Miss Personality

A couple of weeks ago, I cut Ashley off of the pacifier--and we did it cold turkey. She can have it while she sleeps and naps, but otherwise she is out of luck. I wasn't too worried about it because she is still pretty young, but she isn't making very many sounds so I want to give her a lot of opportunity to practice before I even start to get worried about it :).

Well, we've had a couple of weeks filled with whining (I guess it isn't called a "plug" for nothing). I expected it a little, but I was surprised to hear the amount of whining and screeching coming from her little lungs, especially when Everett does something to annoy her. Or when he considers bothering her. Or when he breathes in her direction. I figure I've got about 16 more years of this so we're getting used to it.

However, it has been fun to see a little more of her personality. Case(s) in point, having something or nothing to do with a lack of pacifier:

~Today Everett, Joel, and I had a bit of a water fight. We're talking teaspoons of water, people, and yes, it has been months since the last incident, lest you think we're completely out of control around here. After we were done, Ashley asked for a drink of water. I watched her carry her cup over to Joel, dump it over on his foot, and grin satisfyingly as she brought it back to me. At least she's been trained to get the right parent.

~If Ashley asks for something and we tell her "no" oh boy do we hear about it. Whew. She will spend twenty minutes asking repeatedly and after each denial will scream and yell and collapse dramatically on the floor. I have been waiting for a little more drama with this child and we've finally got it. (It is during these times that I remember all the blog posts I wrote about the perfect baby that she was. I knew it wouldn't last forever; it's just nice it was that way at all.)

~Ashley continues her love for stuffed animals. Her favorite is a giant stuffed monkey from my mother. She sleeps with it every night and grabs for it every morning when she wakes up. It is as big as she is but she enjoys dragging it around and giving it more hugs than anyone else on earth.

~She loves climbing. Her favorite toys are kitchen toys, or anything with little animals she can put into containers. She still loves bananas, but she also loves any other kind of food she can scavenge for.

~No talking yet. She signs and screeches, and that's about it! We may have another case of apraxia, but it is too early to tell and I'm not going to worry about it yet. I'm giving her time to catch up, and I'm trusting myself to recognize the signs this time around.

~She will follow simple commands, though. She finds her shoes anytime we say we're going outside, and if we're being slow enough, she'll get everyone else's too. She will start climbing in her high chair when it's dinnertime. She takes things out of her mouth (except dirt and sand) if I ask her to. She will give things back to their owner, and she will deliver things if I send her to do it.

That's all I'm going to write. It helps me keep track of everything! If you read this far, you're a saint.