such a big girl, now!

In the last few months, Josie has really blossomed! She’s so much
more toddler than baby now and a joy to watch : ) Communication
is growing and we can now pretty much understand each other
most of the time (Mama says “yay!”).

An update for all the Josie watchers:

Josie's most-used words:
(There are others, but I can't remember them right now!)
Mama (Ma, Mom, Mommy)
Mmmmm or yummm
kitty
kitty cat
Gammy (or gama or ama or mmmmma)
Bampa (or bapa)
banana
Mac Kenzie
Gracie
Bow wow (dog)
down
chair
cracker
car
spoon
teeth (loves to brush her teeth!)
gorilla (more like ga-illa. This is when she reads her animals book)
Caroline (more like Ca-la-line. She's repeated this after me and on her own
several times when looking at my niece in a family photo.)
ssshhhh (with finger to mouth)
’kay (Okay) – I haven’t heard this one yet, but Miss Deb did at school

Pretty much any word starting with a “b:”
bear
book
ball
bed
babe (baby)
bowl

Lots of words repeated when someone else says them:
Cow
Turtle
Sparty (no, I swear she did! Only it was ’Party, not Farty like Patrick used to say)
Blanket
Doll
Box
Go
Down
More
Nora (Nona)
Bobbie (Baba)


They’ve been learning Baby Sign Language at school, and Josie has a consistent
repertoire of at least 4 signs (that Mom can interpret, anyway):
More
Thank you
please
Eat
Mama (maybe)


She makes the animal connection pretty well.
Favorites are:
ooooooh (cow)
maoh (cat)
bow wow (dog)
rrrrrr (tiger – see, Andrew! Another tiger fan)

Songs:
I've Been Working on the Railroad
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Shoo, Fly
Miss Molly Had a Dolly Who Was Sick, Sick, Sick
Ring Around The Rosie
Pop Goes The Weasel
Sing A Song of Sixpence
Patty Cake
If You’re Happy and You Know It
(really, she likes all songs and will “dance” just to a rhythmic beat …
one evening we were playing outside and the local high school band
was practicing – Josie rockin’ along with them : )

Foods (almost always using her spoon – and very well, I might add):
bananas
any other fruit, including melon, peaches, raspberries, blueberries, applesauce …
pasta (spaghetti, ravioli, Mac & Cheese, Chicken & Stars …)
tuna
Salmon (our favorite “go out to dinner” order together)
cottage cheese
scrambled eggs
Cheerios, bananas & milk
Pancakes
everything, really, the child has never met a meal she didn't participate
in (picture head over bowl, scooping as fast as she can and not missing a drop
– okay, but not many drops!)

favorite things and things to do:
kitty cats
puppy dogs
baby dolls
stuffed bears or cats
musical toys
drawing pad (magnetic, with a pen)
SHOES!!!
Minnie Mouse, Cat in the Hat and Froggie
Barbie and Dolly at Gammy & Bampa's
feeding dolls and pets
playing with cousins
borrowing the Baldwin's car
playing in the Play House
Jumping on pillows
Playing with the “new” toys she got from the Sanders, who live next door
(a kitchen with play food!!! Doll stroller and cool pink chair)
sitting on porch reading newspaper with Mom
pursuing MacKenzie
catching MacKenzie
gathering all her toys (dolls, stuffed animals, etc) in a group
putting on and taking off shoes
Grammy's phone
Watching the neighborhood from the front window (when WILL I be big enough to ride that school bus?!!!)
Going to the beach: digging in the sand, standing in the waves and watching all the other people and boats
Scooping in a pail of water and dumping it on myself
“swimming” like a baby froggie in the tub
blowing kisses
and, seeing Mom come pick me up at the end of the day at school : )

Many (many) fun summer photos to come ...

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