The Latest Scoop

What kinds of things has Abby been up to lately? Well, I'll tell you.

She's really into "helping." Any time we cook or wash dishes I hear the telltale sound of a chair scraping across the floor and a little voice saying "hobe, hobe." She will also now ask for help when she's eating and it gets particularly difficult (like when there's only tiny bits of oatmeal left in the bowl and she can't quite get them onto her spoon).

The other thing is that she's really into keys. She knows what they do and the power that they represent. This was clearly demonstrated to me a few days ago while I was in the bathroom. Not moments after closing the door behind me, Abby was on the other side jiggling the doorknob and frustratedly proclaiming "Mama! Mama!" I called out "Just a minute!" and waited for the typical response: "MAMA! MAMA!" Instead, it got silent. I could almost hear the cogs turning in her little head. A second or two later I heard her shuffle off. I was fairly surprised by her apparent willingness to give up right away--that never happens--but didn't question it too much. It's a rare moment when I get to sit by myself at home (sure, I was on the toilet, but you can't be picky when you're a mom). Then a minute or so later I was snapped out of my peaceful repose by the sound of jangling keys being forcefully scraped against the doorknob. There was no verbal communication aside from some occasional grunts. Abby had decided that if I wasn't going to come out on my own she would come in and get me herself.

(As a side note, she insists on being the one to unlock the car every time we go anywhere. This morning I helped her use the key to start the car--probably the dumbest thing I've done this week. She's going to cry every time I don't let her start the car now.)

What else? Oh, yeah. She's started imitating EVERYTHING that I say. Even things that I say, for example, when I knock a plant off the counter and spill soil all over the kitchen floor. Get my drift? I'm going to have to re-familiarize myself with the word "shoot."

The other thing is that she's finally REALLY into stories. She used to like books, but just for the excitement of turning the pages or ripping them out. She didn't really care what the book was about. Now, every evening, she brings me book after book and sits enthralled as I read it to her. Then she asks me to do it "gan" and "gan" and "gan" ... I can't wait 'til she can read.

She's talking a lot better these days, actually using two different syllables in the same word. But so far she hasn't been able to put two words together. She'll repeat one word a hundred times (like "Hobe") and then a few minutes later repeat the second, related word a hundred times (like "DaDa"), but she won't repeat the two in quick succession (like "Hobe Dada"). With one exception. She says "Go! Go! GO! Daaaaay!" (translation: "Go! Go! GO! Daaaaave!") She learned this phrase while watching Rachel, Dave, and Alex at the last bike race. No, she never cheers on Rachel or Dad, just Dave.

So there's your update!