1/16/07 - Active Toddler

Eva is growing by leaps and bounds every day, and never ceases to amaze me by how quickly she is learning. She's figured out a lot more of her advanced toys, like sorting shapes and simple puzzles, and can roll her tongue just like mommy. She likes her stacking cups, but gets upset if the tower falls over before she's finished, or if a toy won't fit or stay where she puts it. She's very particular and gets frustrated when things don't work the way she wants, like when she's trying to carry too much in her arms and keeps dropping things. It's a good lesson in life's limitations. Eva's learning new words every day, too, and will often point to things she recognizes in a book or TV and name it out loud: puppy, baby, hat, bath, or "Rebel" (her word for cat). She can point to and name parts of her body: eyes, nose, mouth, ear, teeth, foot. She’s learning to imitate animal sounds, like “moo” or “baa”. She says "hot" when her food is warm, "bike" if she wants Daddy to take her for a ride, “down” when she wants out of her high chair or stroller, and "poo-poo" if she wants a diaper change. Although that signals that she's getting close to potty-training readiness, the fact that she doesn't recognize the sensation until after the fact tells me she needs a bit more time. And to be frank, I just don't have the energy (or stomach) to be consistent or deal with accidents right now. I don't want to start too early anyway, because it takes longer if they're not quite ready, and the frustration can give them a negative attitude towards the potty that can make it even more difficult.