Penelope is really talking these days. There are still no really discernable words, and for the most part, no reliable mimicking. We can not prompt her and expect a desired response. But she is certainly mimicking speech patterns on her own including intonation and cadence. She’ll do so while toddling around the house carrying a toy or article of clothing or piece of trash. She will also babble back to you, when you’re talking to her.
We’ve been very excited by this milestone, and are looking forward to real words.
We are also entering the phase of another milestone we are not as happy about. She’s figured out what we mean when we say “no” and she doesn’t like it. Often, when she realizes she’s not getting what she wants, she will throw a little fit, and though we know they are quite small at this stage, they are still awful for us to see and deal with. We are just used to her being perfectly happy and easily redirected… now she’s crying and sometimes screaming for a little bit, once or twice she did the limp-baby treatment. Again, this is minor and an important developmental milestone… Stubborness is required for a baby to get back up after falling a few dozen times. It’s just a reality check for us.