Leah officially turned eighteen months old today on this rainy November day. She always seems to be learning new things and as well as finding new hobbies.
Her latest ‘hobby’ requires only her booster seat attached to the kitchen chair along with an adult’s assistance can keep her occupied for a very long time. Leah loves to do up the buckles and struggle to attach the tray before asking the nearest adult to take it all apart again. (By asking I mean various finger pointing gestures as well as blended vowel and consonant sounds that go higher in pitch the more excited she becomes.) She has also learned how to climb into her chair on her own but can’t get down on her own.
Leah loves to be independent as well. She puts on her boots herself anytime she see thems in her vicinity and will let you know her annoyance if you prevent her from having them. She loves waving to Morgan as he heads off to work, though she is sad to see him go, and then waving at him while looking he is getting his bike and as he rides down the street. She has figured out which window to run to and to climb onto the reading bench for the best view.
In the past few weeks she has vocalized a few more words clearly without prompting. She can say daddy, mommy, flower, ball, dog, Gabby, yes and no on her own. Leah has been copying us a lot more in the past week or so saying words like grandma, uncle, Trevor and water. Though she isn’t always clear when she copies us, I love to hear her attempting to vocalize words. She may not be able to say a lot, but her comphrension is amazing.
Leah also loves to help and be part of the action. She likes to help put the cut up potatoes into the pot, pull her wagon, wipe the floor and even was helping putting clean dishes away this morning.
As we look back on the last eighteen months, it is amazing to see how much Leah has learned and grown and we look ahead to what the next eighteen months and the many months beyond with joy.