These Are A Few Of Her Favorite Things

I realized last night that I'm totally missing out on a very important aspect of Alexandra's growth and that is documenting her likes (and dislikes).  I'm sad I've missed out on the last few months of keeping track because they change constantly but I'll try and remember what they used to be and then write down what they are now.  So, without further ado, and with many apologies to the wonderful Julie Andrews, here are a few of her favorite things:

1. Sitting.  I'm not kidding.  She loves sitting.  Especially on things that are her height.  So, whether it's a small step-stool or a stair or a chair made just for her size she gets absolute enjoyment out of sitting on things.

2.  Along with that love of sitting comes her love for her small chairs.  This one is strange.  She drags the chairs everywhere behind her, sets them up in various rooms and sits in them, then drags them around some more.  Sometimes, she wants the chairs to join her in another chair as if they're a baby doll or stuffed animal.

3.  Milk.  This should actually be number 1.  Her love of milk knows no bounds.  It is the end all, be all for her.  If she's cranky, milk is the answer.  If she's sleepy, milk is the answer.  If she's in a good mood, milk is the answer.  If she's sitting, milk is the answer.  I cannot even begin to describe how deep her love of milk runs.  It's that deep.

4.  Second only to milk comes her dada.  She is a daddy's girl through and through.  When we pull in the driveway the first word I hear is "dada?"  When she wakes up, she points towards our bedroom and says "dada?"  When dada is there she clings to him like white on rice.  This only annoys me when she gets whiny about it which, recently anyway, is often.

5.  "Dogdogs" and "keehs."  She loves animals.  She doesn't want them to touch her but she loves them all the same.  She has the keenest of eyes and can spot a dog or cat walking down the street from a mile away.  She points and laughs and then subsequently freaks out when they decide to inspect her.

6.  Slides.  I've already covered that fairly extensively in other posts.

7.  Being outside.  She's recently started trying to open doors and crying when we tell her we aren't going outside.  However, once she is outside she loves it.  She loves to walk around or ride in her stroller or play at the playground.  It doesn't really matter as long as we are outside.

8.  Being pushed in her small, Radioflyer wagon.  She dumps everything out of it, climbs in, then whines and cries until someone gives in and pushes her around.  That's usually dada and it's a blast to watch them tear around the house, Alex's blond wispies blowing in the wind.

9.  Shoes.  She loves shoes.  I don't know if it's that she likes to try and put them on but we've caught her standing in Marcus's shoes, my shoes, and one time I tried putting a pair of shoes on her feet that were too small so I stopped and you would have thought I'd taken away her milk.  She was that upset.  Also, she may or may not get this from me.  (Quick update:  We just purchased a pair of snow boots for the winter and that is all she wants to wear right now).

10. Playing on the trampoline.  She doesn't actually jump on it, she bounces a little, but mostly she runs in circles in a very Groucho Marx-esque way.

11.  Playing chase.  We thought playing chase was fun when she first started walking.  Now she's a little faster and decides that it's time to play chase at very inopportune times such as walking to the car, walking out of a store, and other less ideal moments that typically involve traffic and little blond girls running directly for it.

12.  "Ta-da!"  Marcus recently taught Alex how to stick the landing of a back-flip by raising both arms in a gymnast fashion.  Now she does it all of the time.  She'll gingerly climb onto an ottoman, slide off, then slowly raise both arms trying to catch your eye and when she's sure you're watching she finishes the "ta-da" with a flourish.

13.  Dance parties.  We have a Disney theme song CD that begins with a song from Tarzan and the second she hears it she starts bopping up and down.  The only crappy part is she soon insists you pick you her up and dance with her in your arms.  This would be fine if I weren't 8 months pregnant.  She also hasn't figured out the difference between a dance worthy song and one that you can relax to so all music, all the time, is dance party U.S.A. for Alex.

So, I think a dozen or so of Alex's current favorite things are enough.  She clearly keeps us very entertained and I know everyone thinks they're own kid is funny but she's really funny and she knows it.  Again, I'll take credit for that one because we all know I have the better sense of humor.