I'm a Big Girl Now

Every new thing Kaelyn does is pretty exciting for us. It seems with everything she learns, she becomes more independent. It's kind of bitter sweet...our little girl is literally growing right before our eyes! For about a month now I've been debating when to introduce her to a "big girl" cup. She's been drinking out of a sippy cup since she was 5 months old....and I knew it was about time that we made the transition...at least slowly anyways. I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive thinking it was going to be more work than it was worth as far as the mess was concerned. I finally decided to do it yesterday though, as I've learned that messes are a part of learning and a part of being a parent. To my surprise she did great!! I thought it would take her a while to understand how far to tip it and what not....but she did fantastic! I was so proud of her, and you could tell she was proud of herself too. She spilled a little, but nothing compared to what I expected. It went great. She still drinks from a sippy cup, but slowly we are transitioning her to her big girl cup (the John Deere one Uncle Jake gave her is her favorite!). She's also started to use a spoon every once in a while and has gotten quite good at it. Picking the food up with her fingers is obviously still easier, not to mention way more fun :)...but with time the spoon will be fun for her too I'm sure.

Other than that, Kaelyn has a new word of the day, "stop", which has been fun to hear her say too. When we saw her Doctor on Tuesday she was amazed with Kaelyn's vocabulary at 15 months of age and the fact that she can say nearly 30 words. She enjoyed observing and having fun little conversations with her. I'm not quite sure if I can pin point exactly what has caused her to be such a talker...but ever since she was really little her communication skills were evident. She first learned to motion for the things she wanted, then to sign (which I think helped with her language development some), and finally we have come to the point where she can use words to let us know what she needs or wants. I think her love of reading and for books has also helped to enhance her vocabulary tremendously.

She has also become very fond of our piano. She is now constantly saying "up" whenever she's near it so that we can set her up on the bench. She likes to press all the keys and play us songs. She gets so excited and you can see how she feels like such a big girl doing it. I enjoy seeing her sit there....she's so tiny next to that big piano. :)

Well...I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. We have been relaxing and spending time at home for the most part which is great! It's nice to bum around once in a while. :)