A is for "apple"

Dear Maya,

Mommy is posting from daddy's laptop today so the photos are unedited and the writing may be quick, but there is just so much to report!

We went apple picking last weekend. You had fun wandering around the trees and eating as many apples as we let you get your little hands on. You even started to imitate us, rubbing them on your skirt to clean them. It was so sweet. Before we left we also went to the pick-your-own tomato area. The orange cherry tomatoes were unbelievably sweet and you enjoyed eating them and stomping on the fallen ones. Top that all off with a cider donut in the car on the way home and you were in fall food heaven! So were we once we stopped for pumpkin iced coffee!

Mommy took you to the playground the other day and you were much more independent than you had been last time. You kept climbing up all the steps and going over the little suspension bridge by yourself. This time you wouldn't go down the slide, though, by yourself or with mommy.

 

This week you played a lot of 'hallway soccer' with Uncle Matt and Aunt Rhi. You've gotten pretty good at kicking the soccer ball, and every time you do particularly well you give a double high five to anyone who will hold out their hands for you. You're so cute!

The biggest change over the last week is that your verbal floodgates have finally opened! Suddenly you imitate almost every word we ask you to with varying degrees of accuracy. Many are foods (apple, banana, carrot, milk, pepper, pizza) but there some others, too (bubble, bird, ow, phew, yeah). The best word, by far, is your high-pitched adorable version of "please" that you use to ask for something. It's really hard to say no to you now. We're so, so proud!

And, one more big update before mommy signs off. This morning while we were on the phone with great-grandpa to wish him a happy birthday, you gave him quite the little present. You used your potty for the first time! We played with blocks and gave you almost a whole can seltzer while you sat on it for 20 minutes and it all finally paid off. You didn't seem to really understand since it was only your first time trying, but you sure did understand your graham cracker reward!

Well, we're headed out to enjoy this nice fall day. Love you!