a few tidbits of newness

I realize I missed my Wordless Wednesday post this week! My sister is in town for an extra 11 days, and we have been hanging out and shopping and just enjoying being together.

I feel like Maggie has just exploded on the learning curve lately...she is a pro at a few signs now--"all done," "more," and "please." Just today I started working with her on sitting patiently in the high chair and folding her hands to wait (as she has taken to screeching when she wants our attenion and her plate is empty), and after a few demonstrations on my part, she folded her hands, by herself. It was so sweet (and hopefully, it will stick!). When asked where her nose, head, and ear are, she will point to them with surprising accuracy and even coyly point to the wrong one when asked specifically, "Where is your nose?" When we were children, my dad would put us to bed and do "walk-a-bear" on our backs--simply using the index and middle finger to walk up and down our back. There were all sorts of "bears" that had different speeds and pressures--Shannon and Suzanne bears were very quick and jumpy. Daddy bear was fast and sure-footed. Mama bear was quick and light-footed. Grandpa and Grandma bears were slow. You get the picture. Anyway, while here for Christmas my dad started doing "walk-a-bear" to Maggie and she totally will do it on her chest when asked! It's especially fun to watch her walk and do this trick at the same time. Lastly, she will do an on command "cheese face" as pictured above.

And in other exciting news, she is now walking unassisted about 80% of the time. Aron spent literally 1.5 hours on Monday at my aunt's house in OK, holding Maggie by the hand and walking her around the house. She was downright giddy and hasn't stopped walking since. Now, she wants to lead us around the house by the hand (and doesn't want to let go and play somewhere, just walk) and when not doing this, she walks around the house unassisted. And of course with this comes new challenges (Sarah/Laura, I might be calling you soon!). In this last week alone, she is no longer content to sit quietly in her stroller as we shop, but wants out. I'm already working with her on being patient if I am holding her, and teaching her not to arch and jump out of my arms before I put her down to walk. I am hoping to instill good habits early on; we shall see how it goes!