Alivia 20 months

We have a talker!  Alivia is 20 months today and she's verbally communicating finally.  Here is a list of her words:

Mama
Dada
Water (Wawa)
Bottle (Baba)
Baby
Boy
Bow
Ball
Bop (Grandpa Peter's name)
Juice
Jesus
No
Nighty Night (Nigh-Nigh)
Yes
Hi
Bye-Bye
Car
Owl
Doggy
Please (sounds like Peas or Me and often said with a scrunched nose)
Thank You (Thank with a very soft K and a long A and always with a slight head nod)
More
Paci (says Paps)
Guy
Ouchy (owy)

and I might be forgetting some.  But come on, this list is huge when you think that last time I wrote in she could only really say Hi. 

Likes: Liv is obsessed with babies.  And they don't have to be of the human variety to be interesting.  A smaller piece of cracker becomes a "baby".  She points to pretty much everything small and says "baby," to which I say, "Is that a baby cheese (lotion, crumb, deflated balloon)?"  And she nods with confirmation and always says baby at least one more time.  She says it in a high pitched sweet voice and the cuteness kills me every time!  Other likes include books, stuffed animals, play grounds, being naked, singing and citing rhymes, praying (sometimes giving five prayer requests during dinner), chapstick, climbing, purses (can be anything with straps), music and dancing, and being held.

Above is her grocery store purse and below is a prayer request at bath time

Dislikes:  Alivia is now in nursery and getting used to it.  She was a lot less confident and social than we expected her to be, since she's always been social and confident.  I have to admit, part of me appreciates her missing and longing and yes, crying for mama or dada.  Really, I think she just doesn't know what to do in a room of 25 kids her age vying for the same toys and attention from the same adults for two whole hours.  Other dislikes include having to get dressed after a bath, getting her hair done, when I say no to candy consumption or pacifier time, the garbage truck (and other loud noises), shopping carts, and a ton of different, delicious foods.

Liv is easy to emotionally read.  She often will frown her bottom lip when she is sad, but not sad enough to produce tears. 

Personality: My Livy Pearl is also a bit of a ham.  When she hasn't seen someone for a while or when she finds herself the center of attention, she will start spinning in circles and say "whoa, whoa" in escalating volumes.  It gets a laugh every time and she knows it.  And her subsequent falls due to dizziness also get a laugh too so I guess its a good "trick" to pull out of her hat each and every time she want to entertain a crowd.  She is still a generally happy, social kid who is becoming a tad more opinionated and discontent when she doesn't get what she wants.

Diet: Alivia has added pasta to her food of likes if its in a red meat sauce.  Really she might just be tolerating the pasta in order to eat the meat.  She will also have a bean burrito now instead of just the beans.  She is currently obsessed with candy and clementines.  But so am I so I guess that could just be learned behavior.  She tried a meat and cheese sandwich today for the first time and after three bits she determined it was absolutely disgusting.  She loves all the ingredients separately, but I guess meat, cheese, and bread together is a no go for now.  What can you do?

Sleep: she is down to one afternoon nap a day.  We are back in the condo now so she is sleeping much, much better at nights and no longer sleeping in our bed (Yay!) when she wakes up from a bad dream, which is only happening about once or twice a week.  Her naps are about 2.5 hours long.

 

 crazy hair!