Monaloca

Melina and I had lunch with the ladies (aka my longtime buddies) in SF the other day, and none of them could believe how big she’s gotten. “She’s all grown up!” seems a common refrain these days. And while she’s not all grown up, she’s fast becoming a “big” toddler, full of personality and will.

My favorite trick of late is when Meli tries to tell knock knock jokes. Out of the blue she’ll say “knot knot,” wait for someone to say, “who’s there?” and then babble something incomprehensible. Without a doubt she’s learned this ritual from her brother, and eventually she’ll get out a full joke.

Kai has also taught her the art of putting on a bed show. He’s been doing these for several years now: He dims the lights, puts “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on his CD player, and dances like a mad man on his bed. Last summer Meli moved from audience member to participant, usually just bouncing while seated on the bed and surrounded by stuffed animals. Now not only does she stand up and dance herself, but specifically asks to do “show.” She’s also picked up on many of her brother’s moves, including a little dance-run, checking the DVD player at least once every 30 seconds, and pausing for a drink of water from the bottle on the bedside shelf.

Mid-month, Melina started to speak small sentences. My favorites so far are “Mama sit down,” “I eat,” and “I dunno,” with raised hands and a facial expression to match. “More apple please” is definitely Meli’s favorite! She’s started calling herself “Mina” (sometimes “Mima”), just like her friends at school do. And she’s begun to tell us when she needs to or has poopoo – though with varying degrees of truth. The toddler potty itself is still a novelty, and a convenient seat.

Our girl has a good throwing arm. She throws overhand with both arms and can get a ball (or small toy – eek!) clear across a room with little effort. And she now climbs pretty much anything that looks climbable. She climbs into the jogging stroller in our entry way when she decides it’s time for a walk. She climbs monkey bars in the tot lot at the park. Slow, steady, determined. She pulls chairs or step-stool-like toys over to drawers so she can climb up and look inside. And she just learned to climb up the bar stools at our counter, which gives her free access to a whole range of things she couldn’t reach before. Time to re-think our baby- (er, toddler-) proofing!

No Comments »