and the livin' is easy . . . ." especially if you've got an inflatable wading pool, a hose and tupperware . . .
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| "Nothin's better than a blow-up wading pool." |
At fourteen months Coco is ready for summer. Big time. She's conquered walking and climbing the stairs. She's now practically running (she likes to play "chase" in the house), and just the other day she was trying to jump. (Mari was teaching her.) She's not so good going down stairs. She doesn't understand why she has to turn around and crawl down backwards. Seems more efficient just to walk down the stairs holding on to Daddy's fingers. She also now insists on silverware at meals - it's more dignified. "And ice in my sippy cup, please."
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| Practicing "down stairs." |
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| "Of course I can use a spoon. I'm fourteen months old! I ain't no one-year-old anymore." |
We don't yet have any real words; she clearly understands a lot of words and is close on saying several -- daddy, papa, doggy and balloon. She is also good at animal noises -- moo, arf arf (which is more like a squeak but we get the meaning) and growling for anything that looks like a lion or a tiger. We figure she has been focusing on her physical prowess and the vocabulary will come later - probably in English and Spanish and in full sentences: "I said, Papa, I want to wear the purple shoes today." Fortunately, she picked up signing without missing a beat. She knows "milk" (her favorite), "eat", "more", "all done", "book" and "sleep" (which is always followed by shaking her head "no"). She really likes stories before bed; her favorites right now are
Good Night Moon and
Good Night Gorilla. (I appreciate the lyrical prose of
Good Night Moon and the hidden imagery in
Good Night Gorilla, myself.)
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| Checking on the goldfish. |
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| "Daddy! Daddy! It's gold! I found gold! . . . . . It's a what?" |
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| "Whatchulookinat? |
