A Big Fat List

Sometimes, I've got to stop and smell the roses. So here's a list of what L can say, at 28 months of age,...

with signs:

• more
• eat
• drink
• milk
• juice
• toast
• pancake
• hurt
• all done
• diaper/potty
• watermelon
• sorry
• love
• ni-night
• book
• pray
• baby
• airplane
• rhino
• bird
• bye-bye
• bath
• wash hands

With words:

• Hi
• Mommy
• Daddy
• Katie (Tatie)
• Sissie
• Me
• I do (it)
• ni-night
• Banana ('nana)
• Shoe
• Toothbrush (doobuuu)
• Thank You (tankoo)
• Baby (bu-bu-bu-beee)
• Duck
• Pretty (pit-tee)
• Fish (ffiieeee)
• Puppy
• Car
• Suzi
• Tractor
• Two
• Aqua
• Car cart (grocery cart with a car attached)
• Quite a few names (Blaine, Jorja, Kara, Sue, Papa, Maama, Jill, Derek, Caca for Walleta)
• And animal sounds (a monkey's ooo-aaa, hiss, moo, squeak, baaa, ne-eigh, quack)

And you know that theory/fact that kids can only develop one area at a time, so they either talk or walk first? Well, I think that L is picking up motor skills a lot faster than I remember her sisters doing it. It's like she knows talking is just too hard, so she'll concentrate on fine and gross motor skills. I don't know completely if I believe it myself yet, but it could be the case. I mean, she can undress herself, unload part of the dishwasher, almost put her shoes on, and unlatch the child gate. And all while insisting "I doo."

And the best part: I've almost stopped comparing her to her peers and am just comparing her to herself. She's making progress, and that's what's important! She's stubborn and strong and smart, and she'll learn her new way to talk, eventually!