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Words: It's strange when you start to understand your child's speech...considering how long we've survived with only points and grunts, now that Reese can make understandable requests it is both exciting and frustrating all at once. I realize that some of her words are completely incomprehensible to everyone except me (including daddy sometimes), but I'm strangely starting to understand her more and more every day. It's even caused some fits and tantrums that she can use words to ask for what she wants, but she doesn't always get it. You can see the frustration and confusion build in her. I imagine her inner dialogue is something like, "But you KNOW what I want. I used my words! Now why can't I have it?!?!" More new words: sit, open (sounds like "up-down"), no-way! (I don't know where to lay blame for this one, it came out of the blue), wrap (like wrap me in the blanket or towel), potty, done, Elmo (*sigh,* after only a few weeks of limited exposure to Sesame Street she is IN LOVE with Elmo), and many many more.

Dress up: I need to get this girl some fake makeup and dress up jewelry stat. Every morning while I get dressed (as quickly as humanly possible), she wants to put on every necklace and bracelet I own. She also insists on using lotion, chap stick, and makeup brushes whenever they are in her sight. I don't consider myself a girly-girl, so I'm not sure where this is coming from.

Chair: Today we bought Reese a booster chair and retired her high chair. It was coming to blows (more like tantrums, really) every meal time when she had to sit in her high chair and saw me (and/or daddy) sitting at the table. She wanted to sit in the chairs at the table every chance she got, and it just wasn't safe for her. We tried lunch in the booster today and so far, so good.


Potty: Because I had a plethora of coupons to use before they expired, we also bought Reese a potty chair today. I have no intention of beginning serious potty training yet, but thought that it wouldn't hurt to have it around for her to get used to. When we got it home, she immediately wanted to sit on it and she actually peed in it on it's inaugural use! A fluke for sure, I thought, although I praised her as if she had just cured cancer anyway. Since 10AM today, she's sat on it three other times and actually pooped in it as well! The other times, she sat on it and grunted and pushed as if she was trying to go to the bathroom, but didn't go. During her pooping experience, I was reading her a book while she sat on the potty, and in the middle of one of the pages, she hopped up and said, "done!" When I looked down, I saw that she certainly was done with her business. I am not going to hold my breath that this interest in using it (or using is successfully) continues, but it is an eventful start.