Today's Two BIG Achievements!

Today has been a VERY special day for the R-baby. I don't know if I can even call her a baby anymore! Here are the two new developments that happened just this morning:

1. First words!!!

First words are tricky. Just because a baby knows how to make the sounds doesn't mean she knows what they mean. R has been saying "Dada" and "Mama" for months now, but I'm only halfway certain that she knows what they mean. We had a conversation in the car Friday that went something like this:

R, "Ki."
Me, "Do you see a kitty?"
No answer.
Me, remembering hearing a clunk sound the minute before, "Did you drop your toy keys?"
R, "Di."
Me, "I'll be stopping the car in just a little bit. I'll give you your keys back then, okay?"
R, "Di."

So those were almost words. But today, when the cat plopped in front of her and she said "kitty," and then when she clearly said "up" after I had picked her up, I can say with absolute certainty that she knows what they mean. :-D I need to pay more attention to what I say to her! And I absolutely need to "give her [more] words" as my Mom says. ^_^


2. She pooped in the potty.

Yes, she pooped in the potty!!! The Baby Whisperer books recommend starting potty training as early as 6 months, but I wasn't ready to take on the task until 12 months. We just started last week, putting her on the potty after her meals. The cupcake is very regular, usually pooping after lunch or before dinner, so I've been trying to catch her before she goes in her diaper. Today we did it! She has a small seat that goes directly on the toilet. Our routine is that she will sit on the seat and look at a potty book while a timer counts down 5 minutes (it's nice to give the potty trips a definite end). After lunch today, while she was still in her high chair picking at the last bits of noodles in her tray, I saw her starting to grunt. I quickly got her out of the high chair, rinsed the food off her hands, then whisked her into the bathroom. We sat there reading the book for almost the whole 5 minutes. Just when the timer was about to ring, she looked at me and started to whine. It was as if she was saying, "Mom, I have to poop! Where's my diaper?" I reassured her, "It's okay, Sweetie, this is where you're SUPPOSED to poop!" She tensed up and then I heard the water splash beneath her. I was so excited! I called Senpai right there in the bathroom while R was still pooping, ha! Is that rude? He was eating lunch. :-p Afterwards I made a big deal of showing her the poop and flushing it away. Then I hung the reward chart that came with her potty book on the fridge and put a sticker on it. I'm so proud! ^_^


Sigh. Happy Mommy memories. :-)