Even though Kamy’s now officially two, I still want to keep a monthly update on what she’s learning and doing as time passes. Saying she’s 25 months old seems a little silly now, but marking it by her birthday is as easy as any other time window.
- Kamy’s made a big jump in her counting. She still gets a little turned around in the teens but once she hits twenty, she’s got it figured out through thirty nine. We’ve started working on counting in spanish as well, and she already knows uno, dos, tres! She amazes me by how fast she can learn something new and I am always trying to find new things to teach her.
- Kamy can say her name! When she first learned it, she pronounced it Kamy Jack-mare-toe. It was super cute! Just recently she’s started to pronounce it correctly, to Daddy’s dismay. We’ve also taught her that her full name is Katherine McKamy Giacomarro, and while it’s a mouthful for a little girl, she’s really good at it.
- Not only can she say her name, she can spell it too! Believe it or not, she can spell Giacomarro. I don’t have it on video, but she spells gia-com-a-rro without skipping a beat. She can also spell Kamy, Caden, and stop. We’re working on a bunch of other words as well, and she understands that every word can be spelled out in letters. She’s also been more interested in the puzzle she got for Christmas that uses letters to spell common words. It’s amazing to watch the gears turning in her mind as she picks up on huge concepts like that. Lately she’s been wanting to spell “everybody” and people’s names, like Min.
- For a little girl, McKamy has quite the vocabulary. She’s learning how to put sentences and complex thoughts together and her transitions are getting smoother and easier. Earlier this week she said “wants more water in Kamy’s pen please.” Considering our pediatrician asked if she was using two word sentences yet, the answer was a resounding yes. =P She also repeats everything that you say, and I do really mean everything, usually word for word. She remains ever observant and keeps a running commentary going on what she sees. Unless you acknowledge her comments, they have a tendency to repeat over and over until you give her positive feedback.
- As Caden has gotten bigger and become more interactive, Kamy is paying more attention to him. He’s still too little to really play with, but she’ll regularly give him toys to play with and I’ve even seen her sitting with him and “reading” him a story from one of her books. It was super cute! I know he’ll be able to learn so much from her. We’re still working on sharing with Caden … multiple times per day I hear her saying “no no no Caden” and then see her taking away one of her toys that he’s managed to grab, or her hair, or who-knows-what. To me, she says it in a cute way, but I’m trying hard not to encourage that habit. It’s not always easy to be a responsible parent!
- Overall Caden is doing much better and his personality is starting to come through. As we give him affirmations throughout the day, Kamy has started repeating the same affirmations about herself. It is a good reminder to me to make sure that she is getting the positive feedback that she needs as well (though arguably she doesn’t really need to be told she’s doing good by not crying while we ride in the car!). If I say “You’re doing good Caden,” I’ll usually hear another little voice say “Doing good Kamy.” I’m trying to give immediate feedback to her when that happens and I’m doing by best to give her direct affirmations before Caden’s if I think about it.
- Daddy taught her how to play hide and seek, one of her favorite new games. She’s really good at counting to ten and then going to look for him, but we’re still working on her seeking method. She tends to poke her head in a room and decide he’s not there without really looking. It’s a work in progress, but she loves it all the same!
- “Make tent” is another common request in our house. She loves to have a blanket draped across chairs, tables, or people … whatever is available. Not that she says in it for long! It’s especially fun when everybody is in the tent with her: “Kamy in tent, Momma in tent, Caden in tent, Daddy in tent. Eh’body in tent!”
- “Play catch” is a favorite game right now. Kamy will sit on the floor while you pitch bean bags to her. There are a dozen bean bags in the set and each has a very descriptive name, courtesy of Kamy (bright green, polk dot, shiny blue, yellow hair, etc). She loves to toss them, and they fly across the room multiple times each day. Balls and bean bags are the only things she’s allowed to throw, though sometimes the temptation is too great and she needs a little reminder of the rules!
- Kamy is a big fan of playgrounds. If we have some spare time while we’re in town, I try to stop at a park and let her play for a bit. She especially loves slides and will ask to “try that one” if she sees a new one. Unfortunately the city’s play ground isn’t built for little kids, but we try to take advantage of parks when we can.
- Please and thank you have been a bit more sparse lately. It’s not that she can’t do it, but she hasn’t been paying much attention to it. She knows what to say, and we’re making her say please to get something she wants regardless. We’ve been saying “how do you ask for something?” as a trigger to remind her.
- Kamy is a great little helper! If you’re working on something, odds are she’s near by and would be happy to help in any way you’d let her. It’s not always productive help, but I want to encourage it! She loves to help set the table for dinner and will put out the place mats, napkins, forks, and waters for everyone at the table. She will pull things out of the pantry for me to use while making breakfast, lunch, or dinner and she loves to help by stirring or pouring. We made cookies earlier this week and she really enjoyed it (and has spent the next three days asking about cookies!). It won’t be long before she really is big enough to do a lot of it by herself, but now is my chance to encourage a love of cooking and helping.
We’re starting to hit the point where we’re more limited by her coordination and dexterity and less by her ability to memorize and learn things. Math is still beyond her understanding yet, and she lacks the motor skills to work on writing letters or drawing shapes yet. Other than working on more vocabulary and adding in spanish, I’m sort of at a loss on what to focus on next. Any ideas would be appreciated!
Overall, we’ve definitely begun to notice a difference in her temperament as she’s pushing on the boundaries we set for her and learning how to deal with her little emotions. It’s not easy being two, though we’re well aware (and appreciative!) of how relatively easy she is for a toddler. Listening is her biggest hurdle right now, and we’re working with her to remember that Momma and Daddy mean what they say, and if she doesn’t listen we need to reset and be ready to listen again. A few minutes “by herself” in her room is usually enough to put things back on the right footing. When the time is up, I’ll go get her, sit on the floor, and ask her if she’s ready to listen. The answer is always yes, followed by a hug. Sometimes she beats me to it and says “ready listen!” as soon as I open the door.
Kamy really is a sweet heart and I love her little spirit. She makes being a Momma such a rewarding job.
