Well, the big 1-6 rolled around the corner today. Li Li is 16-months old. Why does this keep on happening? I just can't control this aging thing. Anyways, in keeping with tradition, here is what she has been up to the past month of her life. Note: for those who like the brief, shortened version of things, this post is not for you.
1. Lia has been very busy in the land of language
acquisition this past month. She has added a whole new slew of words to her word bag. Here they are in no particular order: car, ball, duck, juice (used to refer to juice or milk), grape, eat, flower, night night, and she can roar like a lion and scream like a monkey. I'm most proud of the last two.
2. She is absolutely in LOVE with her dolls. We bought her two little ones at the grocery store the other week and she immediately took to them while still in the shopping cart. She started calling them "baby" and holding and cuddling them right away. How did she automatically know to do that? I tell ya, those motherly
instincts. Anyways, since that day, she can't stop saying "baby" and can't get enough of those two dolls. They are currently the center of her universe and go with her everywhere (including the high chair tray...so they are now covered with strawberry stains and smell like the cider vinegar water that her cucumber chunks soak in....lovely).
3. The shoe fascination continues. I'd say that they are a close runner-up to the dolls. She also says "shoe" all of the time and insists on wearing a pair (and sometimes carrying another pair) all the time. Putting shoes on is the first item of business in the morning after getting out of her crib. And, yes, she still sleeps with a pair from time to time. The worst aspect of this obsession is the fact that Lia has now made our shoes part of it. If we have a pair lying around the house, she will sniff them out and bring them to us to put on. Even if we are already wearing another pair, she sometimes insists that we change pairs with the one she is currently holding. Ugh....it's all getting a little too complicated for me....especially since this is a house
where shoes are not allowed!4. She has now gotten comfortable
enough with walking that running has started to come into play. Lia is not super proficient with it yet, so taking big spills occur on a regular basis. She also loves how her walking and running sounds while wearing shoes on hard floors. As a result, she has invented this cute, little dance that she does back and forth on her feet while wearing them.
5. Since the weather has been nice and sunny most of June, the deck has become her place of choice. It is like a big,
over sized play pen for her and she loves to be out there doing this, that, and the other thing!
6. Also with the arrival of the warm weather has come the daily chore of watering. Lia is my watering assistant and follows me all over the yard. She is fascinated with it and
insists that I water her hand between every other plant or flower. It definately slows down the process and makes for a very wet girl by the end, but it sure is cute!
7. Food update: Good news....Lia's aversion to dinner foods and vegetables have taken a bit of a vacation this past month. She has started eating some of our dinner dishes again and even surprised us by popping a few veggies in her mouth including broccoli, olives, corn, and roasted tomatoes. Hooray! I won't hold my breath, though, as she has also become an expert in gobbling up one type of food one day and then refusing
the exact same thing the very next day! Ugh. However, I must add that Ron has just discovered the ultimate weapon to combat this
pickiness....feeding "baby" first. Since Lia's bigger doll is almost always on the food tray during meal time, it is quite convenient to "feed" her first before feeding Lia the same spoonful. And, it actually works. Our daughter is a big fan of this and so are we!
8. She popped her first three molars this past month without us even noticing. It wasn't til quite some time later that I saw all three while she was doing that open-mouth-crying thing. Good girl for not making a peep!
9. This is a favorite of mine--she has started walking up to me and hugging my back whenever I am on the floor doing something. She thinks it is the funniest thing and makes this cute noise while hugging me.
10. This is not a favorite of mine--Lia has also started wining and pointing when she wants something. But, here's the kicker, half the time the something that she wants is on the floor a foot a way from her! So, I find myself saying the phrase, "Well, get it!", all the time now.
11. This one is adorable as it demonstrates her dainty, careful side. Now when she is holding something, but wants something else, she will carefully set down the item on the floor before picking up the newly desired one. I especially love this when she is discarding her
sippy cup for something better....as a result, the contents of the
sippy cup don't end up all over my floor.
12. Lia is giving the dog whisperer a run for his money. Watch out Cesar! She is still fascinated with dogs this month and can hear one barking from miles away (well, slight
exaggeration....but, you get my point!). She will start barking back or say "dog" before I have even realized that one was barking way off in the distance. It's quite remarkable. The problem with these super-sonar-radar ears of hers is that she sometimes mistakes things like cawing crows or sneezing neighbors for dogs.
13. She makes this cute, "
Ahhhhhhh," noise whenever she discovers something new or something she has seen a million times but suddenly likes a lot!
14. Since removing the safety gate that is found at the bottom of our stairs last week, Lia has found a perfect chair for her height in the bottom step. She will quietly disappear at certain times throughout the day to just take a break and sit on it. She especially likes to do this while sipping her "juice." If it has been silent for a minute or two and I can't find her anywhere in the kitchen or family room, I now know where to look.
15. And, last but not least (we're almost done here), Lia has taken to doing funny things with her face and head. She has started making this funny face where she lifts up her chin and
scrunches her eyes and mouth. And, lastly, she now will shake her head up and down and side to side whenever she is first placed in the crib and the
paci is inserted in her mouth. Where does she come up with this stuff?
Here are a few pics from the last week or two....
Lia throwing one of her 3-second tantrums on the porch. It ended the second I snapped the picture.
The queen and her kingdom (please note the doll and ball in her hands).
A funny close-up I took while trying to get a different picture of her. Look at them baby
blues!
Live proof of Lia and her "new chair" located at the bottom of our stairs. Sometimes this new chair doubles as a Lazy Boy recliner as demonstrated by the photo on the right. Please also note the random items that Lia discovers around the house and likes to wear around her neck: her father's ID badge from work and the tacky, knitted lei we received on our honeymoon in Hawaii.
This photo shows how low the tide was when I first arrived at the boat launch. By the time we got back at 8 pm, the water was probably 15-20 feet deep at the end of the pier.
My brother (the once-aspiring-marine-biologist-turned-dentist) combing the unusually low waters off of the dock. He found many large rock and spider crabs that drew in a local crowd and helped to pass the time.
Lia sitting in her "log chair" working on her multi-hour sand project! Very important business.
Lia, me, and the wind on the boat ride over to Blake Island.
Lia and her older cousin, Brynn, playing in the sand at Blake Island. What a beautiful day!
Lia, me, and the wind on the boat ride over to Blake Island.
Lia and her older cousin, Brynn, playing in the sand at Blake Island. What a beautiful day!
