Update on Kate--11/08 (16 Months)

Time for an update on our little Kate. She is 16 months old and keeps us laughing every day. Here are some of the things Kate is up to lately ...

• SOCKS! I have been meaning to write about this for a while now ... but better late than never, I guess. Kate's first official word was "socks." LOL! The first time I remember her saying it was the morning after the election, but it sounded like she was saying "sucks." And I was like, "Yeah, Girl, I know. It does suck." Well, sometimes it still sounds like she is saying "sucks," but it is "socks." Of course, she won't say it when we are trying to get her to say it in front of someone. My sister did hear her say it over the phone and agreed that it sounded like "sucks." hahaha! More on socks--and shoes--a little further down. :o)
  
• Peek-a-boo! She loves playing peek-a-boo and will cover her eyes (or at least one of them--her other hand might be on the side of her head) to play peek-a-boo on you!

• She loves to look in the mirror while she is eating--or just if she is sitting in her high chair. The wall behind her chair is 2/3 mirror, and she is constantly turning around to look at herself.
  
• She loves to bend book covers backward and has ruined a couple of books because of this. I now have to keep a very close eye on her the whole time she is looking at a book by herself.
• She loves the "itsy-bitsy spider" song.

• She is very fond of socks and shoes. I mean, "socks" was her first real word--what more can I say? LOL! She is constantly trying to take her socks and shoes off. And when it's time to go and I tell her that we need to put her socks and shoes on, she totally knows what I am talking about. She'll come over and sit on my lap very compliantly while I put them on for her. And if you ask her where her socks or her shoes are, she will show you (most of the time). Also, we have an over-the-door shoe holder on her door, and she loves to close the door to her room and play with the shoes.

• She has an obsession with balls. She carries some of her toy balls around our place all the time! At Halmoni and Halabaji's house, she plays with Halabaji's practice golf balls pretty much the whole time we are there. Even if she is climbing the stairs, she usually has one or two balls in her hand. If we happen to be somewhere that has a ball pit, then she is in seventh heaven!

• She has figured out that there are buttons in the elevator, and she thinks it is fun to push them. She's already called the operator once--it started ringing, but I stopped it before anyone picked up. We have to keep her attention diverted while we are in the elevator.
• She likes to touch the car and attempt to open the door. She seems to know which car is ours, too. Did I mention how smart she is? ;o)
  
• She loves to open the doors to the armoire in her room and turn the television on and off.

• She likes to pretend like she is eating and drinking. If you hold out your hand (with nothing in it), she will act like she is picking up something that you are offering and then proceed to "eat" it. It is hilarious. In the above photo, she is playing the game with Halmoni. She also picks up various cups, bottles, etc., and acts like she is drinking from them. She can really turn up a bottle of eye makeup remover like nobody's business!
• Kate's diet is expanding slowly but surely. I am soooooo excited because she *loves* green beans, just like her Mommy! YAY! She also loves her some Chick-fil-A! YAY! Some of Kate's other favorite foods: cheese toast, lasagna, toaster pastries, fruit bars, oatmeal, apple sauce, yogurt, meat sticks (toddler food), fishy crackers, Chex mix.
• Last week, Tanna and I noticed that she had started doing this weird thing with her arm--it was kind of like the Braves tomahawk chop or something. After a few days, I finally figured it out--it was her interpretation of the sign for "up." I've been doing it for several months now, but I am not consistent. When I get her out of the high chair, I usually do the "up" sign with my pointer finger and move my arm up and down while saying the word. Well, I guess she finally connected the two, but her sign is a little different. (Just like her sign for "more" is putting two fists together--so cute.)

• Lately, one of her favorite things is my Mary Kay eye makeup remover. She seeks out this bottle and will carry it around all day if I let her. She also is drawn to the Resolve carpet cleaner for some reason.
• She still isn't really talking, but she babbles A LOT and likes to mimic some sounds. She like to say "ssssssssss" a lot lately.
• OK, here is a favorite pastime when we are at home: Pulling DVD cases off of the side shelf in the living room. Oh, and she likes to carry them around, too. Even though I currently have some plastic totes stacked up in front of the cabinet (I packed up some of her smaller clothes for storage), she maneuvers her way back in there to get to those DVDs!

• She loves company and gets so excited when we have visitors!
• Getting into my purse is another favorite pastime around here ... still. :o) She likes to get my sunglasses and attempts to put them on her head, but she is not very successful. It's funny to watch, though. (Same with hats, bibs, etc.)
• This girl does not know her own strength! Just in the last week or so, she has broken a spoon and a headband. She will be holding them, and just start bending them while clenching her teeth (think: Incredible Hulk) ... and SNAP!

• She loves her little pillow, and I do, too. When I bought it for her, I didn't really know if she would like it, but I thought it was cute. (Well, I guess I thought the pillowcase was cute--the pillow is a standard white little pillow.) Anyway, it is so cute to see her lay her head down on the pillow. Adorable.

• In the last few weeks, she learned how to drink out of a straw! YAY! I bought these little sippy cups with straws that come out of the lids. She carried them around for a bit--just putting her mouth on the straw, but not really getting any water. Finally, something clicked, and she was drinking. It's so fun to watch her learn new things.
• She loves to sit in my lap. It is so sweet to watch her walk over to me, turn around and sit down. Sometimes it's not for long--but I love it.

• She adores her Ah-Pah and gets so excited when he comes home from work. You should see her run across the room to meet him at the door with the biggest grin on her face. It really warms my heart--because I am crazy about him, too. Actually, I am crazy about both of them.