An Ada update

She has: 12 teeth, and hair that is apparent enough to detect even in dim light.

She can tell you: what the cow, duck (though he has become a shy, quiet duck lately), piggy, sheep, dog, elephant, monkey, fish and firetruck/ambulance/any large vehicle she sees say. And point to her toes, fingers, teeth.

She does (some of) the actions to: Itsy Bitsy Spider, I'm all Made of Hinges, Where is Thumbkin, Upon My Head My Hands I'll Place, Wheels on the Bus, Here is the Church Here is the Steeple...

She can: tickle Daddy, give butterfly kisses, jump (aka: squat), throw overhand, kick the ball, mimic a myriad of actions (including putting on mascara), find Giraffey, Sophie and some other toys when asked, pretend to read (she has a specific quiet-grunt-reading sound), scribble well, do a "cheesy cheesy" smile, give high-fives, follow several simple commands in Italian, say prayers in her same quiet-grunt-reading voice. (Tangential anecdote: we were walking home from the market yesterday when Ada decided to kneel down in the middle of the sidewalk, fold her arms, bow her head, and say a quick, grunted prayer).

She loves to: go to the park, chase pigeons (the chase is always preceded by a growl), sing along with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, go on walks—without the stroller, climb in her stroller by herself, play chase and Where's Daddy?, put things in the garbage,

She can say: Mama, Dada, Ada (which is basically Dada), stanca (tired), basta (enough/I'm done), more ("muh"), cracker ("ca-cuh"), jacket ("kakit"), bath ("ba"), ball ("bah"), bottle ("ba-ba"), thank you ("teh-to" but we're real hit and miss with this one), doggy, yucky ("kaka"), and Obama (though we're not sure that one's intentional).


ada telling us about her day in the park. and that she is mama.

The best thing about her beginning to talk is how convinced she is that she's actually communicating. She uses various intonations and emphases, gestures and body language. This toddler thing is getting to be tons of fun.