New, New, New!

The past month has been full of new fun and I wanted to be sure and note some things before they get lost in the shuffle! Bowen's been so cute lately becoming even more affectionate and snuggly than usual. Just the other day, she ran up to me and threw her arms around my neck! Not because she wanted to be picked up, or needed something... just purely for the act of giving me a cuddle. My heart swelled. Around the beginning of the month, she amazed us by responding to the phrase "Are you ready for some rest, some quiet time?" by turning and walking into her room and standing by her cot until we came to put her in. I have to say - she's her mother's daughter in this way - LOVES her some sleep!! It's been shocking to witness and now we'll even see her walk into her room without prompting and wait to be put to sleep. Too cute. Another cue she uses to tell us what she wants involves her lunch pail - sweetly given to her by her Aunt Amy & Uncle Thom for her birthday. It looks like a suitcase next to her as she carries/drags it over to us. She'll try her best to put it on our laps and start making this "mmmmmmm" sound over and over until we ask if she's hungry and get her something to eat. The associations they can make at this age never cease to astound me. Another big thing lately is "dancing". She does this little bent knee bounce whenever she hears music or we ask her to dance for us. I'm really hoping she'll have better rhythm than her parents - guess that means dance classes will be a necessity. Either that, or she'll have to spend more QT with Aunt Allie! For a while now, she's kept up a running dialogue about everything using the word "buddha buddha buddha" (with a long U sound). It's become a little joke in our household - who is this "buddha"? She hasn't become too interested in duplicating other sounds or words yet, but has started to say "hi" which is more like an airy "haaa", but it's really cute. She attempts to say the word bunny, but so far it's really just "BUH"! Let's see, what else... oh, while we were on holiday she has become seriously proficient on stairs. Climbing is not a problem and she can navigate most any obstacle on her level. She has amazed us since she began walking with her incredible balance over a range of different surfaces. She's added blinking to our game of "Can you?" - it's super cute and her eyes stay closed for 1-2 secs at a time with her eyes all squished shut. Other additions include patting of the legs and tummy - as well as the dancing - so now we're up to clapping, stomping, clicking the tongue, smacking the lips, shaking head, nodding head, dancing, patting legs & tummy and blinking! Not that she's a performing dog!! She loves to read books right now and we spend most of our time together reading (mostly the same) books over and over and over. She goes over to her basket of books, picks one, walks over to Stewart or me and puts it in our lap. Then she likes to cozy up and listen. Her attention span is growing to include some longer books too. Some of her favorites right now include: Bedtime for Bear, Goodnight North Carolina (thanks Jen!), Dear Zoo, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, The Going to Bed Book and Pants. One of the other things she loves right now are the ABC and 123 flashcards Grammie K sent her - they are constantly all over our house! Another big thing - Bowen is now cutting 2 of her top molars - one on either side! I noticed recently that she had been drooling and slobbering a lot more than usual - so decided to pop my finger in her mouth this past week and felt them both coming through. She's had a nasty cold this weekend, so combined with the teething, poor thing has not felt great, but she still manages that sweetness that we love.

Well, that's all for now!

Hope everyone's enjoying a great weekend! xo