Yaddie

This deserves its own post. Alice has always done things her own way -- but not like Lizzie. Liz is strong headed and somewhat contrarian, but she seems to always care if someone is watching. Alice mostly just does her thing without worrying if anyone is watching. On top of being a total goofball, she has made-up some words. The furniture jumping game is called Teedalee, for example. Our cat Abby is known as "Blue" -- probably taken from the neighbor's dog named..."Blue." Alice's favorite book is called "Yaddie." Its actually "Where's that fish," by Dan Crisp. I have no idea where she got it, probably attempt to say a word that then got repeated back to her. Anyway, it stuck. To get the flu effect, you need to say it with different cadences and emphasis. "Yaaaaaaaa-DIE", "YAH-die," "Yaddie-addie-addie." Yaddie is even such a special book to have earned its own place in her room (she forgot about this during the PEI trip). For a few weeks, Yaddie lived beside her dresser in her room, in front of the window and sort of behind the door. Each night, she would go and get it, and if you asked her to put it away, she would go and drop it in the same spot. Very silly.

Gross motor

The past year Alice has definitely been a gross motor skill specialist. In terms of development, she has mastered gross motor skills quicker and more easily than other milestones. Climbing the stairs, walking, climbing on the playset, lugging laundry basket around, picking things up, stacking, jumping, bouncing, etc. She hasn't mastered many fine motor skills (forks, markers, etc.). Maybe its because she is the second child and has to keep up with the older kids (including her cousins), so she never gets a chance to focus on those skills. Maybe thats just how she is. Its hard to keep her still. Here's an example of the gross motor / fine motor difference in Alice. The high chair is gone, and the booster is on its way out. She's almost 2 and eats her meals standing on a regular dining chair. Halfway through the meal she'll reach over and pull another chair closer and then step over onto it. She may even pull her meal and place mat over as well. But she's not great with a fork or other utensils and she most eats with her hands.