Ariana

I was thinking about how kids grow up. I better write down what Ariana is like right now because she's going to change soon! Here are a few of Ariana's favorite things:

Favorite foods- 1) potato salad (interesting because she really doesn’t like potatoes and she’s not much into eggs. Could it be the salad dressing that interests her? 2) Chicken noodle soup- she’s just a fan of noodles and vegetables. Good girl. She still loves avocado, oranges, yogurt, cottage cheese, and bananas.

Favorite thing so do after a bath- hit her belly with both hands while she’s still naked and run away from mom while mom is trying to get a diaper on.
Way she likes her food- cold or room temperature. Never warm. But always very messy.

Favorite sound- That annoying throaty growling sound that ten year old boys love to make to annoy everyone. I don’t know how she figured it out, but it’s her favorite sound in the word.

Favorite word- Dada. I think that it means quite a few things beside Dad.

Other words she says- Baba (mom and dad), BA (with that throaty growling sound)!! (ball), sheshe (xiexie- Chinese for thank you), buu (bu- Chinese for no), Uh (as in the first syllable of uh-oh), blah blah (Mama), ba (bye- with a cute little wave), PAPAPAPAPAPAPPAAAA! (please don’t put me in my car seat!!). Maybe she know more words but she’s a little too interested in climbing over things and other motor skills for language skills right now. That will be a focus for her later on.

Her favorite activites- following mom around and dumping out things on the floor, baths, slides, climbing, trying to hide in cupboards, chase, growling, being tickled, pounding on her belly (as described above), carrying around books that I’ve just read to her, Disneyland, cuddly, nursing (she’s over a year, but it’s still mutually satisfying so on we go!)

Favorite toys- she actually prefers any bottle with a lid that she can twist on and off to a toy, but if we are talking about things that are actually made for kids and don’t contain potentially un-child proof materials, her favorites are: her Dora couch/bed and her play stroller. Both of these are still relatively new. Let’s see if she gets tired of these as she has of everything else she no longer likes to play with.

How she expresses her emotions:

Happy- giggly, squealing, getting so hyper that he body becomes a little rigid and tingling with excitement

Sad- the most heart wrenching sob that you ever have heard

Tired- dazed and cuddly. Very willing to sleep if in the right environment.

Hungry- willing to eat and eat fast!! She’s a speedy one and we actually try to slow her down and make her take longer by feeding her finger foods and oranges which she sucks the juice out on one piece at a time then spits out the pulp.

Upset- temper tantrums- flings herself on the ground or her couch. If it’s mommy who’s upset her she will show her anger by walking away into another room and crying until she’s cooled down. She looks just like a teenager when she does that! It’s funny but it’s so sad too!