So many changes in a month

Time is going slow and fast as I watch Isabel grow. She is only 16 months and has a whole life time of development ahead of her. At the same time, in the last month, she had some major changes

• No more baby bottle - in one day, she transition to drinking milk from her sippy cup and drinking juice from a sippy cup too
• Eating cheerios on her own - she loves cheerios. We get the low sugar, high nutrition kind. She can now pick up each one and feed herself. In fact, we bought a no-fill snack cup so she can walk around with it and eat on her own.
• Want to feed herself - for her meal, she also wants to hold the spoon and try to feed herself.
• She runs - When she walks with me to Safeway for example, she will run most of that time because she is so excited to be outside. Her running speed is a fast walk for me. I have to make sure to keep up with her. Those little legs are working
• Very cautious about what she puts in her mouth - we are lucky she is very selective and doesn't just put anything in her mouth. Even new food, she will be tentative and only try it. This will keep her safer
• She waves at people - to say hello or goodbye. Especially at safeway, she smiles at everyone and waves
• She raises her arm to be held - She would run to me and hold out her arms to motion she wants me to hold her.
• She knows when we are leaving - this is getting harder but we try not to make it a big deal. She knows when we are going out and not taking her. Sometime she cries a little
• She understands a lot of things we say - She may not be talking much yet but she knows a lot of what we are telling her.
• She "talk" all the time - in her own language. She will run on and on like she is telling us a lot. It will be kind of cool and scary when she actually speaks.
• She is afraid of daddy - We always thought that I will be the disciplinary in the family but apparently we are wrong. I can't hold my disapproving face too long without smiling or laughing - not very effective. Jaime can and sometimes she would be crying and she would stop as soon as he walks in and see his disapproving face. She is still sulking but no sounds come out. It's so cute and amazing to see. I guess Jaime also has a deeper voice which seems scarier to her. She is also afraid of Grandpa, maybe for the same reason.

- Lei