16th month

Here are a few firsts and new developments from September, Willow's 16th month:

- blowing kisses

- walking up and down the stairs using the railing (not crawling)

- using the sign for "all done" and "more"

- started saying "more." Willow and I were coming home from eating Wendy's for lunch one day and I had taken my fries to go. Willow is not given fries often but has learned that they are delicious and irresistible. I wasn't opposed to her having some on the ride home because I was terrified of her falling asleep in the car, then not taking a nap when we got home. I couldn't help but be proud when I would hand her a fry, then 20 seconds later she'd say "more," followed by another fry, 20 seconds later I'd hear "more" then pass another one back.

- started "school" (aka daycare)

- saying "bye bye" to people (she's said it when cleaning up her toys, but now she says it regularly to people...or planes...)

- stomping

- running

- throwing a ball

- different styles of dancing. There's the bouncy-knee dance, the slow-head-nod dance, the clapping dance, the turn-around dance, and the head-dance (side-to-side). My personal favorite is the slow-head-nod dance to country music that sent shivers down her daddy's back at a BBQ restaurant we went to with Aunt Kim.

- cleaning up after herself. She made her parents especially proud when she accidentally kicked Alli's water bowl when she was throwing something in the trash and the water got on her foot and the floor. She looked at her foot. Looked at her daddy. Looked at the stove. Then promptly went to the stove to get the kitchen towel. Cleaned up the water off her foot and the floor. Go Willow!!

- mimicking things we do. We couldn't help but laugh when she picked up a receipt, squinted her eyes, and pointed at the print on the paper with her finger like she was reading it. She also enjoys holding our keys and trying to put them into locks. She's also observing us do things that we don't even realize - like where we keep the padlock to the side gate when it's open.

- Willow continues to babble a lot and often looks at you after saying something very intently as if we should understand what she said. We really wish we knew!! She's said a lot of things once (nana, toes, keys, blankie, bear, up) but is still waiting on making them part of her daily language.

- I'm proud to say that we ALL survived Willow's 4 molars coming through! That was a summer-long process!