Play-A-Little, Talk-Some-More, Develop-A-Lot

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, L'ie Bear has been taking her time when it comes to talking.  She loves to babble and "sing", but for the longest time none of it made any sense, and she had no desire to repeat or mimic Chad and I.  Thankfully, at her last appointment, the pediatrician was not overly concerned and said that it is very common for some kids to start talking right around the two year mark.  They would go from not speaking any words to suddenly talking up a storm, and at two years they should be able to consistently speak 20-25 words.  This information calmed our fears and we kept working with L'ie on her words.   And within the past month, just as the pediatrician predicted, the Bear's vocabulary has quickly grown.   At 23 months, it is clear that L'ie Bear can understand a lot of what we say, and she is now saying the following words:

Mommy

Daddy

Baby - This was her first official word and still one of her favorites

Yes - Usually a happy "YEAH"

No - Normally uttered at something Wrigley is doing

Hi - She also calls our cellphones "hi"

Bye

Eye

Go

Stay - She also holds her palm out as a signal for Wrigley to Stay.

Up - Usually pronounced "Uppie".  Right now she also says uppie when she means down.

Cookie - "Tookie"

Please - Always a long and drawn out "Pease"

Thank You - "Tank U"

Where at? - Usually uttered with her arms raised at her sides

Kitty

Wrigley - "Igley"

More - Normally an urgent "MAW MAW"

Cow - Although she usually just says "Moooo"

Poop - "Poo Poo"

Boots - "Boooo"

Train - "Choo Choo"

Ball

Bubbles - "Boobles"

Uh Oh

Hot - And she rubs her fingers as though she touched something hot whenever she says it.

Moon - "Boon"

Daisy - She really loves Daisy Duck right now and calls her "DayDee"

Night Night

She can make the sounds for the following animals:

Cows
Dogs
Cats
Chickens
Pigs
Birds
Monkeys
Tigers

And she can point out the following body parts:

Eyes
Ears
Nose
Mouth
Hair
Fingers
Toes
Feet
Belly Button

In addition, playtime has become really fun.  Every day, we enjoy reading her books and playing with her flashcards, we have delicious tea parties, we color and finger-paint, we hold loud dance parties and we cuddle on the couch and watch either Tinker Bell movies or Thomas the Train.  It is such a joy to wake up and spend the day with this little girl.

Our Future Medical Professional?!?!?  Somehow, L'ie figured out how to use her new medical kit from Aunt Sarah.  She always makes sure that she checks Elmo's heartbeat, blood pressure and temperature, and he gets a shot every day.

While her sweet personality remains the same, the change in her vocabulary and cognition happened very quickly and it is such a thrill to watch her meet these milestones with success.  L'ie Bear might take her time when it comes to crawling, walking or talking, but she always gets there in the end!