I can't hardly even believe she's only been here for a year and a half... it feels like she's always been a part of me, and I can barely remember life without her now... I don't even want to remember life without her. How did I ever think that I could live without a baby? Yes, there were a few years where I was fairly convinced that I had no need to reproduce...I'm so glad that clock started to tick!!
So, how is she? She is incredible!!! I know there's a whole debate regarding nature vs nurture regarding kids and their personalities, and I think that (at this point) I'm falling more towards the nature argument... Kaydie came to me with a personality, one which really has not changed very much. She has always been incredibly serious, able to stare well-intentioned happy strangers down with complete disinterest... She liked to think things through before applying herself to the task (whether it was grabbing a finger at two months, taking her first steps, singing along with music, picking up toys, or even brushing her teeth). She very much takes herself seriously. So, she didn't get that from me...
Even when she was very very little, she was hugging and emoting love - before she was supposed to... she looked at you and it felt like she really SAW you - not just like an object, but she was able to reach out and touch your soul through your eyes. No, this is not the delusional rantings of a psycho mama - multiple people have told me that they felt this way around Kaydie too... This ability to connect and love has only grown with her the last year and a half. I have never gotten hugs that melted my heart so quickly as the hugs she can give... her kisses are the purest sweetest sugar... and when she smiles at you - really looks at you and her whole face lights up into a glowing happy grin... it absolutely makes your day.
She is incredibly well-coordinated. She runs SO fast, she can get on the couch, the chairs by the table (and she would get ON the table too, except that she knows better), she is still trying to figure out how to jump... it's adorable to watch her try - she leaps upwards, but her feet stay on the ground still!!! Her favorite thing to do is to dance, and any music will do - as long as it has a great beat to it... Papa's oldies, Tracy's country, mama's hip hop, dad's rock, and of course all the toddler tunes she has... she loves all music. So far her dance moves include spinning around, waving, jazz hands, rolling hands, the twist down to the ground, and... gosh, I know I'm forgetting some.
She is figuring out how to talk. It started off as sounds, and she's putting them together into words and whole sentences - which I can't understand. She is GREAT at mimicking animal sounds. We go for walks and hear turkeys, roosters, horses, dogs, pigs, goats, birds of all types, crickets, and cows - she is FANTASTIC at copying their individual sounds... my favorite is her "beep beep beep" sound of the cricket... As far as comprehending HUMAN language - she is so on top of things. We've got some flashcards, and after a couple of days of showing them to her, we threw them out all over the living room floor (okay, SHE threw them all over - kicked them, stomped them, rolled on them - she had a ball). Afterwards, i asked her to bring me the picture of the clock. She thought for a second - incredibly seriously - and then walked right to the flashcard of the clock, picked it up, and brought it to me! We have gone through this game at least fifty times, and she knows every card. She can't speak the words, but she absolutely comprehends the nouns we use. She knows all the parts of our faces, our arms and legs, our feet and toes, fingers and hands... she gets quite a few verbs like wiggle, dance, jump, eat, drink, walk, run... and basic commands like: careful, slow, easy, nice, don't, stop, not for baby...
The words that she does speak include: No, Yes (she nods her head but doesn't actually say this), Mom, Dad, Patch, Dog, Woof, Cheese, Brandy, Sponge Bob (sounds like spo-bob), bath, water (wa-er), thirsty (eeeee), thank you (tank-uuuuuu), Peepee, and I am sure I'm forgetting a hundred more...
Favorite things to eat: cheese, toast, spongebob yogurts (frozen especially), hotdogs, chicken nuggets, saltine crackers, pancakes (but only at Tia's house), m&ms... We're going thru a very picky phase right now, and she's anti-vegetables, anti-whatever is for dinner, so she has turned into a 'picker' and basically just snacks her way thru the day. She loves diet seven up, loves the taste of coffee (she sometimes freaks out when I have coffee and I'm not sharing - I've even specially brewed her decaf a few times, so she can have her cup and I have mine...), she drinks the Pediasure stuff for Aunt Tracy, and will drink it with some milk for Aunt Tracy too... not for me tho! We went through the painful phase of weaning her off the breast as of March 15 - and now my milkmaking days are over (yes, I'm putting on weight). Kaydie has handled it so well, except when she gets sick. Then she just wants the comfort of boobie in mouth. (yes, I have caved a couple of times... it comforts me too... i'm not perfect and i've never claimed to be!!!)
She is nearly ready for potty-training... She knows what it is and says Pee Pee when she needs to go (either pee or poo). She kinda gets nervous when she actually sits on her little potty chair though, so I think she has another month or so before we really get ready to make the transition. It'll be nice to do it during the summer months, when she's wearing swimsuits and sundresses all the time. Less hassle with accidents too!
She has a fantastic laugh - many different laughs too... her funniest one is her 'fake' laugh tho - she totally fakes it!!! OMG, I'll try to video it because it is hilarious! She thinks that farts and burps are the funniest things ever, and I think that when she hears motorcycles it reminds her of fart sounds because she starts laughing so hard... too cute! She makes Vroom Vroom sounds for cars, and loves playing with toy cars - driving them all over. She definitely has learned these things from her six cousins (all boys)!
Tickle-time, going for walks, a little bit of yoga (this turns into tickle time after only two or three minutes), drawing (she's great with pencils, pens, and EATS crayons still), bathtime, lunch/dinner, dancing, and sometimes the piano are what Kaydie and I do together most of the time. We've recently added playing in the sprinklers and easter egg hunts... and we've got so many more activities to add!
Okay, she's awake so I need to go play! I'll most certainly try to add more updates here as I've got the time and energy to do so! PLUS Pictures.... Stay tuned. :)