Ghost Cows?

With the ever-growing vocabulary in Staley's arsenal and her love of animals, I've been surprised that Staley hadn't started imitating any animal sounds.  Well, never fear.  Staley's animal sounds have emerged.  If you ask, Staley will tell you that a sheep says BAAAA and a cow says BOOO. 

New Obsession

It's always interesting to me what people get obsessed with.  My 3 year old nephew knows WAY more about trains than I do, and my husband can recount specific plays in Chicago Bear's games that happened 10 years ago.  Everyone has that one topic that they can talk about endlessly.  And whether it's trains or sports or music or travel destinations, I admire the passion and enthusiasm that each individual can bring to their favorite topic.

Staley discovered a new obsession on Saturday...and she has been talking about it ever since.  Staley spent part of the day on Saturday with my parents.  My dad was watching a basketball game on TV, and Staley was mesmorized.  When Zach went to pick her up, Staley was excitedly talking about it.  Ba-ba-ball.  (Basketball)  Up.  (They shot the ball up in the air.)  Done.  (The game ended and the TV was turned off.)  Zach thought that the game had just ended, but apparently she had been going through the same sequence (ba-ba-ball, up, done) for the past HOUR since they had turned off the game.  She mentioned it a few times yesterday, and then could barely finish her lunch today as she kept telling me about it.  Ba-ba-ball.  Up.  Ptschhh.  (The swish sound that Grammie taught her that she just started doing yesterday.)  Done.  I'm not sure what it was about the basketball game that captivated her, but I love the excitement and enthusiasm she displays when talking about it.  I love how she is putting several words together to tell a story.  And although ba-ba-ball, up, done is a pretty short story that leaves out a few small details of the game, it makes me smile to see my daugher so excited...and I love that she wants to share her excitement with me.

Mommy's Little Helper

Staley LOVES to 'help' me do household chores.  Serious excitement ensues when I start folding laundry, unloading the dishwasher, putting away groceries, or sorting the mail.  The other day, I was folding up Staley's 6-12 month summer clothes and putting them into a bin for storage.  And Staley couldn't help herself.  She just had to get in on the action.

Yes, I ended up re-folding everything at least 3 times, but how can you refuse this kind of enthusiastic help?

Looking Forward

I've had a number of people ask me if Staley turning one was hard for me.  And to be honest, it wasn't.  Am I amazed at how quickly this year has flown by?  Definitely.  Did I love each of the little stages that Staley has already passed through to hit this milestone birthday?  You bet.  I couldn't get enough of my newborn baby falling asleep on my chest and napping there for hours.  I cherished those first few gummy smiles.  I shared in the joy of Staley discovering her hands, her feet, her toys, her world.  I was so proud when Staley rolled over, sat up, stood up, clapped, crawled, said her first word.  But I don't dwell on those stages because each new day brings us more joy, more pride, more memories to cherish.  I still can't get enough of my baby girl.  It's hard to believe that Staley is one, but it's not sad.  It's not hard.  It just makes me grateful for the year we've had and ready to experience what Staley's next year will bring.

Hello, Hello...Hat?

When Staley woke up this morning, I heard her through the monitor talking and playing in her crib.  I heard her saying 'hello, hello' (which is her 'word' for phone) and then 'hat.'  Over and over.  Hello, hello...hat.  Hello, hello...hat.  I was confused.  Usually she talks about things she can see, but I knew that her phone was in her diaper bag and her hats were in her dresser.  I looked in her room, and Staley was sitting in her bed with her socks off (of course.)  She was taking her sock, putting it to her ear, saying 'hello, hello' and then putting it on her head and saying 'hat.'  Hello, hello...hat.  Hello, hello...hat.  How fun to see Staley's imagination emerge!!  And how good to know that not only can a sock keep my foot warm, it can also help me stay in contact with friends and keep the sun off my face. 

Questions and Answers

Staley is starting to understand the concept of answering questions.  For awhile now, she has been able to answer questions like 'how big are you?', 'what does the fish say?', 'what does the snake say?', 'what does the bunny do?',...  She can also point to body parts and identify people/objects in books or pictures when we ask her to.  Her two newest answers, though, are more complex...and super cute.  When we ask Staley what it's like outside, she says 'cold.'  The best part, though, is that she always adds a little shiver when she answers.  (And, unfortunately in Illinois, this answer will probably be true for a few more months.)  And now when we ask, 'what's your name?', she smiles and answers 'Tae', which is how she says 'Staley.'  Her understanding of language and the speed at which she learns continues to astound me.  At this rate, I may run out of things to teach her before she's 2.

One More Reason...

When we had our downstairs bathroom redone a few years ago, we debated between putting in a tub versus a walk-in shower.  We came up with a variety of reasons to put in the walk-in shower:  we are both shower people, we already have a tub upstairs, a shower takes up less space, a shower is more accessible for when we get older, the configuration of the bathroom worked better for a shower,...  We didn't even consider the reason that Staley discovered.

Apparently crawling in and out of the shower, hiding behind the curtain, and playing in the shower is lots of fun and can keep a one year old amused for long periods of time.