What is Willa doing these days?

I figured the last post could tell you a little bit about what she's doing now. The pictures capture some of these things, but not all.

In just the last week, Willa has become fiercely independent at mealtime. She has fed herself finger foods for several months now, but she started wanting to use utensils with assistance this week. She puts her spoon in her yogurt, lifts it up and turns the spoon upside down (so all the yogurt runs off) and very deliberately puts it in her mouth and sucks off the coating of yogurt for 20 seconds before doing it all over again. If we try to help her hold the spoon properly, she gets angry. If we use the utensil to try to feed her, well, she just won't eat. The daycare teachers have noticed the same thing. This is a good step, by all means, but certainly has given us some new challenges until Willa's fine motor skills improve! One night I fed her cereal and milk because I knew she liked it so much that she'd let me feed her. Tonight she ate her bunny-shaped cheese crackers and Multi-Grain Cheerios (dry) for dinner because she refused to eat the chicken and carrots I had put in a bowl for her. I guess it's better to eat something rather than going to bed on an empty stomach...

Last week, she also started using the sign for more when she wants more of something. We're working on saying more please and thank you in sign language, but so far she's only doing the more sign. It's very cute.

Willa talks a lot, starting with "hi, daddy" every morning (no matter who gets her out of the crib). We hear lots of boos, bye-byes (LOTS), and most of the other words I've mentioned before. Oh, how could I forget? She says "Willa" now! Sounds like Wawa. It always makes me smile. I don't think she understands that she's Willa, but she can say the word.

She's started blowing kisses. Each morning at daycare drop-off, I blow her a kiss. Sometimes she reciprocates. Usually not. Last weekend, we were out for dinner and she was waving at a man dining alone. He was nice enough to smile and wave back repeatedly. Then, without warning, Willa blew him a kiss!! She's also friendly during walks in the stroller, always waving at people. Or, when we get out of the elevator at daycare, she says "bye-bye" and waves to the other people in the elevator. Think she's a social butterfly?

I think those are the big things. She's not walking voluntarily yet, though she can (we've seen it). She can sit on a curb and stand up and sit back down - good gross motor skills that I think require more skill and balance than walking - so I think she just lacks confidence about her ability to walk or stand unassisted. When she finally walks, I don't know what we'll do. Probably fall over from shock! :-)