Gabriel has been such a chatterbox lately (as if he wasn't before!). He wants to be included in every conversation that's going on around him. If he isn't, he'll either start talking really loud over everyone else or he'll just imitate (parrot) every word that is being said. It will literally sound like there's an echo in the room. Gabe's most frequent utterances are "why?" (in response to a request), "okay!" (his preferred word for 'yes'), "no Bella! Don't eat it!", "I O want to" (I don't want to), "Hey Mommy!" (to get my attention), "it's okay" (comforting his loveys when he's scared or nervous), "what's that?" (wants me to label everything). He loves to tell stories and has several books memorized completely.
I'm often surprised by the things that Gabe remembers and can recall spontaneously. I always say that kids at this age have minds that are like steel traps. I could probably think of tons of examples, but one that stands out in my mind is when I said to Gabe one time, "Mommy is too!" (I forget what I was referring to). Gabe stopped and looked at me a minute, then exclaimed, "No, Mommy! Gabe is two. Mommy is twenty-five!" I don't even remember telling him my age, but he sure told me!
Gabe is going through a bit of a "me". For one thing, he is wanting to do everything by himself, to the point where I'm beginning to wonder if I should draw the line before we cross into OCD territory. If anyone flushes the toilet, opens or closes a door, or turns on or off a light switch in his presence, he will most certainly flip out. Those jobs are reserved for him and him alone in this house, according to Gabe. He is also not wanting to share his toys, or any toys for that matter, even if they're not his. Gabe has never been too keen on sharing, but at least he's been permissive. This month, I don't think I can even say that. He will go out of his way to turn off his sisters' toys or take them away even if he was perfectly content playing with his own thing. It's so annoying!
That said, Gabe does have impeccable manners when he's in a good mood. He always says "bless you", "thank you", "no thank you", "please", "you're welcome", "may I", and "excuse me". It's not the first time I've mentioned it, I know, but I have to keep reminding myself that he is such a good boy... most of the time.
Gabe has gotten to be quite a singer lately. He has always loved listening to music & dancing (as all my children do!), but he's recently gotten really good at singing, and not just memorizing lyrics but carrying a tune! It's SO sweet! My favorite songs that he sings are Twinkle Twinkle and ABC's (same melody).
Gabe has a new favorite movie this month, and it just so happens to be my all-time favorite too: Dumbo. I cry almost every time I see it... and we've been seeing it A LOT. Gabe isn't the only one who likes this movie; Ari flips for it every time it starts. But Gabe is surely in love with the big-eared cutie pie. Gabe loves the soundtrack and requests that I sing all the Dumbo songs at mealtimes. He has started collecting elephants and carrying them around with him wherever he goes. He finds elephants in the strangest places! He carries an elephant figurine, an elephant flash card, and elephant puzzle piece with him. He also carries a stuffed stork around (like the one from the movie). He was thrilled when we went to the zoo and there were pictures of elephants everywhere, and yes, even real elephants! He doesn't know it yet, but he's going to be Dumbo for Halloween, and I'm just so excited!
Like I mentioned in my previous post, Ari has been eating with us at the table in her new booster chair. I can't say that I'm totally satisfied with how it positions her (even with the straps on), but we're getting by. She likes it, it makes getting in and out of her chair at the table much easier, and that's really all that matters. That, and she gets to use a placemat (just like Gabe), which she is so excited about.
Ari has been really making improvements in her crawling. She has gotten much faster, and she has really been using her legs and knees to push off instead of just her arms as she was doing initially. She is always going through my cupboards and chasing after her brother and sister. She does get frustrated at times, but I think that this only motivates her even more to get going. She always has a huge grin on her face as she's crawling, which tells me it's really empowering for her too.
Ari has also been babbling a lot more recently. It's like she has come into the awareness that she can make communicable sounds. She has been trying ever-so-hard to imitate us when we ask her to say a word. She is best at making the 'b' sounds and any words that start with that letter (i.e. "book", "ball", "bye"). She is making small progress in her 'd' sound, but it's inconsistent at best. However, I do need to give her credit here: One morning when Jake was about to leave for work, he asked her to say "bye bye Dada", and she did on the very first try. Simple as that. It was so cool to hear. One word that Ari has been trying really hard to say is "yes". When she says it, it sounds a lot like"ussss", which is pretty close. But, again, reinforcement and repetition is key, and our progress is very gradual.
