13 Months

It is not my intention to keep up with monthly updates about Kira, but I feel like she's been blooming so much this past month that an update is necessary.

First of all, the pigtails.  I'm obsessed.  They are the tiniest little things I've ever seen, but they scream "little girl!" to me, and I love them.  So, don't mind the little photo shoot I did in our backyard trying to capture this stage of hair.

Kira's "vocabulary" has been growing so much this past month.  Quinn was/is a late speaker.  I know that.  I am just barely starting to hold conversations with him, and he's three.  And let's be real, they really aren't even conversations yet.  So, I use the term "vocabulary" quite loosely here.  BUT, Kira's experimenting with a variety of sounds, and tries to mimic Quinn and me all day long.  It is so fun.

She waves and says "Haaaah".  She drops something and says, "Uh-uh".  She lays down and says "Ni-ni".  She eats and says "Numnumnum".  She says "mama" and "dada".  She growls when Quinn growls.  She screams when he screams, and she does her best to match his decibel level each time.  She walks through an aisle of shoes in a store and says "Wah-hoow".  Speaking of shoes; Kira is obsessed.  Every morning without fail, as soon as I get her dressed, she walks to her closet and chooses a pair of shoes to wear.  She hates being barefoot.  For now I find her obsession hilarious.  Also, I've totally fed the addiction this summer.  Baby sandals are my newest weakness.  Sister is finding her voice and she is learning how to use it.  It'll be interesting to see how long it takes for this to translate to actual speech.

This month Kira got her four top teeth.  We've noticed it affecting her sleep a few nights, but overall she's done quite well.  We can't complain.  Tylenol has definitely helped, though.

She also says "no".  It sounds more like "nah, nah, nah" and she shakes her head vigorously while saying it.  Funny thing is, she's usually saying it to herself.  For example, as she walks up to a socket to pull out a cord, she'll say "nah, nah, nah, nah, nah".  Or, as she sneaks away to try and crawl up the stairs, "nah, nah, nah, nah, nah".  Or, her favorite, as she tries to escape outside through the dog door, "nah, nah, nah, nah, nah."  She provides us with a little warning as she's about to do something she shouldn't.  It's quite helpful, really.

Kira is also picking up a few signs to ensure that her wants are known.  Her favorite sign is "more", and it looks like an aggressive hand clap.  When she gets what she wants she says, "duh-duh" with the same inflection as "thank-you".  So, I'm pretty sure she's got manners, too.  The other sign we see regularly is "all done".  These two signs are quite helpful when it comes time for meals.  She communicates when she needs more food and when she is satiated.  No more guessing games over here.  Those are the only two signs that we see regularly, but they are also the only signs I've worked with her on (besides thank-you).  Next on the list is "please".  I didn't really do any beyond that with Quinn that I can think of.  Are there any other useful signs you'd recommend?

This month Kira has really taken to books.  She loves to sit and thumb through pages herself, but her favorite is being read to.  She plops down on a lap with a book, and expects to be read to.  We happily oblige.  She started memorizing some of the sounds in the book Mr. Brown Can Moo, and looked at me suspiciously when I tried skipping a page.  She then went on to make the popping sound from the page I skipped.  My girl's a genius.  But, whose kid isn't?  

Unlike her brother, Kira is not interested in tv.  In fact, she's recently figured out how to turn it off in the play room.  Whenever Quinn tries to watch something she quickly prevents him from doing so, while laughing.  I'm not sure if she loves the attention she gets from turning it off, or if she just likes to torment her brother already.  Perhaps both are true.  There's definitely some spunk in that little personality of hers.

The final thing that I want to note is Kira's sleep habits.  On some days I've had to wake her up around ten because she would just sleep the day away like her daddy if I'd let her.  It makes Pat so proud.  Her and Quinn are opposites in the sleep department as well.

It continues to be such a joy to see Kira's personality evolve.  Her communication skills were certainly the highlight for her developmentally this past month.  She continues to be such an easy-going child, and she's such a love.  Happy 13 months, baby!