A Little (Ok, a Lot) About Cadence

I thought I would share some updates on what Cadence is like these days, especially for her family members who don't get to see her very often. (Note: Sorry, I'm kind of verbose - you should be used to it by now :))

Cadence is sweet and ornery. She likes running, stomping, clapping, and dancing. She loves to chase people and be chased and tickled. She is very independent, but will snuggle if you ask nicely. She climbs everywhere! She loves rain, puddles, sprinklers, sinks, anything with water. The other day she cried because it rained and there weren't enough puddles to actually stomp in. She says about 30 words, and signs about 18. None of her sign words are repeats of her spoken words, except Mama and Daddy.

The toddler stage has begun at our house! Cadence is so busy, getting into everything, writing, coloring, using stickers and glue sticks, painting, playing on the old laptop, pulling office supplies all over the house (that's my girl!), crashing her cars, pretending to drive Daddy's Mustang. She falls down on the floor and cries when she doesn't get her way. She gives a totally evil little chuckle when she does. Cracks us up every time! Here she is having a little picnic with potatoes she dug out of the pantry. She likes to put them in the little paper cups...

Cadence has recently started weaning. She used to nurse every hour, and gag on any food she tried to eat. Now she nurses about every hour and fifteen minutes, or every hour and half, and can eat anything. She even eats nuts and grapes, meat and peanut butter, all of which seemed impossible just a few short months ago. She loves to be a big girl - give her a fork and a cup with a straw, and she is happy!

Cadence likes to study new things out carefully before she tries them. She watches and thinks, then when she is fairly sure how it works, she will go for it. For this reason it seems she learns things suddenly. Not a lot of trials and failures and bumps and bruises... just patient watching and then suddenly doing it successfully! The exception? Talking. She jabbers constantly.

Cadence is shy. She will smile at strangers (and people she only sort of knows), but she usually won't go to them willingly. If they force the issue she will cry. She is scared of men in particular (sorry uncles!). However, she loves little kids and babies, stranger or not, and will play and share her toys and laugh and cut up with them. She also loves to flirt, smiling and laughing and carrying on. If she is even somewhat comfortable with the people around her, she a total and complete ham. She will do anything for a laugh! If she hurts herself and someone laughs, she will hurt herself again.

Along those same lines (hamming it up that is), she loves to fake laugh, fake cry, and has recently started posing for the camera. She posed herself for this picture:

Cadence loves to sing along with the kids at church. She can do most of the motions, but sometimes she chooses not to - usually when we've just told someone she can! She raises her hand during the singing, then again during unspoken requests. As soon as she puts her hand down she jumps down from the pew and lays her head down to pray. At bedtime at home, we always have devotions, then pray. She puts her head down, and sometimes - rarely - will say "Jesus, Amen"

Cadence loves music. She will beg for it to be turned on, then sing and dance or do the motions to action songs. "Music" is one of her clearest signs.

Mama has a little helper since Cadence became a toddler. She puts laundry in the dryer, empties the silverware from the dish washer, throws away trash for us, and puts dirty clothes in the hamper. If you leave your shoes in the living room floor, beware! They will disappear!

Last week Cadence spontaneously started putting herself to sleep. She will turn her head away when she is done nursing, wait until I lay her down, then roll over and settle in for a good night's rest. This doesn't happen every night, but it has happened about half the time. I'm trying not to get my hopes too high about this being a permanent transition. She still swaddles!

Well, that's enough about our sweet, shy, and totally spunky toddler for now :)