things for herself — from taking off her shirt to getting her own bowl of cereal in the morning. While watching your baby's growing independence can be bittersweet, learning to take care of herself is an important part of your child's personal and social development.
How it develops
Although your child won't make significant progress in self-care until the toddler years, you'll see the first stirrings fairly early on. At about 8 months, your baby will begin to understand how objects relate to one another and may begin using them for their intended function — brushing her hair, babbling on her play phone, and so on. A few weeks later, she'll start learning how to drink out of a cup, and in a few months she'll be able to hold the cup herself (the one-handed grip will come at about 24 months). At 11 months, she'll even start holding out her arm or leg to help you dress her. Kat was doing this around 9 1/2 months... she's always wanted to be independent.
Your child will really start developing her own sense of self in the first few months after her first birthday. By 15 months, your toddler will recognize herself in the mirror — no longer will she reach out and try to touch the "other" baby. She already recognizes herself in the mirror. I'm not real sure when that started though. And soon after, she, like most toddlers, will probably go through a period of adamant no-saying. It's her way of asserting her new feelings of individuation. She hasn't mastered the actual word, but she will hold up her hand and shake her head no often. Especially if she points to something, you grab what you think she's asking for, and that's not it... she'll shake her head no and re-point to the correct object.
As her sense of self increases, so will her achievements in self-care. Over the next three years, your child will master:
Using a fork and spoon: Some toddlers may start wanting to use utensils as early as 13 months, and most children have figured out this all-important skill by 17 or 18 months. By the time she's 4, your child will probably be able to hold her utensils like an adult, and she'll be ready to learn table manners. She has tried this before, but she did a real good job just this last week at Disneyland. She spooned her whole tub of applesauce and fed herself. It was a bit messy, but what an accomplishment! She was proud of herself.
Taking off her own clothes: While this may lead to lots of naked-toddler chase sessions, it's a key accomplishment, and your child will learn to do it sometime between 13 and 20 months. Not yet. When it's bath time, she'll go to Daddy and he'll undo one side of her diaper, then she'll pull it down. She pulls on her clothes like she wants to undress herself, but she doesn't quite have it down yet.
Brushing her teeth: She may start wanting to help with this task as early as 16 months, but she probably won't be able to do it on her own until sometime between her third and fourth birthdays. Kat has been "brushing" her own teeth for probably a month now. When she sees a toothbrush, (anyone's, she's not picky) she starts to brush those cute little teeth. She likes watching Hubby and I brush.
Washing and drying her hands: This skill develops between 19 and 30 months and is something your child should learn before or at the same time as using the toilet — you don't want her spreading bacteria. Kat washes her hands. If you put soap on them and tell her, "wash, wash, wash" she'll rub her hands together. She also washes her hair and belly in the bathtub. She's not really interested in drying, though.
Getting dressed: She may be able to put on loose clothing as early as 20 months, but she'll need a few more months before she can manage a T-shirt and another year or two after that before she'll really be able to get dressed all by herself. At 27 months, she'll probably be able to pull off her shoes. She takes her shoes off now. And she tries to put them on. She hold socks up to her feet but she can't get them on. She puts shirts up against her head but she doesn't realize there is a hole there to get through. She wants to be a big girl so bad.
Using the toilet: Most children aren't physically ready to start toilet training until they're at least 18 to 24 months old, and some won't be ready to begin for as much as a year after that. Two key signs of readiness include being able to pull her pants up and down by herself and knowing when she has to go before it happens. For more, see BabyCenter's complete toilet training guide.We are trying to sit Kat on the toilet each day and talk to her about what she should be doing there. Nothing yet, but she'll do it when she's ready. She is able to tell me "poop" but not before...
Preparing her own breakfast: Toddlers as young as 3 may be able to get themselves a bowl of cereal when they're hungry, and most kids can do it by the time they're four and half. If your child wants to give this a whirl, make it easy for her by leaving kid-size containers of cereal and milk in the cupboard and fridge. She isn't allowed to pour her own yet, though she's be happy to if I'd let her. She isn't that coordinated yet, she's pretty messy! She does go into the cupboard and bring me food when she wants me to cook it for her. And she brings me a juice cup when she's thirsty. She also helps herself to candy that we accidentally left out!
Today while doing her night night routine, she did all the signs for Itsy Bitsy Spider. She can point out most of her body parts and she can usually show me a circle and a square. She seems to recognize blue, but she doesn't get it every time. When I ask her something, she'll think about it, and then shake her head yes or no. When she says yes, she also verbally says "ga" while she shakes her head. When she says no, it's just the head shake. I think I'm not so looking forward to when she starts saying it. She's said it a few times, but it hasn't really stuck.
She recognizes Goofy from Disneyland. She says, "goo" or "ga" and points to the doll Matt bought for her. She also says Brat, Matt, Poop, Yeah, Momma, Daddy, down, that, cracker, please, thank you and some other stuff I can't remember. Oh, Brown bear and Piggy, and baby. She tries to say Kat. None of these words are completely clear, but she is trying real hard. She'll try to repeat almost anything we say, so we have to be careful.
She's a love.
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