First words!

Allison has gone and changed again. Didn't we just go through a new phase like last week? I'm constantly amazed at the things she is learning, and more than that - at the speed that she acquires this knowledge. God has given kids an incredible capacity for learning and growth, and it's so fun to watch.

For starters, Allison has finally said her first word! As a girly girl through and through, her first word is appropriately "shoes" - although she pronounces it 'shuce' (very close but a cute distinction) . It's so cute! I thought it could have been a fluke the first time I heard it, but the second time she said it was while I was putting her shoes on her before a trip to Target. That night I told Frank what she had said, and he asked her 'did you learn to say shoes? Can you say shoes for me?'. She didn't repeat the word, but she did go and find her shoe on the floor and bring it to him!

Her next word (and one that I think every parent dreads) came just a couple of days later. Yep, you guessed it - she can say 'no'. She was carrying her beloved sheep around the kitchen and saw daddy sitting at the kitchen table eating a snack. She is always up for some social eating so she was immediately interested in making sure daddy was going to share and lost interest in her sheep. I was watching the whole thing comfortably from a chair in the living room when I realized that she was about to drop her sheep in the Maggie's water bowl so she could reach for a bite of food. I yelled 'no, no, noooo!' (the last one said in defeat since it had already hit the water) and as if she had been saying it for a month, she turned to me and said 'no no no!' in her sweet little voice. Frank and I just stared at her amazed. Ever since, 'no' has been the response to every question. At least she says it nicely for now. :)

She also says 'sit', which I believe explains what I thought sounded like the 's-word' in the past. I have to tell her sit down a lot while she's in the bath tub, so now when she stands up she instructs herself to 'sit'.

I also must note that she is a big fan of one of our engagement pictures that is framed and sitting on a side table in the living room. She frequently goes up to it and points to me and says 'mama' and then points at Frank and says 'da!'. She checks my expression for affirmation and then goes about her day like it's no big deal.

The next biggest change in Allison is that she learned to climb on one of the chairs in the living room last night. She was so desperate to sit with Frank that she used every ounce of her energy to hoist herself up there. I was hoping she would forget the new discovery after a night of sleep, but she quickly piled herself back up on the chair today. It's currently surrounded by a bed of pillows for her to fall on since the chair is conveniently next to the brick hearth. I'm terrified of her falling and busting her head on it! So far she hasn't learned to jump off the chair, but she thinks its fun to slide face first into the pillow waiting for her on the floor and then climb back up and do it again.

Again, sorry for no pics of my baby. We still havent replaced our point-and-shoot and I hate to lug out my big camera for the candid things during the day. Not to mention Allison and I are currently sharing a nasty cold, so that has zapped my energy for the moment.

That's it for now!