A few things

Elliott has a bunch of new tricks I'd like to document here. I really like looking back at blog posts from past years (for example, Elliott learned to crawl one year ago this week) so the following is more for my enjoyment next year but feel free to enjoy it now ...

• Yesterday I asked (in a surprised voice) if she REALLY wanted more noodles and she told me: "Hungry Hippo, Mommy."
  
• She can count to 10 but has yet to include the number 7
• Her favorite song is Happy birthday -- she sings it to Daddy, Scout, her waffles, her pink ball. You name it, she sings Happy Birthday to it.
  
• Teaching a kid pronouns is hard. I've finally kicked the habit of speaking in the third person but we're still working out some kinks when it comes to you, me, I and we.
• When I tell her I love her she typically responds with: "I love Daddy, too."
  
• She continues to chase and torment Scout. That dog is the best dog in the whole world.
  
• A friend recently compared toddler girls' behavior to being drunk -- one minute they're running around singing at the top of their lungs and the next they are crumpled on the floor in tears. It's hard being a toddler.
• Elliott continues to be clumsy. As soon as one bruise on her forehead heals, she crashes into a table or a brick patio or a chair leg and gets another one. Oy. I'm going to have to cut bangs.
  
• I'm amazed at how much kids learn at this age. Especially when it comes to music. She can sing almost all the words to songs like On Top of Spaghetti, It's Raining It's Pouring, Old MacDonald (although she says E I E I phone), the ABCs, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Wheels on the Bus (complete with dance moves), Row Row Row Your Boat, and more. She also likes "girl singing song" in the car -- especially Rhianna, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga.
  
• Once she sees them, I can't get her shiny shoes off her feet. She will put them on herself and go stomping around the house singing happy birthday.
  
• In the morning (and sometimes at night before she falls asleep, she'll just hang out in her crib talking about all her friends and what we did that day. "KK all done swinging. Elliott turn! Happy Birthday pillow! Baby Cate, Leo, Ada, Emma! Hi Scout! Mommy! Come! Mommy! Open door peez!" OK so sometimes it is less hanging out and more demanding attention.
  
• Transitions from one activity or location to the next are very difficult right now. She'll throw a mini fit when I drop her off in the playroom at the gym but throw a bigger fit when I come to pick her up. "More Barbara's house!" It helps when playgroups end and all the friends leave together. Taking Scout for a walk goes something like this: "No backpack!" Wrestle her into the backpack, take Scout for walk, come home, take her out of the backpack: "More backpack!!!!" Puddle of emotion on the floor.
• We are not actively potty training but we have a potty in the bathroom and we talk about it and using it a lot. In the last week or so she has consistently peed on the potty in the morning, before and after her nap and again at bedtime. I hope the potty training process goes smoothly -- I am not going to push it.
  
• My favorite mispronunciation recently is Excuse me which sounds like "Gwee me." She is constantly saying "Gwee me, Scout. Gwee me."