Skills

So finally video of Ali singing her ABC's/Twinkle, Twinkle medley. She's been doing this for a couple months, but I just haven't gotten it on video. Crazy kid doesn't like performing for the video camera. This footage kind of a cracked me up, because if you can't tell she's looking at herself in the camcorder's flipped around screen and is singing sooo slowly. Someday I hope she'll let me tape her singing Zippity Do-Dah. You've just got to giggle when a just-now two year old sings, "It's the truth, it's actual, everything is satisfactual."
So yes, Ali's got skills. Lots of verbal skills obviously, but others too. I thought it'd be appropriate to list some of her more objective (and a couple subjective) skill sets as of her turning the grand age of TWO!
*Words: hundreds in her little brain. She'll learn virtually anything you teach her. Let "satisfactual" be evidence to that. :)
*Commonly speaks in 5-8 word sentences.
*Songs: Dozens. I've thought about trying to list them, but I know I'll leave some darling ones out. Everything from Jesus Loves Me, to Disney ShowTunes, and of course a couple Motown hits.
*Nursery & Other Rhymes: I'm guessing a dozen or more. My favorite is Baa Baa Black Sheep. Partly because I don't remember teaching it, just singing it a bazillion times to try to get her to call a sheep a sheep (for the longest time, back at 15 mo old, she called ALL 4-legged farm animals cows). The cutest part is when she sings, "Have you any wolf?" for wool. She loves reading stories about the Big Bad Wolf. And ever since her fascination with him, changed the lyrics.
*Identifies many upper & lower case letters.
*Identifies numbers 1-9
*Identifies circles, squares ("like Harvard Square"), ovals, triangles, rectangles, and hearts & stars of course.
*Identifies colors. She even picks out aqua, peach, and other "in-between" colors. She can also distinguish dark or light green if there's a couple on the table.
*Identifiies upwards of fifty animals. All the standard barnyard friends, but thanks to the public library as well as a groovy set of memory game cards from Grandma she can tell you about Great Blue Herons, all kinds of other birds, California sea lions, badgers, etc.
* She's starting to say her s blends. She said "sweetheart" tonight. How is my little "fweetie pie" growing up so fast?
*Sleeps in her "pretty big bed" and stays there till I come and get her.
*Super Zipper Zipper, and can put on own shoes (though not quickly)
*Plays make believe, bringing special meals & going on special outings.
*Fabulous tippy toe dancer
*Adoring & helpful big sister
*Lover of Life
And...
Areas to grow on in this coming year:
* Drinking from a regular cup
* Eating at the table without a highchair tray or bib
* Using the toilet
* Jumping!