The Big 2!

The Kiddo has made it to two!  Unfortunately, the Kiddo's dad thought he was going to have to work the weekend of her birthday, so we postponed any celebrations.  Those photos will have to come later.  On the day itself, Frances and I went about our normal routine, with some pumpkin ice cream thrown in.

I'm debating whether or not to keep up these monthly updates, so, for what may be the last time, here we go:

• Language: More and more, Frances immediately repeats what we say to her and then claims those words as her own, so it's getting harder to keep a list of her new words.  She has added -ing verbs to her repertoire, "running" and "raining" being her favorites.  We've also got "puppy," "Thomas" (as in, Thomas the Tank Engine), "flower," "pictures," and "Frances," finally.  Everything is "cute" but it usually comes out "tute."  She's working on some opposites, namely up/down, black/white, on/off, hot/cold, and bright/dark, but she often seems confused as to which word goes with which concept.  For example, she'll ask me to turn a light on by saying "off."  She's trying so, so hard to count, but it has been slow going.  She's convinced the order is 3, 2, 5, 2, but she's very clear on 7, 8, 9.  Five is her favorite number.  She's using more three word phrases, and even used a four word phrase today, but for the most part she's very economical with words and tends to use one at a time.  Frances does very much enjoy reading to me while we lie together on my bed.  I don't mind this at all, though I can't explain why she's latched on to reading Toilet Training, by Dr. Brazelton.
• Locomotion: Frances is working on galloping like a horse, but running is still her favorite.  My favorite thing in the world right now is the look on her face when we're running together.  Pure joy.
• Favorite song: Still Old MacDonald.  I let Frances pick what gets added to MacDonald Farm.  It is not boring.  According to Frances, MacDonald Farm raises owls, dolphins, whales, horses named Max, apples, trains, snakes, goats, sheep, milk, and nurse (the verb, not the noun).
• Favorite book: The Little Engine That Could, and she's very concerned about the eyes of each locomotive - how big they are, or sad, or blue, etc.
• Social Skills: Not so different than last month, but she did sucker a fourth grader and a first grader into playing with her at the playground the other day.  The girls dragged her around the playground for at least an hour.  Frances could not have been happier.
• Frequent conversations:  The comment I get from strangers, a lot lately, sounds something like "Is she with you?"  This, as Frances takes off running around the mall or the block or the field.  I get the feeling I'm supposed to be more worried about her. Oh, well.  We're still talking a lot about getting wet in the bath, though sometimes now we talk about getting wet in the shower.  And dad's daily choo-choo ride is still fascinating.  Our friends Sophia and Michele, or "Fia" and "Chele," (sorry, Dave!) are frequent visitors to our conversations.  Frances is pretty sure she needs to visit Fia's house, at any given time. 

These updates are getting long winded.  Thanks for sticking with me to the end.  Maybe I'll limit myself to monthly photo updates from here on out?  Nah, probably not.