New Tricks

Jillian has always been adorable. But in the past few weeks, even more so if you can believe it! I was taking her home after work one day and she had been jabbering to herself, which is the best sound to my ears. All kinds of fluctuations in her voice like she's really having a conversation. Sure wish I knew what she was saying. Anyway, then I heard velcro. So I figure she is taking off her shoes. (She started that a few weeks ago). Then after a minute or two I hear her start giggling. She pauses, giggles, pauses, giggles. She now has me laughing just as much. When I finally came to an intersection, I pulled out my pocket mirror and reached back to see what she was doing. She had pulled off her shoes and her socks and every time she would grab her foot and just start to put her big toe in her mouth, she started giggling. She was tickling her own feet! It was so funny that I then laughed even more every time I heard her start laughing. It was purely adorable. She has done it a few times since then and as soon as I hear the velcro I get a big grin on my face.

She also likes to go into the dining room and race around to the other side of table and hunker down on her knees. We then pretend to now know where she is, saying "Where's Jillian?" She stays quite but smiles really big until we walk around the table to where she's hiding. She then laughs and hops up and moves on to more exploring. What a fantastic age!

At daycare they practice infant sign language with the kids as we do with her at home. They practice the signs for more, all done, please and help. At home we practice with eat, milk, drink, book and just started the sign for outside since she asks to go outside daily. We have been practicing it with her since she was a few months old and were getting sad because she hadn't done them back to us. Until now! We are so excited. She is nearly consistent with telling us please when we ask her if she wants more of something. Last night she starting telling us "more" in a modified version but I think she's just trying to figure out her own hand movement for that word and it will come with time. We plan to continue practicing this with her and also plan to teach the new little guy. Perhaps he'll catch on quickly since he'll have Jillian to watch.

We have our next doctor's appointment this afternoon. I'm going every two weeks now! Time is flying by so quickly that when the doc told me at my last appointment it would be every two weeks, I paused and said "Really?" I knew it was soon but geez. It's getting difficult to bend or kneel down and still breathe and chase Jillian around. Otherwise, everything is looking good.

I'd love to keep sharing but I have to get back to work. Since I'm helping the Pharm department I have been extremely busy. If I don't get back on here again before Thanksgiving, have a great holiday!