Mommy Brag Moment!

Ok, I'm sure my friends on facebook get tired of hearing me brag about Avery and how awesome she is, so I'll do it here today.  ;)  Every now and then Michael looks up the developmental milestones and sends me a text saying how Avery is doing.  Well, I was so impressed this morning that she knew all of her animals in her Brown Bear, Brown Bear book, that I began to wonder, how many words does she know?  So I got out one of my apps and began listing all the words Avery can say.  Now, some of them aren't completely clear, but she'll use the same word for an object, it sounds kind of like the word, and Michael and I know what she's trying to say (among others who see her on a fairly regular basis), so I counted it.  Now, I may have missed a few, but from what I can tell, Avery has approximately 110 words that she can say.  :D  I'm pretty stinkin' happy with that!  ;)  She understands a lot more, and every day she's trying to say more, but it's a slow process.  So I looked it up online to see around where she ranks as far as her milestone development...  And for the 18-24 month range (she'll be 19 months in a week) they are expected to have 20-50 words that they can say!!!  WHAT!!??!??!  Avery has more than double the words she's supposed to have by the time she's two?!?!?!?  No way!!!!!  Crazy!!  I am one SUPER proud Mommy!!!  :D  But then again, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, she's always been a big talker, lol.  ;)  So then, of course, I have to report my findings to Michael.  And he does what he does and checks into the develpmental milestones again, and wouldn't you know it, Avery has mastered almost ALL of the milestones that she's expected to have down by the time she's two!!  :D  Yup, that's right!  My kid is a rockstar!!  ;)  I should actually be giving her Daddy the credit, as he's the one with the "gifted" smart genes that I'm sure he passed on to her.  ;)  I can only give her the "try hard" smart genes, lol.  :P  Here are the 18-24 month milestones that Parents.com has and how Avery's doing on each of them....

Toddler Milestones: 18-24 Months
Watch for these milestones to occur between 18-24 months.

Self-Feeding - Yup, she's been doing this for a while.  Very independent.

Dances with Music - Yup!  She does her nerdy little Voss dance with her thumbs up and what we call her "happy feet".  We should dance more often though.  ;)

Understands but Might Not Follow Instructions - Definitely.  She understands so much!  Many times she'll follow directions too, but she does have an ornery side and won't follow them all the time.  ;)

Stop Putting Objects in Mouth and Identify Body Parts - Not quite and yes!  She still likes to stick things in her mouth, but she's getting better.  As for body parts, she knows: head, hair, ear, eye, nose, mouth, teeth, cheek, shoulder, arm, hand, belly button, leg, knee, feet, and toes.  She can also SAY most of those body parts as well.  :D

Likes Helping Mom - Yes!  We noticed her doing this again just the other day!  She was rubbing her hands on the carpet like I was to clean up the dirty spots.  She also loves to grab a wet washcloth and wipe off everything.  She would use the broom as well if it weren't so tall.  She even helps me clean up her toys and room sometimes.  :)

"Reads" On Her Own - Yup, she's been doing this for months.  She loves books.  She also loves for us to read to her and is constantly bringing her books to us.

Knows Wrong from Right - Yup, especially when I ask her to sit, tell her to put something down, or start counting when she doesn't follow directions immediately.  Oh, she knows.  Little turd.  :P

Bedtime Battles - Not so much at night, but naps can be a stuggle.  However, in the battle of wills, Mommy's determination and Avery's sleepiness almost always win out.  ;)

Linking 2 Words - Yup, mostly with no and bye bye.  "No Harlee" when Harlee is barking or whining, or "Bye bye, Daddy" when Daddy leaves for work.  :)  I think we'll hear a lot more sentences soon!

Can Throw a Ball - And all sorts of other stuff too!  I try to keep her and Dayton only throwing soft things like pillows, but they both definitely throw well!

Undress by Herself - Yup.  Not only will she undress herself (unless she's in zip up footie pj's), but she'll take her diaper off and poop on the floor.  *sigh*  She has been undressing herself for months also.

Speak Well Enough to be Understood - We understand a lot more than other people do, but I noticed just a couple of days ago that the rest of the family understands a lot of what she says too!  Yay!!  :D

Walk Up Stairs - More of a climb than walk at this point, but yes, she can get up the stairs just fine, and in a hurry.  ;)

Start Brushing Teeth by Self - We must have started letting her do things way earlier than people suggest.  She's been doing this for months too.  Still needs help to make sure she does a good job, but she is more than happy to brush her teeth any time.  ;)

Identify People/Objects in Pictures - Oh yeah!  She identifies all the people she sees often in pictures, especially Michael, Dayton, and me.  And as far as objects, she points out TONS of stuff in her books!  It's one of our favorite games!  "What's that?"  "Who's this?"

Can Walk Down Stairs - Yup.  She's doing this with no help now.  *sigh*  Does very well holding onto a rail to steady herself.

Object Permanence - Yup!  Love's to play games like this with Daddy.  ;)

Understands Prepositions - Haven't done a whole lot with under, over, up, or down, I think she's got some idea of this one.

Starts "Mine" Routine With Objects - She doesn't say "mine" yet, but she is possessive about some things.

Starts Showing Shyness Towards New People - Not too much, but she is showing this somewhat.  She mostly just stares at people she doesn't know, lol.

Stacks Blocks - Our blocks are wooden, so we don't play with them too often because sometimes they get thrown, but she CAN stack.  ;)

Wants Attention All the Time - Yup, a lot of the time anyway.  This could be more problematic, come brother time.  :P

Loves Interactive Games - Yes!  Especially with Daddy!  They have sooo much fun together!

Identifies Likes and Dislikes - Eh, she likes certain things, but she's not uber enthusiastic about too much.  ;)  Maybe Tinkerbell...

Names Body Parts - Haven't we been over this one?  Yes, she's great with body parts.  :)

Responds to Simple Questions - Yes, mostly with the word no.  :P  But she has recently begun to say yes.  She's also good at indicating what she wants to eat or drink.  She answers well when I say, "What's that" or "Where's (insert person's name)".

Notices Gender Differences - She can say boy and girl and identify them in books, but that's about it on this one.  She has to have a couple areas to improve, right?  ;)

Talks About Self - Haven't noticed much of this one yet.

Needless to say, I'm impressed and very proud of my baby girl!  :D  That's the end of my Mommy Brag Moment.  ;)  So happy for my angel!  :)