15 1/2 month update

It is getting harder to keep up Amanda's webpage...now that everyone is back to work and she is in daycare, things are pretty hectic! It has been a challenge to adjust our schedules, and mom & dad are still working on getting enough sleep! Otherwise things are going great. Amanda is growing by leaps and bounds, both physically and mentally. It is amazing how many new things she is learning every day. She is still not talking consistently "in English", although she throws out a word here and there just to keep us on our toes (we've heard bath, duck, dog, fish, and many others, but she doesn't use them consistently). However, she definitely doesn't have any problems making herself understood! She has made the adjustment to daycare very well and seems to enjoy hanging out with Sue and the other kids (all boys, and all older than her - the closest is 4 months older), as well as the two family dogs - although apparently she doesn't like their barking and shouts at them to be quiet! She will point to all the parts of her face and many other body parts if asked, and she is getting good at taking her clothes off at the end of the day. She is also very tidy... she likes things to be put back in the correct place, and walks over to the hamper and puts her clothes in once they are taken off! She is eating all different foods now, except nuts, and is quite a neat eater - she will actually wipe off her face if something is there because it bothers her. If we give her a napkin she will also wipe her mouth and the table after she eats (not sure where she picked this up because we didn't teach her!). She absolutely loves music - she does "full body" dancing now and sings all the time. She even knows a couple of songs - if we start singing The Blue Danube she will fill in the "dah dah...dah dah" bits, and she also hums along on rhythm and somewhat on pitch with Twinkle Twinkle and the Winnie the Pooh song. She has several musical instruments and loves to play with them. Although she seems to be getting quite a bit taller, we're not sure whether she's put on much weight - she is in that difficult size where her 12-18 month clothes are perfect in length, but way too big around the waist (if only the rest of us could have that problem!). Much of the time she looks like a rapper because her pants are down around her bum! She just got two new teeth this week - one on top, one on the bottom - to bring the grand total to 7. She is starting to throw the occasional tantrum when she is overtired and doesn't get her way, but generally she is easily distracted from her crying and doesn't give us too many problems. She is also sleeping great - all through the night and even for long stretches during the day (at least for Sue!).