She's Brilliant

Yes, this is another update in which I brag about my talented daughter. :) (That's what moms are for, right?)

It amazes me how much Lauren is learning every day. This morning, we were watching the Today Show and they had a segment about dogs. Lauren got excited and pointed to the screen, so I said, "Yes, dogs." She immediately went over, got her book about animals (which she just got for Christmas and LOVES), opened it and pointed to a dog! She recently learned what sounds a dog and sheep make (again from her new book) so I said, "What does a dog say?" She answered, "Bff, bff," which is her way of saying, "Woof, woof." Simply brilliant, I tell you. :)

In further displays of genius, Lauren has shown us that she is now able to open doors, climb up on the couch, and take off her clothes--all things that make life more interesting around here. She is trying to say so many things, too:

"Dis": this
"Ya": yes
"Uh-oh": her favorite phrase of the moment
"Ba": sometimes bottle, sometimes ball
"Uhb": up
"Ah da": all done
"Guk": milk (this was a new one this morning)
"Dah" or "Gog": dog
"Op": open
"Ho, ho, ho": in true Christmas spirit
"Bff, bff": woof, woof (as previously mentioned)
"A-a-a-a-a": Ba-a-a-a-a (the sound a sheep makes, of course!)

She is still doing sign language for "more" and "all done," and we've added "milk" and "please" to that. And, we think she has finally figured out that she can call us "Mama" and "Dada." She's been able to say the words for a while, but it was never really clear if she knew who she was talking about. But now she'll hold out her arms to me and say, "Mama," or point to Gary and say, "Dada." I think this is something most kids do when they're first learning to talk, but I guess Lauren had other things she needed to say. Well, I still think she's brilliant. :)

We had a great Christmas, and it's not over yet. I'll post another update soon complete with Christmas pictures. Happy New Year!