26 months

Janie is 26 months old today!  She’s quickly turning into a little kid with so much to say.

Here’s what’s happened over the past month:

1. Lots of phrases and words in English: in the bed, running, sleeping, eating, sit down, it hurts, tissue, mad, tv, where are you?, what are you doing?, friends, on the floor, outside, scooter, stroller, Bao be, Nina, Jesse, Noi, Yim, draw a picture, markers, crayons, tea party, too heavy, too tight, it’s hot in here, tired, hungry, open the door, it’s hot in here, __ too (when she wants two different things), I don’t know, are you ok?, owie, reading a book, zoo, Sophie, Baby Vivian.
2. Her favorite phrase in Thai this month is: dee mak (very good), law deo (wait a moment).
3. She also learned a bunch of Mandarin with Ankong this past month.  Understands that her name is also “bao be”.  Some other phrases: tastes good, drink water, and eat.
4. She apparently speaks to Mirian in Spanish but the only new words I’ve heard this month are por favor (thank you) and aqui (here).
5. New behaviors: pouting in bed, learning to wait, she’s gotten increasingly attached to her stuffed toys, learning to deal with Mommy leaving for work, saying “cheese” for pictures.  We’ve noticed that Janie has been able to anticipate things now.  When we drove down to Southern California, she kept talking about all the people she was going to see.  When we’re on our way to the zoo, she’ll list all the animals she’s going to see.  She will also tell us when she’s ready to get going.  For example, if she’s all buckled in the stroller but Mommy’s taking too long to get going, she will say, “Mama, Vamanos! Outside!”  She’s also letting us know how she wants to go outside.  It’s either “stroller”, “walking”, or “hold hands”.  By the way, holding hands out on the sidewalk and parking garage is much easier now.
6. Janie is definitely becoming a more independent little toddler who gets wrapped up in her play and has quite a stubborn streak.  She’s less willing to put down her toys to greet Yai and Ta and when it’s time to say goodbye and she’s not ready, she’ll say “NO BYE! HI!”
7. She’s learning about emotions and has been telling us when she’s mad.  She also understands happy too.
8. She’s been singing lots of songs: Do Re Me, Peek-a-Boo, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Let It Go, Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?
9. One of her favorite things to do is have tea parties with her stuffed animals and any other people who are willing to sit with her.  She even has virtual tea parties with cousin Alice and her grandparents over FaceTime.
10. She also now uses a toy ruler as a camera, puts it up to her eye, and says “cheese!”  She has managed to figure out how to do it for real with her iPad as well.
11. Her first Disney movie was Cinderella a few months ago but I think the first Disney movie that has made an impression on her is Frozen.  She recognizes Elsa, Ana, and Olaf and sings along to some of the songs.
12. She also started watching “So You Think You Can Dance” with Mommy and loves to watch the dancers on tv.
13. Her biggest gross motor accomplishment this month is mastering her birthday scooter.  She’s able to go straight, follow a path, and stop on her own.
14. She still loves to draw and color and this month she has expanded her drawings.  On top of her usual circles, she makes squiggly lines, horizontal strokes, and vertical strokes.  She also labeled her first pictures, which she called “Ocean”.
15. We’ve been working on pulling up her pants, taking off shoes and socks, and putting on a shirt.  She also helps wash herself in the bath and has been pooping on the toilet more consistently.  We started a new routine before bed, which involves sitting on the toilet to try to poop before putting on her sleeping diaper and pajamas.  It actually works too!
16. She’s in between Size 5 and 6 diapers and in between Size 6 and 7 shoes.  We haven’t measured her lately but she’s quickly outgrowing some of her 2T pants.
17. Her first chore is cleaning up her toys.  She will usually put her toys away when I ask her to.  She’s also learning that she needs to put one toy away before opening another one.
18. This month she learned some simple shapes: circle triangle, square, heart, diamond.
19. She also recognizes all her capital letters and some lowercase letters.
20. Reading is still fun and she is now reciting her favorite books to her stuffed animals.  Her favorites right now are Dear Zoo, I Love You Through and Through, That’s Not My Dinosaur, and Brown Bear.
21. She now looks forward to seeing her pals Sophie and Vivian.  She also met Baby Henry who will soon be able to speak to her in Spanish.
22. Counting is still a big hit for her and she counts everything now.  She’s also trying to count to 20 in English.
23. Janie also attended her first funeral.  It was for her Great Grandmother and she was so well-behaved that day.  The trip down to Southern California was nice and she loved seeing her grandparents, uncles, aunties, and cousin Alice.

It’s amazing how much she learns in such a short amount of time.  Happy 26 month, KK!  We love you!