21 Months Old (almost)

Tomorrow (June 6th), Ella will be 21 months old. Before we know it, the end of the summer will be here and we'll be celebrating her 2nd birthday. In addition to some of the others that I've already posted about, here are some new things Ella has been doing/is interested in lately:


New things she's said:

• "Elmo share water bottle (with) Big Bird."
• "Look at me, Mommy!"
• "I'm stuck!"
• "I jumped really high!"
• "Ella threw ball (in) basket."
• "1, 2, 3,....3 people eating picnic outside."
• "I did it!"
• "Thank you, Jesus, (for our) food."
  
• tells Rob what we did during the day
• "Daddy's eating..Mommy's eating...I eating...EVERYBODY's eating!"
• "Baby birdies in birdie nest...Mommy bird bring wormies...GROSS!"
  

She has been saying longer phrases and has started to add articles like, "at" and "in" on occasion. She has also been saying "I" for herself instead of "Ella" all of the time (although I find myself having to break the habit of saying things like, "Mommy is going to make dinner now."
Ella also continues to sign words (most times out of the blue without prompting). For example, I said, "We can do that when Daddy gets home" and she said "Daddy's at work" and simultaneously did the sign for work. She has a renewed interest in watching the DVD Baby Signing Time.


New things she likes to eat:

• macaroni and cheese (only fresh--no reheats, and only traditional--no shells or other unusual shapes)
• sliced apples
• hummus (especially the really garlicky kind!)

dipping a whole wheat pretzel into garlic hummus

ummmm....so good (she will even eat it with just her fingers)

• grilled cheese
• mashed potatoes ("tatoes")
• whole bananas (peels the entire thing and picks off the nib first)
• eats "stick" yogurt by herself
• Everything bagels with cream cheese

New things she likes to/can do:

• walk up the sliding board from the bottom
• pull herself up onto anything possible and do "pull-ups"
• push her stuffed animals around in a toy shopping cart
• help me bake/cook
• look for worms while we weed
  
• sing (see below for favorites)
• watch sports on t.v. in bed with Rob (their new before-bedtime routine)
• drink from a regular cup (without a lid)
• put clothes in the dryer and carry the folded ones to her room
• playing in the bathtub (aways did, but now really loves it)

pouring water into the sand strainer from Gram

• count things...she can count to 14 now, and up to 16 with help
• say her full address, including Pennsylvania (except zip code)
• say her birthday is September 6
• climb up onto our tall bed by herself
• open water bottle twist-off tops
• identify circles, triangles, and ovals
• figure out where most shapes go in her shape box
• floss her teeth (in her own way)
• use the potty usually once a day
• play with bubble wrap (who needs toys??)
• play in sandbox
  
• takes her diaper off
• tries to put her own shirt and shoes on (she wants service)
  

Songs she likes to sing:

• Row, row, row Your Boat
• Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
• The Wheels on the Bus
• I'm a Little Teapot (thanks, Baba!)
• Down, Down Baby from Elmo movie (thanks, Pappy!)
• ABC's