18 Months Old

Here's what Sophie can do at 18 months:

use her feet to push a ride on toy,

give a high five followed by a "pound it" fist and "exploding" fingers,

use a shovel to fill a bucket with sand and dump it out,

pull a toy dog by a string,

put trash in the trashcan,

pretend to talk on the telephone,

climb a chair,

go up and down steps safely,

do all the hand motions for pat-a-cake, wheels on the bus, & eensy weensy spider,

use about 55 words in sign language,

stack 9 blocks,

pretend to feed a doll,

pretend to eat a picture of a cupcake in a book,

hold her pencil with the correct grip,

give puckered lip kisses,

give an occasional hug,

smash a bug on the sidewalk,

rock on a rocking horse,

run,

use a spoon and fork,

can point to her ears, eyes, nose, ears, teeth, head, neck, toes, knees, hands, & bellybutton,

can make the sheep(baaaa) , dog (hhhhhh), and cow (mmmmm) sounds,

and even helps Mama do chores.

The Many Faces of a Sweet Pea

The look of joy to be in her mommie's arms after a bath...

The look of a beauty queen modeling her sister's baptismal dress...-

The look of uncertainty being so close to a lit candle celebrating her 18 month birthday...

The look of merriment as she drives her favorite ice cream truck from her grandma...

The look of total elation as she mimics the expressions and gestures of her big sister Courtney...

The look of amazement with herself after she pulls along a toy dog by a string for the first time...

The look of contentment as she takes a rest on her favorite step...

and finally, the look of regret, as she figures out that she spilt her milk again for the 100th time!

Made in China by God

The flamingo stance

Can't you just hear her squeal in delight?

Our little precious girl may have been made in China, but we know our God created her just for us. She's oozing with personality, cheerfulness, and enthusiasm. Today you would've thought she was Edison inventing the lightbulb as she figured out how to pull a little toy dog along with a string! I especially love how she stands like a flamingo, with one foot on top of the other. She is an absolute delight from her head to her toes.

What is Joy?

When I think of joy, I think of Sophie. She is the completion of joy, the very definition of joy, the embodiment of joy, and joy itself. Let me tell you what makes me think this way.

Joy is...

seeing her face light up when I walk in the room,

hearing her breath drawing in when she sees a rollie pollie walk across her path,

hearing the crunching sound she makes as she pops another Kix into her small little mouth,

feeling her ever-so-soft bottom after her nightly bath,

smelling the fresh scent of Johnson's baby lotion smoothed over her soft skin,

tickling her by nudging my nose into the soft folds of skin in her neck,

hearing her say mama when she wants something,

knowing that she has waited a whole year without a mother,

and now she has one forever!

Courtney's Wordless Wednesday

A Weekend Away

Trying to feed a plaster duck some food to no avail.

Ahoy Matey! Have you seen Orlando Bloom? My mom is looking for him.

Playing in the pool is lots of fun, especially when Aunt Sog filled it with warm tap water.

Just hanging around.

We visited Auntie Kiki and her dog Killer.

Sophie nonchalantly reaches into Auntie Kiki's top...I guess it's warm and soft there. :)

She samples Auntie Kiki's famous deviled eggs.

Now she's learning how to play "Stairway to Heaven" with much success!

Sophie has some BIG dreams!

Aunt Sog helps Sophie touch a squishy sea cucumber at the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.

Help! We got eaten by a big shark!

Sophie enjoyed seeing all the fish, jellyfish, starfish, frogs, and seahorses.

Thinking the doggy door is just for her, Sophie goes in and out of Aunt Sog's house freely.

What's new with Sophie?

Last week we visited Aunt Soggy in Temecula for her 40th birthday (can you believe she's getting old?). We loved going to the park, eating macaroni and cheese at Applebee's, playing in the baby pool, going to San Diego to see the aquarium, visiting Auntie Kiki, and making a mess of Aunt Sog's house. Sophie owes Sog her first paycheck to pay for the coasters she broke while she was "playing". Anyway, we had a lot of fun and can't wait to go back, we just hope Aunt Sog childpoofs her house next time we come.

Well, let me tell you...she is making more sounds and intonations like she's talking. We thought we heard her say "I love you," "amen," and "apple". It's so nice to hear her little voice. You should see her face light up when we actually understand what she's trying to communicate. It's like the excitement you feel when you're playing charades. She smiles, nods her head and squeals!

What else? She stacked 9 blocks on top of each other before they tumbled over. The physical therapist said that was a skill of a 30 month old toddler and she's only 17 months! She's so advanced in her fine motor skills. Just the other day she picked up a centimeter sized paper and threw it into the trash. We're all amazed!

She's also doing all the normal toddler things like going down the slide by herself, imitating me when I clean the house, pretending to read a book, running everywhere instead of walking, giving hugs and kisses, and dancing to the Wiggles.

Yesterday we went to a Mother's Day Tea at my school and she was so comfortable talking and playing with all the students and their mothers. Sophie is definitely at home in social situations. She gives them the eyebrows, shines that gorgeous smile (you know the kind that makes your eyes close), and lets out a little giggle. She is always so happy.

Her favorites at this time are sweet potatoes, grapes, strawberries, apple juice, black beans, the sandbox, taking a bath, and reading Goodnight Moon with her papa (even though she highly prefers her mama to put her to bed).

But one of her favorite joys is riding on the back or shoulders of her big brother "Bubba" or big sister "Mei Mei." By the way, they both are over the moon in love with their little Sophers. They both express time and time again how they can't wait to get home to play with her and how much they love her. Josh thinks she's so cute when she gives him a high five, followed by knuckles called "pound it" and finally all her fingers pop out for the "explode" motion! Courts think she is as sweet as honey and loves to take her to the mall and show her off to all her friends who work there. I secretly think she loves it when people mistake her for the mommy.

So that's what's new with our darling little Sopheroonies. Until next time...