We've been so busy and having so much fun, I didn't get to blog about Natalie's 16th month! Enjoy this double edition of Natalie's growth!
~Natalie continues to want to be a big kid. She often imitates her siblings and wants to do what they do. They are great with her and help her join in!
~Her gross motor skills are great! She's now running and climbing into just about everything. She also enjoys climbing the ladder to our backyard swing set is able to climb independently. Thankfully, she'll climb the first rung and call out for Mommy or Daddy to stand by before climbing further so we can be there, just in case.
~We're suspecting she may be a lefty. While she has plenty of time to establish a dominant hand, she often colors and uses her left when feeding herself with utensils.
~Natalie now only naps once a day. We had several days of her napping fine in the morning, but fighting her afternoon nap after a few minutes of playing in her crib. She transitioned easily and is going great! We're all enjoying more flexibility with our mornings, as we don't need to work around her nap. Upon waking, she'll call for Mommy and/or Daddy.
~She loves walking around in dress up heels with a purse or phone in one hand and a baby in another.
~I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I LOVE language acquisition! Her receptive language skills are great and is able to understand a lot! She is able to identify and point to her/our nose, eyes, mouth, hands, hair, belly, fingers, feet and toes. Natalie is able to repeat many words with clear articulation--although she makes it sound extra cute in her sweet little voice. We've been working on a list of her spontaneously spoken words, which grows every day! Here's what we came up with, in no particular order:
~~Hi
~~Hello
~~Bye bye
~~Go-go
~~Shoes
~~Ball
~~Flower
~~Car
~~Mommy
~~Daddy
~~Abby
~~Abigail (Abby-gail)
~~Brennan (Benn-nen)
~~Gavin (Gag-gin)
~~Natalie (Na-ne)
~~Book
~~Bed
~~Bite
~~Please
~~Thank you
~~Plate
~~Bowl
~~Done (said while handing us her plate after a meal)
~~Minnie
~~Cupcake
~~Room
~~Tracy
~~Kacey
~~Doggy
~~Bath
~~Cheese
~~Cracker
~~Cookie
~~Box
~~Bag
~~Beep
~~Baby
~~Eyes
~~Hand (usually when she wants to hold our hand)
~~Hair
~~Belly
~~Juice
~~Cup
~~Potty
~~Yucky
~~No
~~Yes
~~Yeah
~~Barley (pet dog at the babysitter's house)
~~Grandma
~~Grandpa
~~Sock
~~Stop
~~Bottle
~~Barbie
~~Help
~~Ouchie
~~Poop
~~Up
~~Hot
~~Yogurt
~~Food
~~Apple
~~Banana
~~Chips
~~Mail
~~Outside
~~Again
~~Stuck
~~Donut
~~Dirty
~~All gone
~~All done
~~Brush
~~Toothbrush
~~What? (in response to her name being called)
~~Guppy
~~Yummy gummy (What we call chewy vitamins)
~~Out
~~Here
~~Here go
~~Cars
~~Come on
~~Milk
~~On
~~Shirt
~~Upstairs
~~Downstairs
~~Blankie
And some phrases:
~~Hi _____! (Mommy, Daddy, Abby, Brennan, Gavin, Baby, Birdie, etc)
~~Love you! (A personal favorite!)
~~More bite
~~Ew, throw away
She is also labeling items - Abby's toothbrush, Brennan's shirt, etc.
