Ally - nearly 17 months

At the zoo.

After the zoo.

Eating sugar and saying "Oh NO!!!!" (Probably because it's gone.)

Her favorite spot watching tv - in the big cushy blue chair.

Eating the special jelly beans Great-Grandma ordered for the grandkids before she died. She always had gourmet jelly beans for us growing up (not the gross kind, the super good kind!) and before she died she ordered a big box of them so the kids could have them on Valentine's Day. It was the sweetest thing! And Ally LOOOOOOOOVED them.

Decorating a cookie at Spencer's Valentine's Day party at preschool. She looked so big sitting there in her piggies!

Here's what Ally's been up to these days...

About a week ago one of Kyle's friends posted that her daughter who is a week older than Ally just learned her 9th word. Exciting of course, BUT, it made me wonder how many words Ally actually knows and uses regularly. It's WAY more than 9. (What can I say, this is my blog, and I can brag.) ;) I looked it up and babies at 18 months should know and say between 5-20 words. I listed the words Ally regularly says and it was over 60!! I know, I know. She's a genius. Now she doesn't say them perfectly, but she says them enough that I know what she's talking about.

I know you're not really interested in all those words, but I wanted to record them for journaling's sake. So here they are:

1. Ayee (her name)
2. Yeah
3. NO! (Always pronounced with emphasis)
4. Daydoo (Thank you)
5. Peese (Please)
6. Hi
7. Hewoh (Hello)
   
8. Bye Bye
9. Go
10. Up
11. Dow (Down)
    
12. Mo (More)
13. Ee (Eat)
    
14. Apple
    
15. Nana (Banana)
16. Pepper
17. Kaka (Cracker)
18. Ikeam (Ice Cream)
19. Tato (Potato)
20. Tease (Cheese)
21. Wawa (Water)
22. Duce (Juice)
    
23. Dah-ee (Daddy)
24. Mommy
25. Nanelle (Janelle)
26. Dehdeh (Spencer)
27. Boppa (Grandpa)
28. Mama (Grandma)
29. Emawee (Emily)
30. Baby
31. Bahl (Bottle)
    
32. Doggy (can also say "Woof, woof")
    
33. Kitty (also says "meow")
    
34. Duck (also says "cack cack")
35. Apae (Airplane)
36. Woh-wor (Color)
37. Nie-nie (Night night)
38. Binkie
39. Bankie (Blankie)
40. Oose (Shoes)
41. Raw (socks)
42. "Aw duh" (All done)
43. "I gah it" (I've got it)
44. Owee
45. Owsigh (Outside)
46. Bah (Bath)
47. Cah (Car)
48. Sih (Sit)
49. Buh (Ladybug...usually in reference to her pillow pet) ;)
50. Desuh (Jesus)
51. Boo (Book)
52. Wash
53. Eyes
54. Nose
55. Teeth
56. "Oh NO!"
57. "Uh-oh"
58. Ears
59. Hair
60. Pay (Play)
61. Dacket (Jacket)
62. Amen
63. Talk
64. Bah (Ball)
65. Wee! (Swing)
    

In addition to these words she also babbles in Ally-nese all day long. I kid you not, she never stops talking. She'll come up to you and talk to you in her little language like you know exactly what she's talking about. She even inflects questions, excitement, demands...it's hilarious. She also loves to growl at everyone and everything.

Ally's favorites are:

• Playing outside - she LOOOOOOOOOOVES to be outside. In fact at this very second she is trying to pull me away from the computer to take her to "Wee" (swing).
• Taking baths
• Eating sugar
• Grandpa
• Her "baby" (doll)
• Her doggie
• Playing with cars
  
• Anything "Toy Story" related
• Milk
• When Daddy comes home
• Running around on the trampoline
• Face time with Daddy on the phone when he has class late or when she's throwing a tantrum.
  

Some funny things she does...

• Pushes anyone away near me when she needs "Mommy time." (Having a new baby around is sure going to be fun. Haha!)
  
• Bosses Janelle and Spencer around.
• We're trying to wean her off the binkie, so she only gets it if she's in her crib. The second she sees us to come get her out of bed, she pulls it out of her mouth, hands it to me and says, "Aw duh!" (All done.) Now if only she could fall asleep without it...
• When Mommy says "no," she goes to find Grandpa or Grandma. ;)
• Loves, loves, loves to "cook" when either my mom or I are in the kitchen making meals or doing dishes. She pulls bowls, cutting boards, pots, pans and large utensils out and plops down to make a culinary masterpiece. Sometimes I give her cheerios, or crackers or potatoes to play with which she thinks is pretty great.
• When Janelle and Spencer are getting ready for bed in their room she loves to climb up on Janelle's bed, tuck herself in and then tells us "Nie nie," like we're really going to leave her there for the night. She protests every single time we take her off.
  

She's one spunky toddler and we love her to pieces! I asked Kyle if he thought our next baby might have red hair and he goes, "Umm...I don't think we can handle another red head!" Haha!