word explosion

**disclaimer** I have once again (sigh) lost the battery charger for my camera so I can't upload any pics or take any until I either find it or give in and buy another one. I have a feeling the magpie (aka: Reese) has hidden it on me. Lately she's been taking things and hiding them and then after we tear the house apart looking for said item, she miraculously makes the item appear without making a peep. When I find her "spot", I'm sure all my camera chargers, hair clips, and pens will be found. Luckily she gave me back my long lost watch and her missing shoe last week b/c those two things were really bugging me....anyhoooo....

Reese is now at the point in language development where she can pretty much mimic any word we say, especially if we point at an object and say the word. And about 50% of the time, if I point at the same item later in the day and ask her what it is, she remembers and says the word again. Pretty cool!

She has also started to understand that some words have multiple meanings and how to use those words. For example, the words "up" and "down". When she first started saying them, she would sit down in her chair and then stand up while saying "up down up down up down" over and over. Now she knows that if she wants to get off the couch, she can say "down momma" or if she wants me to pick her up she can say "up momma".

In the morning when Reese wakes up, she immediately wants to get out of her crib and come snuggle in our bed and have some milk. She used to just either cry, scream, or make a noise like 'aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh" to let us know it was time to get up. Then she started yelling "momma momma momma!". This was interesting b/c it is ALWAYS Daddy who gets her out of her crib and carries her to our bed and I would hear him saying "Yes Reese, I'll bring you to momma." Now she's figured it all out, though! When she wakes up, she first yells "daddy daddy daddy!" and then once he picks her (and her plethora of blankies and babies, don't forget them) up, she then says "momma?" to remind him who she wants to see next. Super cute!

She has also figured out that she can use the "more" sign for more than just food requests. If she wants me to keep singing or keep splashing her around in the pool, she signs for more. She has also developed her own sign for "sing" and has started saying the word milk while signing for it at the same time. I am loving watching all of this develop!