OK, now onto a real post:
I know, I know, I don’t update this very often. So here goes, on two major developments:
First:
VERONICA WALKS!!!
Last Wednesday, she took her first solo steps, from Debbie the babysitter to Jason when he went to pick her up that evening. And last weekend, she perfected the skill and gained confidence in herself. She is now toddling EVERYWHERE. Her legs are stiff and her arms are always out; I call it her zombie walk. (Jason took it one step further and got her to utter the word “brains” while she walked that way the other night.) I am so proud of her! And better yet, she is so proud of herself.
We were fearful she would never walk, or that she would be 2 or so before she took her first steps. But now she’s getting really good at it. She’s very slow and cautious, but she rarely ever falls and when she does, it’s usually a very controlled fall, into a squat or gently onto her butt.
We can’t believe too that in the course of a week, she’s gone from not walking on her own to completely doing so with abandon. It’s astounding. We’ve had to chase her a couple times, and we’re thrilled. (The cat is less than thrilled, but oh well. She still moves a lot faster than Veronica does.)
Second:
VERONICA TALKS!!!
Well, she’s been saying words for a while now, but now we’re communicating. When she’s tired, she’ll say “bed,” “lay down,” or “night.” When she’s thirsty, she says “dunk” – her word for “drink.” And when she’s hungry, she’ll say “more”. Please note, though, that for the most part, Jason and I are the only people who can understand all these.
She communicates other ways too. She’ll hand you a book when she wants you to read it to her. (Sometimes she also says “read me.”) She’ll walk over to her high chair and wait for you if she’s hungry. She’ll point at the fridge or her sippy cups and say “dunk” when she’s thirsty.
But the funniest has to be her readiness to answer “no” when, dang it, she just doesn’t want something. And this led to what I believe was probably our first conversation:
Me: Veronica?
Veronica: (looks up)
M: C’mon, let’s put on your socks.
V. No.
M., No, we’re going to put on your socks.
V. Nyo.
M. We need to put on your socks first to put on your shoes.
V. Soos?
M: Yes, shoes. You want your shoes on?
V: Soos!
M. All right, but we have to put your socks on first.
V: No.
And so on, and so forth. Too cute for words. (Oh, and we did get her socks on her. She loves wearing shoes, so that wasn’t a problem. But me saying “Hold still, I need to tie your laces” resulted in another emphatic “no.”)
Third,
VERONICA DOESN'T EAT!!!
Well, obviously she eats somewhat, but man, has she gotten picky. Anything with tomato sauce: Good. Anything with rice or cheese: Bad. Hot dogs, she will eat. Any other meat, not so much. Cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon, she can't get enough of. Same with ice cream and french fries. But lord knows what else she'll like or spit out. Some days, she's a bottomless pit; others, we're worried she's not eating enough. (The most annoying: The evenings she barely eats a bite, only to wake up in the middle of the night starving. Of course she's too young to understand "hey, if I don't eat NOW, I'll be hungry LATER" but it's so damned aggravating anyway!)
Now, she also can't stay away from the computer - making this message quite the accomplishment. Hopefully I can update later, and not much later, like I've been doing. :-P
