.: Communication

We've had some great communication going on with McKenna lately. She's really listening when we tell her to do or not do something. We've found that she responds better to "Not right now" or "Maybe later" then she does to just a flat "No". She might ask to go outside and we'll tell her "Not right now. But after your nap." She will accept that answer and sure enough, once she wakes from her nap she'll ask "Outside?" She had also gotten into the habit of taking a sippy cup of milk with her to bed. I had let her do it at naptime but suddenly we found ourselves allowing it at bedtime as well. That's no good because she has just brushed her teeth and we don't want her drinking milk in bed. So when Erick put her to bed the other night, she asked for milk and he told her "We're not going to take milk to bed anymore. But you can have a cup of water." She accepted his answer and didn't even fight him on it. I'm so proud of her for listening so well. I've also noticed that if I tell her "Thank you for listening to Mommy" immediately after she follows instruction, then she will continue to behave. For instance, she was trying to climb on our dining room table (lately she prefers to sit at the table like a big girl and not in a high chair or booster seat) and I told her "McKenna, we don't sit on tables. Sit in the chair please." So she got off the table and I said "Thank you for listening to Mommy. You were very good." Now usually if I tell her not to do something, she will keep trying to do it, just to see if I'll actually get up and physically stop her. But if I thank her for listening, she will just let it go and not try again. This isn't a 100% guarantee but generally, this has been the way she's been behaving lately and I'm very proud of her.

I'm also very proud of how well she behaves during play dates. She's very friendly and interactive and shares her toys very well. But she's also pretty easy going. NONE of the children she has played with have done anything in a mean-spirit. But when kids get together, they will of course sometimes take a toy, bump heads, knock each other down, etc. McKenna seems to take it all in stride. Maybe she would respond differently if a child came up and smacked her right in the face. I can't imagine she would just brush that off. But when something occurs that has the potential to cause conflict, she is really good about just letting it go and moving on to something else. My Mom made a good point when she said that she thinks its because McKenna is confident. She doesn't get her feelings hurt easily and so it’s easy for her to let those things go. I hope that is a trait she is able to hold onto through life.

She is speaking in sentences a little more often lately. This week we heard "Thank you Mama", "Mommy right back?" (asking me if I'd be right back), "Shhh, baby sleeping", "Swiper no swiping....aw man!", and "Mommy, Daddy, I saw truck!"

And one of my favorite things is how involved her diaper changes are for her baby doll! She MUST change baby's diaper by putting her on the changing pad (which she will get herself), she needs a real baby wipe and will lift baby's legs and wipe her tushie, then she "diapers" the baby (with Mommy's help....and of course is still telling baby "butts up 7-up") then she takes the wipe and asks me "trash?" and I have to take her to the trash can so she can throw it away. Afterwards, baby usually gets a good burp (during which McKenna will let out a loud belching sound FOR baby!) LOL!

She’s really enjoying coloring and even drew a very sloppy star today (I don’t think it was intentional though. Just coincidence. Still, she received her due praise.) One thing she likes to do is to tell me an animal or shape that she wants me to draw and she’ll choose the color for me. Then we will repeat what it is: “Purple Star” or “Orange Dog”, etc. She really likes that game. She just had me draw a picture of her milk cup in 5 different colors! LOL

Two sweet things she does – when we pick out her clothes, I’ll pull something out and say “How about this?” And she says “Its cute”. LOL Where she picked that up from, I have no idea! Also she is so affectionate and I just love when she wraps her arms around me in a hug, pats my back and says “Awwww”. I think that’s because every kiss and hug she gives us is met with a loving “awww” sound from whoever is her lucky recipient. So sometimes she just makes the sound for us. Silly kid.

Here are some pics for your enjoyment:

I finally broke out the camera to document the cuteness of her nighttime routine.

"Ready to brush my teeth!"