Sweet 16

At 16 months, Aliyah is

...FINALLY walking!  What a relief it is!  Here's video proof:

Why is it that beginning walkers insist upon finding the most difficult thing to carry around as they work to master their new found skills?  I also cannot help but laugh out loud at the last thing on the video.  It's just so classic that she would bump her head on the wall.

...using a big girl spoon to eat her oats (but only when mommy feels like cleaning up the colossal mess she makes).

...climbing into and onto things (especially things that rock or things that have wheels, you know the especially safe stuff).

...blowing kisses, giving kisses, and still loves to cuddle.

...determined to be where the action is.  She loves to be up in a lap or on a hip.  Her most frequently used word is up, as she says it 15 times a day as a request to be up and a part of the action.

...saying lots of words.  To date she can say baby, bye bye, go, baby, Xandra, Theia, hi, thank you, all done, twelve (I know, random, but Joe does push ups with the girls every night and they count to 12.  Twelve is the fun number because he throws them in the air.  There is often a pause before twelve and she will say it in anticipation) and, of course, she can undoubtedly say no.  She cannot, however, say bandicoot, despite her father's tireless efforts.

...an eater.  She likes to eat, a lot!  She seems to have a bottomless pit for a stomach.  Last week she even stole an entire piece of pizza off my plate and ate it whole!

...always wanting to be a part of what her sisters are doing.  She follows after them and picks up every toy they discard and immediately tries to play with it in the same way she saw them using it a few minutes before. 

...learning to express her opinions via screaming, yelling, head banging and fit throwing.  It's delightful.

not quite quick enough to get out of harms way yet (see below).

...a fun, sweet girl to have around our house!