okay, so over the past week or so i have been working with nev to say "uh-oh." it started with her just saying "oh" a lot and i tend to say "uh-oh" when she gets into something she shouldn't. so this past week i kept emphasising the "uh" part to "uh-oh" and she has picked up on it. i try to get her to say it at odd times and she usually won't...instead she uses it when it is actually appropriate to say "uh-oh." so, i am not sure if this really qualifies as her first word but it sure is fun to "hear" her understand language in the slightest bit. i also think that she may be able to discriminate when saying "mama" because she knows it is me. i am not quite sold on this yet but other people have told me they feel that she uses "mama" appropriately too.
other than that, she likes to play "so big." when i ask her how big she is she will raise both arms abover her head and get a big grin on her face. then she likes to play it over and over again even when i am done asking her how big she is!
she can be quite an entertainer when eating if she has an audience. she will laugh at appropriate times, some jokes, and just when she thinks someone has done something funny. it is very fun to get her going when she is laughing! she also is back into growling/roaring a lot. i like to call her a "little monkey" but sometimes she is actually a lion!
nev also practices walking with me and is pretty deliberate with her steps. her balance is definitely better and she seems one small step closer to standing on her own. she also likes to reach for things that she wants...especially food. in fact, she saw grandma marsha put a few pretzels into her mouth today and she crawled over to her and pried her mouth open!
yesterday, nev went with aunt stacey and me to visit santa claus for the first time. she got all dressed up in her christmas dress, fancy socks and shoes. i have to admit she looked like a little doll. however, she wanted nothing to do with santa. i had to hold her for our photo shoot with him. she was fine with me holding her and was definitely looking him up and down with skepticism! it was fun nonetheless!