nev has definitely mastered the "hi" "bye" and "so big" responses when we ask her do one of those skills. in fact, joe and i are kind of sick of her "old skills" so we have been working on developing some new tricks. joe actually taught her this morning to respond with a "roar/growl" when he asks her what noise a tiger makes. it is funny! we are loving this new phase of her responding to our questions!
she is also practicing clapping her hands when we ask her too instead of just at random moments or when she is excited about something. she continues to answer with a "no" by shaking her head when she doesn't want to do something (i.e. give joe a kiss when he hasn't shaved in a few days). she also will give kisses on command (most of the time). in fact this past weekend she gave two of her friends (jessica berman and maya vogelson) a kiss when she was asked too. it was very sweet!
she continues to master using a spoon and now will place the spoon into my hand when i ask her for it (so i can put more food on it again). she loves to "test" me too by putting the correct end of the spoon into her mouth and watching me get all excited. then she will take it out and put the wrong end in her mouth and shake her head "no" and start laughing. it is amazing to watch.
since we are working on new "tricks" nev started her own trick that i have since been practicing with her. i got her a christmas book that makes noise and the last page has santa saying "ho ho ho." she started imitating the "ho ho ho" herself so now i am working on getting her to respond with a "ho ho ho" when i ask her what santa says. her voice is so tiny and cute that i love to hear her say "ho ho ho." in addition to this phrase we have decided that "uh-oh" is definitely her first word. she uses it all the time and consistently at the appropriate time...so since she knows the meaning of the word we figured this must be her first word.
she does talk in gibberish sentences that sound like a foreign language but sometimes i actually can tell what she is referring too (depending on what stimulation is around). she loves to talk to her teddy bear, lambie, and two blankets that are in the crib with her. she will wake up and "talk" to them before throwing all of them out of her crib and crying because they are no longer with her. she also likes to take her socks off and throw them out of the crib too.
she continues to "cruise" around the furniture and likes to practice walking by holding onto my hands. she can go for a long time practicing and i actually end up the one tired and needing a break!
she has tasted some more foods lately and has liked them all. they include...kiwi, knocci (a pasta), crab meat, salmon, and broccoli pancakes. her favorite foods include...yogurt, cheese, any type of carbohydrate (waffles, pancakes, pita bread, tortillas, cherrios, etc.) and salmon sticks. she likes cottage cheese now so i don't think there is a food now that i have given her she doesn't like. her tummy gets very round after she eats and sticks out a little bit. she can eat more than me at times!
during bath time she likes to stand up. she is very busy while in the bath tub (i.e. laundry room utility sink) but not busy playing with the toys i put in the water for her. instead she is grabbing the stopper for the drain and is facinated with the faucet (especially since the nozzle pulls out). she doesn't mind the water in her face and sometimes tries to drink the water from the faucet too.
i know i probably sound like a broken record...but this age is really great!