Ariana has gotten an affinity towards nesting toys of all varieties (blocks, cups, buckets). She loves to put them in, take them out, stack them, nest them. It's good for her on so many levels to do this (cognition, fine motor, gross motor). And she never wants to share them either. I love seeing her get passionate about things like this. This month, Ari has also been trying to help us dress her by raising her arms when she's getting her shirts put on and taken off. This shows a depth of understanding, willingness to cooperate, and physical coordination. Her other favorite playthings are still books, magazines, and musical toys.
Ari has been spending more time in her stander. She tolerates it really well, considering how much work it requires from her leg muscles, but she loves the stander when Gabe is taking her on rides up and down the hall!
Isabella has turned the corner into toddlerhood this month. No, she's still not walking, but she's definitely a different girl than she was even a short couple months ago. Isabella has started lusting after independence, and there's no looking back from here. She is always on the move, and people are constantly commenting on how fast she gets to where she wants to go -- really, she never even pauses or looks back. She has developed quite a spunky personality, and I can no longer refer to her as my "easygoing" child. Isabella has figured out that if she wants to compete with her older siblings (for toys, attention, and whatnot), she needs to find ways of asserting herself. Isabella has become quite the little squeaky wheel. She loves to scream; be it whether she's happy, sad, scared, excited, hungry, or indifferent really. Basically, she screams all the time, and when she's not screaming, she is still talking in a very loud voice. She is always underfoot and wanting to be held. If I make eye contact with her or pass her by and don't pick her up immediately, I've just committed a major offence. Despite her new demanding streak (please, let this be a stage), she's still utterly adorable. Although she is still reserved around unfamiliar faces, with her family, she is so quick to smile and chuckle. She loves to sing and dance and make sound effects, anything to get a smile. Her favorite thing to do it entertain Ari and Gabe -- if she can get them to laugh at her, she feels like such a hero.
Along with this difficult stage, Isabella has been struggling with nap time. While I still think 11 months old is too early to cut down to one nap a day, Isabella has been resisting her naps a lot lately. She frequently cries when I put her down in her crib and wakes up after only an hour of sleep. I think part of this might have to do with separation anxiety, teething (she has a total of 6 teeth now), and her not wanting to miss out on any excitement that might go on without her, so I'm going to see how it plays out over the course of next month before I make any schedule changes. Another point of resistance is eating. I know, who would've guessed that my little glutton would ever turn her nose up at food?! Well, she's gotten to be pretty picky with the kinds of foods she likes. She tends to favor meats, noodles, cheese, and fruit. She has trouble with vegetables (my other two loved veggies!) and bread.
Isabella has been talking a great deal more lately. She's always jabbering about something or singing a song. She loves to be the center of attention. The words that she says include "mama", "dada", "uh oh", "wow", "dog", "no", "mEyo" (milk), "ball", "ticko" (tickle), and "bye". She's exceptionally good at imitating words (but I don't count those) and sound effects. She can frequently be heard making the sound of the washing machine, blow dryer, thunder, or whatever other sounds she hears. She is very accurate in her imitation, which makes me wonder if she'll be a singer or really good at languages.
Isabella has gotten to be such a little monkey! She can climb right up the stairs within seconds, and I am ashamed to say this, but I frequently lose track of her whereabouts for a minute and finally locate her playing happily in the ball tent upstairs (her favorite place in the house). She tries to climb onto the console table behind the couch, and one time I came out of the shower to find her standing on my nightstand, hanging onto the blinds with one hand, and throwing objects off the table and onto the floor with the other! I have no idea where she got her acrobatic genes, but it certainly wasn't from me.
1 comment:
Wow! The babies are growing up and changing so fast.Just as we think we got them figured out, they continue to surprise and delight us at every stage of development.
You were the best napper in the world, but Marci and Leah only slept for one hour once a day at Bella's age because they had high energy level. It helps to get Bella physically exhausted and really full.
Being a former classical pianist, i can see that Bella is very rythmic and is exceptionally agile. She would benefit from gymnastics and music class. Ari and Gabe would enjoy the music class as well.
They are so fascinating children i have ever known.
Nana Starr
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