Livia Can…

Warning: Lots of bragging to follow. 🙂

 

I feel like writing about all of Livia’s achievements today! 🙂 Here is a fun list of things my little angel can do now at 11 and a half months! She is so smart! 

Livia Can…

-Stand independently!

-Clap!

-Sign “More”, “All Done” (she says Aaa-Daaa while signing this), “milk”, and “Please!”  She signs ”all done” after eating or when she doesn’t want to be in her carseat anymore.

-Say “Kitty cat” (kih-ca), “gatto” (‘cat’ in Italian), duck, Mamma, Dada, All done (aaa-daaa), Up, and down (she knows up from down)!

-Understand ”come here”, ”let go”, and ”No” !

-Find the duck, the cat, the ball, and the dog in her “My First Words” book!

-Climb a full flight of stairs! She can go down one step!

-Climb off of a couch or a low bed!

-Throw things!

-Put the basketball in the hoop when playing with her Little Tikes Sports Center!

-Put a toy phone to her ear when someone says “Pronto!” (‘Pronto’ is how Italians answer the phone)

-Walk while holding one hand!

-Find Mommy’s classroom at school! ❤

-Feed herself finger foods (she eats everything) and put a spoon in her mouth!

-Understand ‘gentle’! (She is a little heavy-handed, so if you say ”gentle” after she swats your face, she will caress your face very softly)

-Stand in her high chair even if she is tied in (yikes)!

-Play peekaboo!

-Do ”The wheels on the bus”  by doing the “rolling” motion with her arms!  It was her favorite song for about a week.

-LOVES bath time! Lamar is going to sign her up for swimming lessons!

She loves paper, plastic bags, and making lots of noise by banging things. She is ALWAYS on the move and does not like to be still (she puts up an impressive fight if she doesn’t want to get in the stroller or carseat), but she is easygoing and VERY happy! She LOVES meeting new people and is a party animal. The more people, the better!

She is an adventurer. She is very curious and doesn’t hesitate to explore new areas. She is BUSY and keeps me on my toes! This girl is awesome. I couldn’t be more proud! 🙂

 

Standing!

My little angel has reached a very important milestone- standing independently!!! This started a few weeks ago, but as of late, she just wants to stand all the time!
She is so proud of herself! There is nothing like watching her achieve something and seeing her react by clapping and smiling, as if she’s saying “Wow, look at me!”

 

A Change of Heart.

As soon as Livia closed her eyes to sleep, I’d get on Pinterest and Etsy. My last few Google Searches are all “wonderland theme”. I have countless lists of vintage items I need to make this party “perfect”.  It finally hit me that this party has gotten bigger than Livia, and I hated it.
As an emergent curriculum teacher, (everything we do is based on each child’s interests and needs), I could punch myself in the face.  Nothing about the Alice in Wonderland inspired theme screams “Livia”. When people walk into the party, I want it to be just about Livia- not the “shabby chic” decor, not the elaborate tablescape.

SO. While I was browsing online, I found this service called Prinstagram. They do high quality prints of Instagram pictures. Well, I have taken countless IG pics of Livia since day 1.  I ordered 120 and thought “why not make this the theme?”.  “A Year In Pictures”!  Collages of her doing her favorite things. Tons of pictures as creative decorations. A fun photobooth.
I already feel relieved. It will still be a really really nice party, but I’m not overdoing it.