Christmas in TX

IMG_2141
Originally uploaded by rwheatfall.

It was so fun to see everyone in Texas and it was great fun visiting with Grandma, Grandpa, Nola, Raulston, Toika, Allegra, Austin, Daniel, Demetrius, Tanika, Debra and Aunt Lillian. Sophie just loves her Embrack cousins! She also met her cousins Peyton and Lauren, Tanika and Quentin's daughters.

On the plane ride home, she started practicing her first soliloquies. From memory, she kept reciting these words, in order:

"Oh no!"
"Trouble"
"Baby Jaguar!"
"Meow! Meow!"

She kept saying it about 20 times. She was also saying "Click. . .taka pic" for the camera part. After a couple times, we figured out this was an episode of Diego.

She got a giant tiger from her cousins, and she LOVES it!

sick

Sophie had a 101 fever 2 nights ago, and her little voice sounds like a frog. It's sad but very cute at the same time. Her fever is gone, but she has thick snot, so we're not going to play with other kids. It's a struggle to keep busy!

She said "monkey" VERY clearly for the first time this week. She is also stringing her words together quite effectively. "Where Mommy go?" "Here go, Mommy" when she hands me something. She also says "Hok" when she wants a hug. She can point out practically every animal in her DK animal book, from zebras to buffalo.

She loves boxed raisins now.

No cry naps at 20 months

For the past 2 days, I have put Sophie in her crib at noon for naptime, and she lets me walk away, without being asleep, with NO crying!
It also worked last night at bedtime. We are used to some tears at bedtime for about 5 min until she falls asleep, but there weren't any.
How nice.

For 2 weeks in a row last month, she pooped in her swim diaper at swim lessons. I'll spare you the gorey details, but let's just say, not fun.

Her latest trick is pulling pillows from the chair or bed onto the floor, then jumping and rolling around on them and cracking herself up.

Each morning, she asks for "nana" (translation - banana) for breakfast. But she is not eating the whole thing right away.

She's also becoming more interested in potty activities. . .

Santa

Santa
Originally uploaded by rwheatfall.

Sophie's first encounter with Santa was not successful. Like Mother, like daughter. This Santa was at the Las Madres holiday party, Dec 4. She lasted about 2 seconds on his lap.

Olives

Olives
Originally uploaded by rwheatfall.

We walked down to get the mail this afternoon, which is right under an olive tree. We got back in the house, and she played while I went thru the mail. In the 5 min it took me to sort the mail, I went out to discover her hands covered in something. . . it was on her mouth and down her shirt. I started freaking out, yelling at her to tell me what she ate! I licked her hands to see if it tasted toxic.

After a frantic search on my hands and knees, I found a small, chewed on, olive. A prompt bath followed.

Hoppalow

Sophie's words are just exploding. She is even saying sentences, but it takes me a while to even realize it, b/c I am not expecting it.

At the gym yesterday, she said "I play too" when we got the play doh out.

She loves to repeat words I say - she loved saying "Cubby" when we visited Cub. And when I say "buffalo" she says "hoppalow".

Her nap has now officially gone to noon, and I am loving it. I can get a lot accomplished during that naptime.

We went to playgroup today, and when she got frustrated and tired, she started throwing toys around. That was my signal it was time to go!

She had her first real "conversation" on the phone with Daddy this week too. Instead of just listening to the earpiece, and looking at me and exclaiming "Daddy!", she actually started babbling to him.