New Surprises Everyday!!!

The past month has just been full of new surprises from Tatum. Just before Christmas, we taught her the word "please"... and since then, we constantly hear 'bite pleeeeeaase?" if we are munching on ANYTHING! So, we have learned to not eat around Tatum unless she is eating as well. I have a video of this from Christmas, so I'll upload that soon. How can you say 'no', when she is being so darn cute? (and polite) At the beginning of January, Tatum and I were heading to Indiana, so we were in her room packing. I was facing the closet, and she was over behind be near her 'glider' (rocking chair). I was in my own world figuring out what to pack and then... hmm, did I really just hear that? So, I stopped and listened- then turned around.... "ashes (asses) ashes all fall down! And plop! she would fall down! I could not stop laughing and smiling and cheering her on, so of course, she continued to do this over and over and over again. Finally, I called Matt (who was enjoying 70 degree temps in AZ for a work meeting) and made him listen, so he would believe me. And that is where the amazement really began...

Throughout this past month, she would randomly see something and call it by name... we were driving past the school and there was a flock of geese hanging out, I'm sure they were having a grand ole time, at the track- I did not point them out to her... and she pointed to them and said 'geese'... then we went for a walk- she gets to walk her dolls in the stroller down the street when it is nice.. and she pointed to the sky and said 'fly'- there was a bird flying... on the same walk we heard kids laughing and playing outside- but behind a house and she said 'kids'... heard chirping and said 'chirp chirp'... We went to the store to grab a couple of things and she saw balloons- called them balloons, the same went for bananas, which are mananas, grapes, and rice. She knows the names of most of her food, but being at the store and her pointing to them and telling me what they were just opened my eyes! It's amazing what she has picked up and how quickly! Typically, at the store, I talk to her and tell her what things are, but this was the opposite! I just let her keep telling me what things were. Another day at Target, we were getting groceries and there was another little boy who was making animal sounds, and did the coyote sound... what does Tatum do? Mocks him and does the same, and I laughed! She does the animal sounds- cow-moooo; pig- (we snort); chicken- bocbocboc; rooster- cockle; duck- quack; horse- neigh; sheep-baaaaa; coyote- awooooo; lion/tiger- roar... it was just interesting, to me, that she would recognize it in a different setting when we were shopping.

I told Matt this next story, and he said "She doesn't really surprise me anymore"... because everyday she does something so unexpected... Just this past Tuesday, she grabbed toilet paper out of the bathroom and sat outside the door tearing it up. When she was about done, I told her to throw it away in the garbage... so she takes a piece and walks to the garbage can to throw it away (she's been doing this for a few months now). I walk to the front room to check on the fish, and walk back to check on her mess, and she had carried Hunter's food dish (usually kept next to the garbage can) to her mess... she was putting all of the toilet paper in his dish- then she carried the bowl back to where it belongs, took the t.p. out, and put it into the garbage can! Instead of taking ten trips to the garbage can and back, she got herself a 'bucket', filled it, then dumped it! Amazing!

I can not get over the small, new things she does that makes her more of a little 'girl' each day. I am so grateful to Matt to allow me to stay home with her and watch our 'baby' evolve into a little 'girl'. I would not trade this time with her for anything!