Palabras

Lily says some new things:

No
She repeats this one sometimes when we say it, but hasn't yet started using it to tell us no. Our days are clearly numbered.

Down (from my high chair), More, Abre (open)
Lily was a bit feral last month, screaming in place of asking for things. Some real parenting was required and we started saying a gentle but firm "no" to screaming, then earnestly repeated the word she should use to ask for the type of help needed (Parents Magazine should hire us). Two weeks later we've got her using "down" (pronounced "dow, dow") and a fervent pointing to the ground gesture to get her out of her high chair, "more" (pronounced "Mm, Mm") to, well, ask for more of something, and "abre" (pronounced "Ah, Ah") to get us to open things for her. A hand to the mouth also serves for, "feed me!!!!" Screaming levels are back down to a normal range.

She is also finally in line with the whole eating in the high chair thing as opposed to the roaming eating thing. In the week before we went to California, we had started reinforcing this rule, having snacks in the chair and eating meals together at the table. When we dropped her off with my family, she was still a protestant (I highly doubt you can use "protestant" in this context, but I want to, badly.). My family continued the hard work we had begun and she was fixed when we came back. Nice.

Peepee, Poo Poo (pointing at her diaper to tell you she's just done one)
Lily has decided to begin potty training herself at 17 months. We taught her "peepee," as in the body part, a while ago. She enjoyed learning her body part's name, and started saying its name and grabbing it when her diaper was changed. This was only slightly problematic when she had "done a dirty," as Oli calls it. We moved on to telling her the names of the things in her diaper and now she points and says the name of the one she's done. At this point we go to the toilet and talk/act out potty time, which she loves (she will flush the toilet on demand if commanded in Spanish), so maybe some time soon she'll start telling us before she does 'em (although books tell me kids don't have the muscle strength to control their bowels until after 18 months, so we'll take it at Lily's pace I suppose...)? In the meantime, it is really funny to see Lily's little body on a giant toilet.

Car (pronounced the British way, without the r sound; it's kind of the cutest thing an American could ever hear.)
As a car passed our balcony this morning, Oli pointed and said, "car." Lily then said the same, in Oli's accent, and repeated it a few times. Now when we point to cars she utters a gentle "cah."

Mweeeeee (as in the sound an elephant makes)
Point to an elephant. Yes, now. Now Lily will stick her nose to her shoulder and say "mweeee." Good job.

Gooooool! (pronouned "Daaaaaaaaa" by Lily)
Now she can not only dribble, pass and shoot, but when she does so, she throws her arms up and heaves her whole body behind a "Daaaaaaaaa!" Purely champion material.

Mwah (as in the sound of kissing)
She now kisses. Kisses aren't words, but they ARE newsworthy.

Ta Da!
~