5/1 Maia is 16 months old now! Really she was two weeks ago, but I was in the middle of electronics free month so I have a good reason for not posting about it yet. At least I scheduled one picture to come out on the actual day. Here's the rest =) I took notes on paper this month! Weird but true.
Maia is reading a LOT more these days. Partially because there weren't any screens at all this month for her to stare at, but mostly because she just loves it. We got a new book for Easter this month that I've read a hundred times at least, the Bunny Rabbit Show by Sandra Boynton. There's a song you can download that goes with it, and I've been waiting all month to get it! So I can sing it with an actual tune instead of the one I made up. She also adores all the Biscuit books. Paola Opal series also, we read a lot of Saffy and Ollie, Rokko, and of course Dotty is still one of her favorites. Donovan keeps saying he's going to buy her the turtle one next. =) She's also very busily reading our little alphabet board books, the ones we have that are each one letter. She even sometimes says the sounds that go with them. And this month her main phrase has been please read a book, or please read. It sounds more like "peas readab'k." Love her. =) She still does her thing where she grabs your hand and whacks a book into it so you understand she means it's book time. She does it more gently though now after lots of Mama requests for "be gentle with the book."
Maia knows five animal sounds now! And she'll actually answer you when you ask questions about them, which is new and SO fun! The sheep says baaaa, the pig says 'nk, the duck says quack, and cow says "mmmmm" and the bunny says "hop hop hop." =) She will occasionally do the dog says oooofffff but mostly not. And she expects clapping and cheering after each question =) Which I am happy to oblige. She claps a lot these days actually, it's adorable.
Maia has learned to climb on chairs and even onto the table. So there's a whole new level of babyproofing fun going on.
Maia LOVES being outside. She can climb up the slide by herself (she learned at Papa's) and then she slides down by herself, unless Mama is there and then she sometimes insists I help. She never uses the ladder to get into the playstructure, she'd rather just go up and down the slide. And she likes to swing more! But she prefers the brown swing, and not in your lap either, just sitting next to you.
Maia got her own pillow racer in her Easter basket, and a new board book. She was blissfully happy with that =) And on the hunt with her cousins, she actually put a few eggs in her basket! Nice =)