16

16

Zoey had a great day over at her grandparents' house.  We watched her play in her very own kiddie pool that had a dragon head that sprayed water.  She got to swing on the swing set all by herself.  We watched Ice Age and read books and had ice cream.  It was very late when we packed up into the car and drove home, but Zoey was still wide awake (despite her lack of a nap).  She was singing in the car and counting.  She said "nine, ten, eleven ..." and I asked her why she never started at one.  Daddy said, "Zoey ... One ..."  Zoey proceeded to count by herself from one to sixteen out loud!  I'm not surprised she stopped at sixteen ... we have sixteen stairs in our house and we often count them as we go up or down.  Still, that's the longest and most correct I have ever heard her count out loud.  Ok, maybe it's not really counting but repeating a sequence she is familiar with ... she can only really count two.  Not up to two ... just two.  Earlier today she exclaimed that she had two spoons when she did in fact pick up and hold two spoons.  I couldn't get her to say one plate or 3 cups ... no, she only stated her inventory of two.  Still, I'm still beaming with pride.

Sentences and Bugs

Sentences and Bugs

Zoey has suddenly started using sentences this week!  Last Sunday while I was cooking breakfast she walked into the kitchen and said "What are you doing?"  She's now regularly saying "please" without us having to prompt her and remind her of good manners.  She's stringing a lot of words together now, but we don't necessarily know what she's saying!  'A' for effort, though.

Zoey has also become very conscious of insects.  Sugar ants have been running amuck in our kitchen and she will use her index finger to smoosh them.  She will then extend her finger to me so I can remove the ant.  She will start screeching if the ant is not dead and begins crawling around on her.  If she sees a house fly land near her she will also start screeching, pointing, and screaming "Fllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!"  Zoey apparently has zero tolerance for bugs!

Dinosaurs!

Dinosaurs!

Today we brought Zoey to the Texas Memorial Museum on the University of Texas campus.  It's funny because both Shawn and I have walked past this place countless times during our college days, but have never gone in.  Their exhibits included dinosaur and other prehistoric animal fossils, native animals of Texas, and some neat gems and rocks.  Zoey had a great time!  She was both excited and scared of all the fossils on display.  They were huge!  In the first hall they have a fossil set of one of the largest flying dinosaurs hanging from the ceiling.  She did NOT want to walk under it!  She liked seeing the preserved and petrified fish remains.  She was scared of the bison.  She walked up and down a lot of stairs.  It was a good day.

Zoey's first set of toy dinosaurs!