Happy 21 Months, Rocky!

Rocky is going to look at this blog when she's older and think, "man, the second kid really does get shafted."  I missed her 20 month update and am a little late with month 21, but better late than never.  Having two kids has more than doubled the work.

So, what's up with Rocky these days?

She just got over Roseola.  It started off on Sunday with a high fever (up to 105 degrees) lasting about 3-4 days, then an all over body rash to top it all off.  It came and went in a week.  We survived and one childhood infection down.

Nana Ruthie Pooh has been here for over a week and I've seen a significant increase in Rocky's vocabulary in that short time.  Rocky primarily uses single words and there are about 30 she says consistently.  Here are my favorites:

-- Ah-Boo = Ah-Pooh (nickname for Nana Ruthie Pooh)
-- Eye-Bah = iPad
-- Booty = booty as in buttocks
-- Ah-Pee = ca pique (literally means "it's prickly" in French, but we use it to refer to sparkling water)
-- Cheese = cheese, which is yelled loudly and accompanied by a huge smile when a camera is pointed toward her.

Peanut was speaking in short sentences at this age and people outside of our family could understand him.  Rocky's further behind, but completely understands everything we say in Vietnamese and English, so I'm not too worried.  She did surprise me last week when we were at the library.  Sitting in her stroller and trying to compete with her brother's constant chattering, I heard her pointing and saying, "Ah-Moe".  I thought she was just making noises, but her persistent yelling caught my attention.  It took me a minute, but it hit me, she was saying, "Elmo"!  How the hell does she know Elmo?  Whatever Peanut's into usually dictates what's on the TV or discussed at dinner ... and he's way past the Elmo stage.  It made me question what else Rocky may know and guess what?  I think she may know how to count to ten in English and Vietnamese.  Rocky's also learned the art of negotiation.  She's great at ignoring commands, but complies if there's something in it for her.

Words cannot describe how excited Rocky gets when she hears her daddy come home.  The moment she hears the squeak of the doorknob being turned, Rocky takes off toward the door to greet him.

Rocky weighs under 25 lbs and has dark hazelish eyes.  Her hair is medium brown and doesn't know if it wants to be straight or curly.  Corn, peas, rice, eggs, pasta, raisins, crackers, cereal, milk, dried apples, apple sauce, and those squeezable baby food packets are all she'll eat.  I'm still pushing fresh fruit and other vegetables, but haven't had much luck.  She loves baths and story time.  Rocky watches everything her brother does and takes full advantage of every opportunity to play with him, but also likes to push his buttons.  She's obsessed with hair bows, jeans, furry jackets, and shoes.