Chloeisms

Chloe is constantly astonishing and amusing me with new things, but I've found I quickly forget the details unless I jot them down right then and there! Over the past several weeks I've filled an entire sheet of paper with miscellaneous milestones, stories, updates etc., and have finally decided it's time to convert the scribbles into an official update.

So here you go, Grandma Jill and Grandma Susie, since you're probably the only two who won't fall asleep reading this!

Chloe is:

Talking talking talking!
Her vocabulary continues to explode and each day she's making us laugh a little harder. She enunciates her words so clearly, and has started speaking in complete sentences. Here are just a few things that she commonly says:

• "That's spicy!"
  
  
• "Hey! Don't do that!"
  
  
• "Be right back!"
  
  
• "It's cold! Buuuuhhhhhh!"
  
  
• "Don't kiss me, Mommy!" or "A kiss?" and "A hug?" (depends on what kind of mood she's in when I tuck her in at night)
  
  
• "I slam a door!" (she generally shouts this during a meltdown just before slamming a door.. once she realizes she's being ignored she'll open the door, announce it a second time and repeat the action)
  


• "A temple!" (she says this every time she sees a church, castle/palace on tv or any building that, to her, resembles a temple)
  


• "Here ya go!"
  


• "I can't do it" or "I can't reach it"
  


• "I have some?" (her way of asking for something)
  


• "I hold you" (in other words, "Pick me up!")
  


• "Much, Daddy!" (when you ask how much she loves daddy, instead of saying "this much!" and holding her arms out, she says, "much, daddy!" and throws her arms up in the air)
  


• "Yucky Charms" (Lucky Charms)
  


• "Hi baby!" "Okay, baby?" (I call her "baby", which I'm convinced is the reason for this one - one night in particular when I was throwing up in the bathroom, Chloe came in, patted me on the back and said, "Okay, baby?")
  


• "Sorry 'bout that"
  


• "I sorry" (she says after standing in the corner and before giving me a hug - she's actually very good about saying it without being asked)
  


• "Both hands!" (we recently enforced a rule that when Chloe drinks from a cup she's to use both hands... she must assume this rule applies to everyone because the minute to spots someone "breaking" this rule, she's the first to offer a friendly reminder)
  


• "It's broken" (she says this if something doesn't seem to be working right)
  


• "I like it" (this usually refers to food)
  


• "I need help"
  


• "It's hiding" (she says this when Neil or I ask where she's put something and she can't remember)
  


• "What's that called?" or "What's this?" (when she's wondering what something is called and you tell her, she then responds, "Oh, a ___!" and then repeats it)
  


• "Don't spank me!" (she clearly says this when she knows she's in trouble)

Acquiring quite the attitude!
A couple weeks ago while I was sitting at the computer, Chloe came to me asking for some macaroni and cheese. I explained I'd make her some in just a minute and shifted my attention back to the computer to finish up whatever I was doing. Not a minute later, Chloe marched back into the room and yelled,

"Come on, Mommy!"

-short pause-

"Let's go!"

-short pause-

"Right now, Mommy!"

Attempting to contain my laughter (and failing miserably), Chloe then proceeded to count in a rather threatening voice: "1...2...3...4...5..."

When she got to 6 she walked over to me and slapped my hand. Needless to say, she got her mac'n'cheese!!

Nurturing!
She loves her baby dolls, but will literally pretend any object within her reach is a baby. The garlic mincer, a box of jell-o, daddy's shoe - you name it! The other day she wrapped her sippy cup in a kitchen towel and brought it to me, explaining that the sippy was "wrapped in a blanket" and ready to "go night, night". She "feeds", "burps", and even talks to her dolls (or whatever object happens to be the "doll" that day). She has even been found lulling her "baby" to "sleep" - this consists of rocking back and forth (with the baby in her arms) while whispering a soft "ssssshhh" sound. It's so clear she's simply mimicking the correspondence Neil and I have had with her. She will make a great big sister one of these days.
(pictured to the left is Chloe holding her lamb stuffed animal wrapped up in one of her shirts)


Smart!
Chloe can recite the entire alphabet, rattle off 1-10 in a matter of seconds, and sometimes count clear to 15. Her favorite song is 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and her version of it goes something like this:

"Tinkle tinkle,
Up above da world so high,
A like a diamond in the sky" (repeated three to four times)

She knows quite a bit of "Wheels on the Bus", "Itsy-Bitsy Spider", "Ring Around the Rosie", "I Am a Child of God", and "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam"

She also recognizes her letters and will point to and name them when I whip out the flash cards or write them on the chalk board! Santa brought her a laptop for Christmas, which offers all sorts of fun and interactive learning games. One in particular asks you to identify the letter on the screen and hit the keyboard button that reflects that letter. Chloe hits the right button 90% of the time. It is incredible to me how quickly she absorbs information. This girl loves to learn and share what she's learned.

Little Miss Independent!
"I do it!" is probably Chloe's most common phrase! She is doing incredibly well with potty training and has not only initiated the process herself, but encouraged it more than I have! She is SO READY to be out of diapers 100%, it is obvious. Nearly a month ago Neil and I dropped her off with an old co-worker (whom she hardly knew). When we arrived to pick her up only an hour and a half later, our friend told us Chloe had not only informed her she needed to go potty, but actually went both pee and poop in the toilet. Wow! Talk about a proud mommy moment! She hardly even knew this woman and had only been in her house one other time, but still had the courage to announce she needed to go. Chloe has also awakened me in the middle of the night to take her to the bathroom!

She also continues to do amazingly well in her twin bed. There are the occasional nights where she gets up frequently for no reason, yet has a million excuses as to why she isn't quite ready for bed (needs to go potty, is thirsty, needs medicine, the list goes on...), but overall we're very relieved that the transition from crib to bed has been a mostly smooth one!

Her top eye teeth are both coming in, and other than that, we're just waiting on the four back molars before she'll have a full mouth of teeth!

She loves Baby Einstein, Elmo, Nemo, Cinderella and Monster's Inc. We kind of rotate between these movies/shows, though Monster's Inc. has especially been the favorite lately. She laughs and laughs as she watches it, which makes me laugh. She is becoming more and more of a person every day, and it is a blessing for me to witness every miracle, big and small.