Oh Peanuts!

Remember Charley Brown, Snoopy and all the Peanuts characters? Well, I couldn't help thinking about this cartoon these past few days. It seems Bella has become our very own Linus! Nearly every moment this past weekend she has carried around her version of a blankie...her out-grown pink pyjamas. She roams all around the house talking gibberish with her pyjamas in hand. For some reason, this has become quite a significant item in her life. And while you may not be able to understand the teacher in the Peanuts cartoon as she talks in her muffled voice, the same can no longer be said for Bella! This weekend in particular, little Bella's brain neurons must have been on fire as she has learned a record number of words. Here's a brief overview of Bella's vocabulary as of today. (These are only the words we're sure of. Every now and then she says something which we think we heard correctly, but we're not sure...we kind of look at each other and ask ourselves if she really said what we think she said. We must have heard it numerous times for it to have made this list...)

Hi! (In a high-pitched overly-excited voice.) - This is how we greet Bella as well as our bird in the morning, and likely where she learned it from.

Down - She learned this word after we sang and twirled all weekend to "Ring Around The Rosie". Often followed by many laughs and giggles.

Kucka - Self explanatory. Each time she says it I eagerly run to check her diaper hoping that she has linked the word with the action. Ed thinks I'm crazy for checking this early, she's only 14 mos, but I'm hopeful that one day soon, there will be something to show for it. (Just as a side note, she has learned to touch her diaper and make a face when she says Kucka, too. That's why I run to check her diaper...) Soon. I just know it.

Dang you - Thank you. We'll take this word as a sign that we're being polite enough around each other and with her. Phew!

E-I-E-I-O - You know, from the song Old Macdonald Had A Farm...and she sings it too!

Mama & Dada - her first two words. Old news, I know.

No! - Yep! She learned that one already. And she says it often. Today, she was leaning over her bowl of orange pieces talking gibberish and yelling "NO, NO!" at them. Ed found it quite amusing.

Num-Num - This means food. Anybody's food. No matter who's it is, she's usually asking to taste it when she says this word. She likes to eat like her mum and dad.

Gung - Our favourite 'word'. Though we're not exactly sure what it means yet. She says it at mealtime when she wants more of something in particular, something that she really likes. She points to it with her finger and says: "Gung!". Any ideas anybody? We're thinking that maybe Letecia taught her this word...but Ed doesn't relate it to any word in Spanish that she could be referring to.

Bella and her pyjamas:

And that's it for now.
Oh, wait, one more thing. I gave Bella her first haircut today. I'm totally regretting it now. Her bangs were always falling in her eyes, barrettes fall out too easily, and Ed's not great with putting elastics in her hair, so I thought I'd make it easy for him. So I cut her bangs. Just her bangs. Then, Ed tells me it's a "nice bowl-cut"!!!!!!!!!! I feel horrible now! Oh well, it will grow back, right?! Don't laugh. There's a reason I'm a nurse and not a hairstylist! I hope one day she forgives me for this.

Doing the deed. Hey, it's not easy cutting the hair of a fidgetty 14 mos old. Perhaps it's worth a trip to the hairdresser next time? (IF there's a next time!)
Not very straight, waaaay too short. What do you think? Still ponytail-able, no? She doesn't seem to mind, though. Eeek.