Updates on Ella

Ella has decided it is easier to point and scream when she wants something, rather than use words. If I am in the kitchen and she is in the family room, she will do the bum-scoot, until she can see me and then stop, and point and scream. This is her way of saying, "mom come over here, pick me up, and carry me over there." She will do this for food too. Point and scream, until I walk her over to where she is pointing then she grabs what she wants. I think she has me trained. I know she can say words, it's just easier to scream. When she becomes more mobile, she probably won't have to do this as much. She knows how to say and sign "more". I think I need to learn some more baby signs- it seems to help. (I know all done, more, drink, eat, please and thank you). Here is a list of words that Ella says. This is more for my own personal record. For some reason it is easier to blog it here, then to go up to my room and get out her baby book and write it.
Mama
Dada
Kaden (usually day- d, we've heard Kaden once)
Hailey
more
hi
bye or bye bye
hello (he oh)
night night (ny ny)
ball
uh oh
water (wawer)
ow
flower
shoes
woof woof
baby
nose
no
don't (don)
car
bike (points to bike and says bi)
outside (side)
hat (ha) she doesn't like to finish her t's, I noticed
hair
eye
toes
elmo
bird
light (Li)
whats that
Andrew
cracker
drink
poo poos (my personal favorite, she laughs and says this when someone toots)
she will also randomly repeat different words or sounds that we say

She can point to her tummy, belly button, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, cheeks, and feet or toes. This is considered part of communication. She doesn't combine two words together yet, except "what's that", which I heard about ten times on one shopping trip, but haven't heard it much since. Probably about twenty of these words she says without prompting. Most of the time we will say "Do you want to go outside?" then she will say "side". Or, "Can you say Elmo?"--- "Elmo." We are considering speech therapy as well, just so she doesn't get too far behind. They say that many kids with gross motor delays, end up with speech delays too. Right now she is still on the slow side of normal. I am not too worried about it, yet. Sometimes kids will pick up a ton of words in a months period. Hailey started off slow and then picked up a bunch. And then there was Kaden, who was incredibly advanced.

As for her gross motor development----Thayne and I have really been working hard with Ella. We have been trying to get her to stand a lot more. We need to help her to gain balance and strength in her upper body. The therapist calls this proprioception. She is very scared to fall or lose her balance. We are supposed to buy an exercise ball and bounce her on it, and make her fall to the sides and catch herself. We also take her to the park and swing her or slide her down the slides. She is continuing to make progress. We have gotten her to take steps. She was extremely scared about this at first, but is now getting used to it. Thayne is better at this than I. I don't like to see her crying so hard, but I know it is for her own good.