Josie is now seventeen months old! Her vocabulary has continued to boom with her latest accomplishment being two-word names for things. For example, she now says: soccer ball, bathing suit, baby pool, all done, and up please. She has started to interact more with her stuffed animals, i.e. she likes to have her stuffed animals talk on mama's cell phone. She also has started to attempt to dress herself (she usually tries to put any type of clothing over her head, even if it is a skirt or pants!) and she'll put her shoes on top of her feet, but hasn't figured out how to get them in yet. She continues to love to point out letters everywhere and tries to figure out how thing work (snaps, buckles, hinges, the valve in her sippy cup, etc.). She also really enjoys having everyone join in on whatever she thinks is fun to do. For example, she thinks it's pretty funny to mimic her daddy's stretch (arms behind the head + he makes a stretching noise), so she'll mimic him and then say, "mama?" to direct mama to stretch, and then she'll say, "daddy?" for him to stretch, etc.

I thought it would be fun to post some of her words that do not sound like the actual word for whatever she is naming. Here are some of those, with their translation:

b - music
buhBUH - milk
baBA - bread
bedah - belly button, banana, and bunny (depending on the context!)
beyou - stacking cups
bankee - blanket
BoogieBoogieBoogiebar - granola bar
da-ba-ba - caterpillar
ewes - shoes
wawawawa - water

Josie, meet...Josie! Here Josie talks to her reflection in our trash can. Josie has been quite delighted to find her image abounding throughout the house! (in mirrors, spoons, doorknobs, windows, books, etc.) 

This photo was taken yesterday (Josie and mama have a bad cold currently). Josie is reading her new favorite book - the Good Night Bible - she absolutely loves this book - maybe we have another theologian in the family? (and she has also grown quite fond of putting her sunglasses on and taking them off!). 

In this last week, Josie has enjoyed climbing on top of this storage box, saying "whoa" (b/c she thinks she's done something pretty impressive!), standing on it and doing a little tap dance! (her latest dance move includes some impressive footwork!). 

One day last week, mama thought she would try to construct a tent for Josie. Although Josie was too tentative to join mama underneath the tent, she thought that it would be quite fun to bring almost her entire collection of board books as well as other miscellaneous items from her room to put under it. And for the most part, she brought each item in one at a time, so this "game" made for much exercize and many comings and goings back and forth from her room into the office. Mama enjoyed watching Josie march out of the office and hearing Josie name the current item that she was bringing back to the tent. Mama made her own "game" of trying to figure out what the item was by Josie's name for it!  

There she goes! Off to bring some more supplies for her tent! 

Josie obliged her mama by consenting to this photo shoot (bribery by raisins - see the bag in back of her - was somewhat successful). Isn't she a cutie? 

stopping to touch the flowers 

her concentrating face 

her inquisitive face 

her "enough of this photo shoot, let's go eat some lunch mama" face 

Peek! Josie is a big fan of any type of Peek-a-boo these days. 

Josie enjoys eating a good peanut butter sandwich almost as much as her mama does! 

a close up, b/c she just looks so cute eating her sandwich! 

Earlier in the month, we joined another family for a trip to Fry Springs pool. Josie spent three glorious hours enjoying time walking around the baby pool, sitting on the edge and kicking, swinging on the baby swing (on the playground near the pool), playing with and learning all the names of the balls that were floating around in the pool (she learned how to say basketball and volleyball), and floating on her turtle. 

Walking with Daddy - Josie loves to be on the move in the pool. 

Josie and daddy practice their kicking. 

Josie takes a break from swimming to enjoy her favorite snack (crackers!). 

There's nothing better than a day of swimming and swinging! 

Happy Fourth! Daddy served up a strawberry shortcake in miniature for Josie (who was quite suspicious of that white stuff holding together two of her favorite foods - biscuits and strawberries!). 

Josie tried out her new baby pool for the first time on the fourth - she loved it! And Grandma and Granddaddy wished that they could jump in b/c it was so hot that day! 

Josie is thrilled when Daddy brings out the bubbles!!! 

Josie enjoys using her cousin Christopher's high chair - here she has a snack of some cheese and crackers (and says "cheese" for the camera!). 

Grandma, Uncle Dave, Grandaddy, Josie, and Mama (and Daddy who took the picture) gather to celebrate Uncle Dave's 32nd birthday - Josie liked the cake!