Time for a Snapshot

Yup, it's that time again that I want to post a snapshot of Mabel's doings. It's going to be quick, because I am utterly swamped with grading.  But I was afraid if I didn't do it while thinking of it, I'd forget to do a snapshot any time soon.

Mabel is desperate to walk.  She can stand momentarily without holding onto anything, and a couple of times she has taken a step from one thing (say a couch corner) to something else (a table).  She can race up the stairs (we only allow this when we are behind her-- otherwise the stairs are gated), and she wears this shit- eating grin of achievement when she gets to the top.  It's fun to see her be proud of herself.  And speaking of being proud, she also is so when she walks behind her carriage or train, which she now pushes all around the first floor.  Her walk while doing so is straddled and awkward; I love it.  Mabel makes a lot of sounds now and babbles like crazy.  She says both "mama" and "dada" but without association.  In fact, most things are either "dada" or "ba."  When she DOES call her bottle a "ba" or "baba" I wonder if it's purposeful, similarly to how I wonder if her saying "mama" twice now when I have arrived at day care is coincidental or intentional.  Mabel waves hi and bye, and T (day care provider) told me yesterday that Mabel says "bahh bahh" a lot when waving "bye bye" to kids.  So far, we aren't counting any of these as first words; we feel we need a little more context for these to be REAL words, but we like that she is making all the fun sounds and syllables. 

Mabel laughs hard when her doll Abby Kadabby "talks."  She also enjoys flopping down on her stuffed Penelope dog.  Mabel's heartiest laughs come when J does this whole tickle monster routine with her.  They both are down on all- fours, and they chase each other while shrieking in excitement, and eventually, when J catches up with her and tickles her, she roars giggling.  In fact, now when J's key goes in the door, Mabel looks at me inquisitively as if to say, "Is it him?? The tickle monster?"  When he enters the room, she goes nuts.  Mabel is still loving cell phones and remote controls, and she is dying to play with the ipad but has not been allowed.  Dolls and toys are played with for a few minutes usually, but eventually Mabel wants to attack tupperware and other safe kitchenware we let her play with.  She has many toys, yet the simple house stuff is what entertains her most... go figure! My favorite skill of hers is the high- 5.  If you say, "Mabel, gimme 5!" she will reach up and give you the daintiest and lightest but proudest high- 5 you can imagine.  She's even good with low- 5.  That girl knows her 5's!