Combining two months in an update that’s almost late enough to combine three. Beatrice is almost eighteen months old.
Beada is an energetic, tousle-headed little sprite, toddling about the house and finding every spare pencil or crayon we’ve managed to not pick up. Every one.
Once she finds one, she dashes either for where she knows the drawing paper is stashed (fortunately) or for whatever book happens to be nearby (unfortunately), plops down, and begins methodically drawing tiny circles. She doesn’t scribble anymore–her aim is actually (it appears) to write letters. Sometimes you can hear her saying to herself “A, B, E, A…” She loves when I write her name, and frequently tries to emulate it. She also loves when Grandmaggie draws her kitties…meow!
We’ve very successfully managed to dodge very much book-scribbling in the family, but I believe Beatrice has defaced more books in the past month than all the other children combined over the past nine years.
talking
Her speech has really blossomed over the past couple of weeks–which isn’t saying too much, as she really didn’t say “words” but instead babbled at us in her own language–but now that babble is peppered with English words in a fashion that makes the rest almost intelligible. Some common Beadese phrases are:
I me see me: I would like ____; give _____ to me. ex.: I me see me nana. “I would like a banana.”
side-side: outside, or “through this door.” ex.: I me see me side-side. Please open this door for me so I can go through it.
I me me me me: “Give that to me NOW.”” Said loudly and emphatically.
peas: please
kay-koo: thank you
num-ah-num-ah-nay: an expression of happiness and contentment. Said repeatedly in a sing-song voice.
spinny circles
A great joy in life is to listen to music while she plays in her crib. An even greater joy is to listen to music while she’s out playing in her room; she loves to spin in circles to the music. Sometimes she looks up and the ceiling and spins until she falls over. Then she laughs, gets up, and does it again.
flippy hair
Her hair is so long. It’s the longest by far of any of the kids at this age, though of course Anselm and Ephraim came pretty close. It flips all over at the ends, like Anselm’s did. I still am fairly convinced she’ll continue to develop his curls–so far her hair is doing the exact same thing his did. It’s just..longer.
It’s been a lot of fun to play with her very long hair, but nothing I do stays in for very long. Ponytails fall out, pigtails get pulled out, bows disappear.
mouthy
She’s got a mouth full of teeth and isn’t afraid to use them. Her default reaction to being told NO or not being given what she wants isn’t to cry, but to bite. Previously this biting was just air-biting in the general direction of the offensive party (usually Mama) but it’s escalated to full-blown biting if she’s within striking distance. Not being one to chalk such behavior up to “phases”, let Mama just say that we’re working on it.
playing
She really loves to play with the boys’ cars; she likes to drive them on the rails of her crib. She also is fascinated with Elvie’s dolls and their tea set, though she mostly likes to sit on the doll furniture. She is given to carrying little books around and demanding you read one page to her before grabbing it back and hustling off to get another one. She likes to play the piano and to run around in circles. She really loves Daddy and thinks he is super hilarious. (I don’t think he’s ever been bitten, air-bite or real.) She really likes the dogs, from a distance. Cats are by far her favorite.
She’s also very, very fond of Anselm, probably more than any of her other siblings. He knows just how to make her belly laugh. They are two peas in a pod. (It must be the hair.)
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