First Word?! and (lots of) other Julia news

So it appears that this poor blog hasn't been updated with text since sometime in July! Some of Julia's milestones and achievements have been documented in video, but here's a (probably long) summary of what's been new with Julia:

1. Julia talks A LOT. Has been for awhile now. Not necessarily intelligible words but definitely purposeful "babbling." Sometimes she seems to be trying to repeat words that we say. But a week or two ago, she very clearly started saying "hi." We weren't sure at first if this was just another random sound or if she actually understood what it meant. At any rate, she now seems to understand what it means (and that she's adorable when she says it!). We'll get a video up soon. In addition to "hi," she definitely has some other consistent "words:" ma-ma (mostly when she's upset and pawing at my legs); da-dye-yah (daddy); ba-oomba-oomba-oomba (not sure what this means... she used to only say it when she was upset, but now she will randomly say it or repeat it if we say it to her); a-goonga-goonga-goonga (in a really high-pitched voice is how she "sings"); and a high-pitched scream, both spontaneous and echoing us (it's the "Wessler sound" -- anyone who knows Jonathan and his dad should know what this means!).
2. In addition to "words," Julia is quite an excellent spitter and is learning to make animal sounds (most of which are some variation of a growl, no matter what kind of sound you're trying to get her to make). She also says "aaaaahhhhh!!!" whenever she gets her nose wiped (interesting... not exactly sure where that came from)
3. As far as more gross motor skill development: as a walker, Julia keeps getting steadier and faster. Sometimes she goes so fast, you expect her to do a somersault (such as when she runs to the door when Mommy gets home from work). She also has a love affair with any stairs she meets. We now have to take the long way to the mailbox so that she can go up the steps on the sidewalk. She also loves to dance (a combination of bouncing, rocking back and forth, and clapping/waving her hands around)... she will dance to her music or if she hears the word "dance." And we finally taught her the arm stretch "sooo big!!!" which she loves.
4. Over the latter part of the summer, we've had the opportunity to explore some of the area's playgrounds and spray parks with her friends from Kindermusik and with some of my fellow nurses who also have young children. Julia is definitely a fan of the slide (and the steps to get to it) and definitely NOT a fan of the swings. Her opinion of the spray park was more mixed. The water pressure/temperature and the other crazy kids were intimidating, but she loved trying to grab the water and running in/out of the spray. She was soaked from head to toe and didn't seem to mind (and of course, this is my child who sobs hysterically at the sight of the bathtub).
5. One of the neatest parts of watching Julia develop right now is seeing how much more aware she is of herself, her surroundings, and things in her surroundings on more than just a basic level. Some of these ways are: Learning her body parts -- Julia is now able to identify on herself and others: arms, feet, toes, head, hair, nose, ears, and tummy. Speaking of hair, Julia knows what a brush is and how to use it! Whether it's her brush or Mommy's, she will brush her own or her Baby's hair. Julia is becoming quite affectionate -- she will give kisses spontaneously and to request, give hugs, and do "pat-pat" where she very gently pats us or her stuffed animals. She still loves books, and likes to be read to and read them herself. If we start reciting a book from memory, she can usually go and identify it. She also knows that "Goodnight Moon" is her bedtime story and always picks it out at the appropriate time. And she still loves her Kindermusik CDs. We imported them onto the computer (since the speakers on our computer are now better than those on our CD player!), and when she wants to listen to a CD, she will bring us the case of the one she wants as her way to tell us to turn on the music.
6. Julia is quite the busy bee. When we ever happen to see her doing something sitting still, it's a Kodak moment! Some of her current favorite activities include: Looking at her books. Playing with her stuffed animals -- for the past couple weeks she's been in a phase where she carries a stuffed animal under each arm and walks around the house with them, giving them kisses and "pat-pats." She's also discovered how to get up onto one of our arm chairs via its ottoman. It's her "big girl seat" and she loves to sit up there with a book, her pals, or a snack. She's starting to learn about "pretend" play, which right now usually consists of "drinking" tea out of her tea cups and sharing tea with Mommy, Daddy, and her stuffed animals. She still spends a lot of time looking out the window (probably wishing she was outside), and she loves to watch dogs. She definitely has a "dog" sounding word that she says whenever she sees one. Oh, speaking of dogs, if you ask her what a dog says, she will pant! The other thing she likes to watch is... herself. We set up a screensaver for the computer that has all of our photos, and she loves to stand and watch it, especially if she's listening to her music at the same time (and will protest when it turns off!). And Julia is a very good sharer/helper. While playing, she likes to give her books and toys to us (and take them away from us) in (to her) a very specific manner. And she LOVES to help around the house. Laundry is now a joint task for Julia and me. She hands me the laundry out of the hamper when we sort it, and then she hands me the clothes to put into the washer. She also likes to help empty the dishwasher and pick up her toys. And she puts my shoes away for me if I've left them out. She likes to empty out her dresser drawers but at least she also likes to put everything away again.
7. Julia's eating habits continue to be an up and down adventure. What she loves one day, she hates the next... typical toddler behavior. Even her beloved yogurt and cheese have been scoffed at somewhat recently. Still loves blueberries and strawberries. And finally has a favorite green veggie (thank goodness!): broccoli (aka "flower"). She's also learned what "snack time" means (and will go to the cupboard where her snacks are kept if you happen to say the word), as she slowly weans herself from nursing (just 3 times a day now). Although nursing less, she HATES MILK. We're giving a rest right now since she does eat a lot of other dairy foods. On a semi-related note, her 8th tooth just cut through, and she seems to be working on at least 2 more.
8. She's transitioned herself to one nap a day. This was traumatic at first (especially for Mommy), as she went from 4 nap hours a day to 2 in one fell swoop. Since she's lengthened her afternoon nap to 3+ hours, life has gotten better. And she's definitely become a creature of habit, at least in regards to her bedtime routine. Get pajamas on, take her vitamins, brush her teeth, read a story, kiss Daddy good night, nurse with Mommy, and sing her bedtime song/say prayers... she will lead you from step to step in order and gets very frustrated if you don't keep up!