Ruthie is 18 months old!!

A Year and 1/2- Can you believe it? I can't. It seams just like yesterday we were in the hospital gasing with amazement at our new little girl... and here she is one and 1/2 years old. CRAZY!!! Someone told me when I was lamenting her first birthday that it "just gets better" and I couldn't understand what they meant. BUT, it is totally true. Sadly, the days of just holding her and cuddling her are gone. She wants to be down, and go "side" (outside) and she wants to "pay" (play)- but she also says, "I wa wa wu nigh-nigh" (I love you, Night-Night) on her own as we are putting her to bed.

Sorry- had to take a quick break to rescue my cell phone from her hot little hands... before she called China or texted Aunt Holly a message that looked like this: al;sdkfoaweirnaalsdkf :)

Anyway, just wanted to document how our love just continues to grow for this sweet little girl who is now officially a toddler-not my little baby anymore. One day I woke up and she was a toddler- hair had grown, face had changed, independence had emerged (she says "no" while pushing my hand away as I try to help her...)

Here's some things she's accomplished this past month:

* She took TWO steps!! She's been really working on the walking thing. She goes to Physical Therapy twice a week to work on her muscles (the reason why she's got a gross motor delay) and our PT is a GOD SEND!!!

* She is eating on her own w/ a spoon or fork... which is sometimes very comical. Especially when she gets more on her tray than in her mouth. But, when it's all said and done, she does VERY well!!

* Counts- Sometimes is just with sound like uh, uh, uh, uh- but most of the time she says "three, four" in the correct order and place! She's been doing this a while, but I forgot to post this last month. She learned this (I think) when we were putting in her ear drops (for her infection) I counted them as they dropped in. Since then, we've been counting up a storm... everything we can think of to count and she LOVES it!

* driving her car/bike all around the house!!

* She continues to talk up a storm and add new words. Her favorite activity is to list all the people she knows and to ask what they are doing for example:

"a-ma" (grandma) "nigh-nigh" (night-night), "Bis-see" (biscuit- my mom's dog) "nigh-nigh" and so on... here are some of her favorite people:

"a-ma" : Grandma
"Bis-see" : Biscuit
"u-ma" : Uncle Matt
"Sa-chel" : Aunt Rachel
"Sa-sie" : Sadie (Matt and Rachel's dog)
"a-mauri" : Aunt Mardi
"u-ja": Uncle Jack
"Bay" : Bailey
"ook" : Luke
"pa-pa" : Paw-Paw
"aw-we" : Aunt Holly
"Eh" : Ed (friends from Church)
"Na-Na" : Donna (Ed's wife)
"Bull" : Bill (friend from church- she hasn't quite figured out how to say his wife's name- Stephanie)
"mama-see" : Mama D (Our pastor's wife and our friend)
"Pop-B" : Papa B (Our pastor and our friend)
" Te-Te Tar-ra" : Tia Tara
"Ky-lie" : Kylie (Tara's daughter and Ruthie's friend)
"Aye" : Aiden (Tara's Son and Ruthie's friend)

As you can see that's a long list... Just think how long it takes to go through it!! We do that SEVERAL times a day!

* New words:
"sis borrer" : It's better
"Bis-tick" : Lipstick (chap stick)
"Ah-choo" : sound of a sneeze
"Choo-Choo": sound of a train
"air pane or air main" : Air Plane
"see" : sing (she love to sing and has started singing on her own - which I'm desprately trying to get on video...- but often asks "mommy see" when she wants us to sing.
"Aum" : M & M (which she's addicted to... we only give her one every once an a while but she KNOWS where we stash them and anytime that location catches her eye she asks for an "Aum"
"whor is she" : Where is she? (said when she's playing peek a boo or hiding behind a blanket or the curtains
"tree-sa" : Teresa
"ming ming" : Ming Ming (Wonder Pets)
"A-Me" : Amen (a much closer rendition than last month!)
"bise" : Bite or Bike
"side" : outside


Here's a video of her reading- something she loves to do. She love for you to read to her- but she also loves to read to herself!! It's SO cute!

.

Reading with "Bull" (Bill) - A major accomplishment... she LOVES to get Bill's attention and then hides her face as she turns immediately shy with him. It's so cute. But recently by the time Bible Study is over with, she has warmed up to him and is ready to play!



Reading to her Baby in her room! So cute!


Playing "side" (outside) with her bike...