"Brocci, pease"

The other night at dinner, Bella had macaroni and cheese in front of her and I had broccoli on my plate. After a few bites of mac & cheese, Bella pointed to my plate and asked, "brocci? brocci?" It took us a moment to translate what she was asking for, but Ian quickly realized she was actually asking for broccoli. Once Bella realized we knew what she was saying, her face lit up and she asked, "brocci, pease?" I immediately cut up some broccoli for her and she happily chowed down.


Did my child just ask for broccoli? She sure did! Did she use the word "please" to politely request what she wanted? She sure did! Is she growing up way too fast? She truly is.


Bella is communicating quite well these days. She's always been a very verbal child, so I've never had any doubts about her communication skills. Okay, I lie... several weeks ago when she cried and whined all day long, instead of using her words, I thought we'd never properly communicate again. Bella never ceases to amaze me and I never should have doubted her. She is putting together 2-3 word "sentences" on occasion and uses her words rather than whining or crying to get what she wants or needs. Bella's intellectual development has always been ahead of the curve and we are very thankful for that. She uses her words and correlates simple concepts, such as identifying body parts. She can identify eight parts of her body and say seven of those body parts. She knows that her shoes go on her feet and that her shoes are kept in the basket in the laundry room. What an intelligent little girl!


Here is a list of words and phrases commonly used by Bella:

Mama	Dada
Dee-Dee (my mom)	Ree-Ree (her friend Reese)
Chance (Grandma Ruth's dog)	Tars (stars)
Keys	Toys
Baby	Minnie (Mickey and Minnie Mouse)
Piggy	Movie
Ball	Hi
Bye-bye	Ank you (thank you)
Pease (please)	Yes
No	Eye
Ear	Nose
Mouth	Hair
Belly button	Booty (butt)
Shoes	Apple
Peaches	Brocci (broccoli)
Nana (banana)	Baba (sippy cup)
Cheese	Treat (dog treats)
Out	All done
Uh-oh	Aww, man!
Go, go, go!	Weee, weee! (when having fun)
Mooooo! (when she sees a cow)	Roooar! (when she sees a lion)

Despite the occasional temper tantrum, this is such a fun age! Bella is learning new things each and every day and enjoys showing us her newly mastered skills. We're so proud of her and we're so in love with the person she is becoming. With Bella around, there's never a dull moment around here!


Love always,
Ian, Kim & Bella