17 months of imagination

What Joy is doing 

• Joy is walking with great confidence, which has made our lives so much easier. The only thing...her little legs are short and it takes us forever to get anywhere. 
• Persistent: Joy's persistence is increasing as are her little tantrums....we have our hands full!
• Pretending/ joking around: Has started pretending that her baby dolls are sleeping, or eating. Daddy and Joy had their first tea party and played in a living room tent this week! 
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• Putting things away: without even having to tell her, Joy puts things away! It is crazy 
• "OFF" : Wants to always be naked...and if she is in only a disposable diaper she takes it off. Good thing she is usually in a cloth diaper that snaps shut! She also continually wants to pretend to take her ears and hair "off". 

• Total teeth: 12 (all four molars came in this month!)
  
  
  

What Joy is saying: Joy likes to talk at the same time that we are talking....it is so funny (and sometimes annoying!) 

1. daddy
2. mama
3. Ru Ru (Rudy)
4. up 
5. da da (dog) 
6. Yes
7. No no no
8. doo (down) 
9. fish
10. more
11. amen
12. uk (yuck)
13. muk (milk) 
14. waloo (water)
15. bye bye
16. wow
17. cook (cookie)
18. Rice
19. baabaa (baby) 
20. aloo (hello)
21. yalla (Arabic for lets go) 
22. shhh
23. amoo (oatmeal) 
24. diapy (diaper)
25. Erica (a friend of ours)
26. Yaya (Isaiah, Kalina's son, from all our facetime chats) 
27. waa (sound of crying baby)
28. tants (Thanks, also means take this from my hands because I don't want to hold it anymore)  
29. dentle (gentle) 
30. poop
31. oops
32. oh no
33. sign language "please"
34. animal noises: cat, dog, chicken, elephant, lion, tiger, dinosaur, bear,  

 Eats: Joy is enjoying chef daddy for lunch since I am at work.

• Loves: Our girl loves to eat and is very adventurous (although sometimes I have to hide a few of her least favorite vegetables like beans)
• Dairy Free:  Sometimes I feel sad that Joy can't have dairy as it is one of my favorite food groups. Oh well!
• Still gives us trouble: Sweet potatoes, carrots, avocado, bananas

Sleeps: It took Joy a few days but she likes her new crib.

•  Night time: 7pm-7am
• Naps: One afternoon nap (2 hours)

Weighs:About 23 lbs

Likes:

*Swings
* "Walla" (water) is her favorite these days. She loves the pool but has pooped every time we put her
in it! One day I took her in the shower with me and she LOVED IT. The following day she went in the shower with me, then with Brad, then got in herself and covered herself with soap (so she got another shower...) the bathroom door must stay shut now!

*Going to the library twice a week with daddy and getting new books. She doesn't really like "her" books anymore. So it is good that she gets to go the library so much.
* Monkey mountain...were she gets to watch the monkeys swing from tree to tree.

Is learning.....
* to be gentle, instead of showing affection through hitting or biting.

Dislikes: Daddy putting her to bed, something we need to change with new baby coming soon. She also dislikes being strapped in the stroller because she would rather walk.

Favorite event:  Spending the month of July  (mornings) with daddy while mommy is working summer school.