Lily Lingo

21 months! I used to think it was silly to count ages in months after kids were a year. Now having witnessed firsthand how much they can grow and change in a month I don't think it's silly at all. Here's the Lily-lowdown for April.

She still can't say the L sound for Lily very well yet so you have to be paying attention to understand when she's saying her own name. It's kind like Yi Yi. It's funny that her name is one thing I struggle to understand. She's a pretty good little communicator.

Random funny things my child has been saying recently:

Lily's crying (usually a fake cry) When I ask 'What's wrong?' The answer is: "I'm crying!" Makes me laugh every time.

Don't know where she picked this up, but she's learned to be a sweet little wheedler. "Mom, can I watch a show"  (pause) "Pl-ease!" She knows just when to pause, and just how to place the emphasis - it just makes all of us bust out laughing and want to give her whatever she asked for.

"I like Everysing!" When she gets something she particularly likes to eat she will say this again and again. It's not true. It's a struggle to get her to eat even things she does like at times. It's not difficult to get her to eat popsicles, ice cream, most fruit, cheese, pancakes with syrup, and any candy or fruit snack you will let her try. Yogurt, peanut butter and macaroni and cheese are her staples, but even they lose their appeal at times. Recently she has discovered a fondness for fresh tomatoes. She was just saying at lunch yesterday: "Look, mom, my tomatoes! My favorite! Yummy yummy to my tummy.." You couldn't tell they were her favorite by how much she ate! I can't wait for her to try our garden tomatoes!

When Mike changes Lily he often names her arms or legs as he slips each one into her clothes or pajamas. 'Arm' slip in the arm 'Other arm' slip in the other arm. 'Leg...other leg.' Well, you can tell we don't use the official names for private parts around here because the other day as Mike was changing her diaper and wiping her clean Lily says: "Booty" (pause, as Mike wipes again) "Other booty." 

Lately when Lily wants something right now she says: "This night!" insistently - whatever the time of day.

Mike has been working hard to put in a gopher proof garden spot and been adding fresh topsoil and manure to it to get it ready for planting. Lily loves to play in the dirt and in the midst of our trying to dissuade her - we hear this from her lips: "I wanna play in the poop!"

The other day Lily was cradling her little baby doll so sweetly, and Mike asked her 'What's your baby's name?' She thought for a millisecond then immediately replied: "Crap!"

Mike and I just looked at each other trying not to laugh. Did we hear that right? Yes, 3 times. Don't worry we quickly encouraged her to name it something more appropriate. And - just in case you are wondering if we are potty mouths because of the last two quotes - sometimes Lily just strings some sounds together to make up a word when she doesn't know the answer to something, and I could tell that's what she was doing here. :)

 

Getting ready to put Lily to bed..

"Mom, D'you hear that!?" Lily asked with big eyes and a serious voice.

(me) 'Hear what?'

Lily looked around then answered in a whisper: "Ghosts!"

She had serious eyes, but a smile lurking in the corners. Luckily the banjo playing raccoon ghosts from Little Bear are pretty much the least scary kind of ghost imaginable. Though, last night she had to have help to walk around the wall by the doorway into our semi-dark bedroom and she was talking about raccoons...

Singing:

She's a little shy about it so it's hard to catch it on video and almost impossible to get a command performance, so I just listen close and enjoy it anytime I get the privilege to be her audience. When I recognize what she's singing she gets a little more confident, but if I try to sing along I get a indignant glare and "s'My turn!"

Lily's version of the Dribbly Dell singer's Song from Sunny Patch

Buh buh buh buh buh butterfly

Do Do Do Do...Butterfly

dum dum dum dum Ladybug

Happy Birthday chanted with lots of extra syllables and personally addressed to everyone we know

part of the Itsy Bitsy Spider with wiggling fingers

"Coming to town, coming to town, Santa Claus" (whenever she sits at the piano)

"Rock A Bye Baby in the Treetop when the bough breaks the cradle will Fa-alll!!!" (Higher pitched at the end) I did get a little bit of that on video, though Fall is usually much more exaggerated than here. I tried!



(I've been trying to get her ABC's recorded forever! Not so much luck there.)

It is amazing to look back to videos taken even earlier this month and see how far Lily has come. I love that she understands me and carries out what I ask her to do in her own way now - not just repeating what she heard, but really understanding. Not that she always does what I ask! She is her own little person. My baby is growing up, and I love the little girl she is becoming. She is beautiful and sweet and fun and we're so lucky to be her mom and dad!