Tacy Tales

Remember way back when, during Tacy’s first year, I used to give a monthly update on her growth and development?  Well, I’ve been thinking about that recently and realized that over the last 4-5 months, there’s a lot of fun stuff going on with her that I’d like to jot down.

I’ve been keeping a rough list of Tacy’s milestones and funny antics, but I know that with the passage of time I’ll forget some of the details.  I thought I might share a few Tacy tales with y’all today.  This way I can come back and read them whenever I want.

(Please forgive me if my writing seems kind of random and haphazard today.  I really had trouble deciding on the best way to organize all this information.  I hope I don’t confuse y’all too much as I jump between topics.)

I’ll start with Tacy’s language.  Tacy has been really busy adding new words to her vocabulary over the past few months.  Now she goes to the pantry door and says, “hungry,” when she wants a snack.  When she hears our geese and chickens honking and clucking she says, “Gee,” and, “bock bock.”  And Tacy has a nickname for her three special blankies that she loves so much – “Buddy”  We never go anywhere without at least one Buddy.

During her 13th month, Tacy mastered saying and waving, “Bye bye.”  She used the term to mean, “Good night,” “I’m ready to go,” and, my personal favorite, “Go away!”  Ha ha.  Gotta love that brutal honesty!

Tacy is not only talking these days, she’s singing too.  Old McDonald.  She loves to watch an animated version of the tune on my iPad and sing along, “I-E-I-E-I-E.”  She watches it again and again and again…

In addition to oral language Tacy has learned to sign few words.  She signs, “All done,” when she is finished eating and, “More please,” when she’s still hungry.

More interesting than what Tacy is saying is what Tacy is refusing to say.  She absolutely refuses to call our chihuahua Coco by her name.  Tacy always calls her, “Dee Dee,” which is our other dog’s name.  Without fail, every time I ask Tacy to say, “Coco,” she happily responds with, “Dee Dee.”  I’m pretty sure it’s a game to her now.  Tacy also refuses to say, “Lucy.”  She insists on calling big sister, “Ty Ty.”  I think it’s a matter of over generalizing.  To Tacy all dogs are Dee Dee and all children are Ty Ty.

I’ve really enjoyed watching Tacy as she learns about the world around her.  It’s fun to see her picking up on things like how to use a hairbrush, hug a baby doll, use an iPhone, and put on shoes.  Boy does she love shoes!  One thing Tacy is not interested in, though, is television.  You read that correctly.  She has absolutely zero interest in TV.

Since learning to walk, Tacy has proven to be quite the little billy goat. She climbs onto and into everything she can get her big toe on – coffee table, stairs, step stools, drawers, pantry shelves, boxes – you name it!  Her favorite place to climb is at our breakfast room table, a.k.a. school table.  She loves scaling the chairs and trying to get the big kids’ school books and supplies.  She wants so much to be a big kid!

Perhaps the most significant development Tacy has made over the past four months has been her discovery of self and free will.  It was like a light bulb came on for her at 15 months.  She suddenly became aware that she had free will and could choose whether to obey or not.

A few examples:

• Tacy could choose to eat her dinner, or spit it out and pitch a fit.
• She could choose to stop climbing the stairs when told to stop, or race to the top instead.
• She could choose to hand me an open marker, or frantically scribble on the chair.

In any case, when Tacy does choose to obey, she’ll more than likely stick her bottom lip out as far as it will go, duck her chin, and look up at us with the most pitiful eyes you’ll ever see.  On the other hand, when Tacy is forced to obey, her favorite response is to lie face down on the floor and cry.

One last thing I’ll mention today.  Tacy has been working diligently learning to use a spoon.  She’s gotten really good at it too.  Almost every morning last week she fed herself yogurt and applesauce for breakfast, which was a tremendous help to me, because it freed my hands up to help Ty and Lucy get started on school.

Wow!  My little baby is growing so fast.  Whenever I see a photo of Tacy from just 3 or 4 months ago, I’m amazed at how much she has changed.  I’m so thankful for her life and her health!  And I’m thankful for the opportunity to stay home with her everyday and enjoy all these precious moments.  They do fly by so fast.

Lindsey