14 months old

Walking: At the end of March Mary Lawton started taking a few steps occasionally, when she felt like it. Now there's no stopping her. She even can lean over, pick something up, and keep on going. She already has had her first skinned knee from taking a fall outside.
Words:

• dada
• mama (very occasionally. She usually calls me dada, too.)
• uhoh
• hi
• bye-bye
• ball ("baw")
  
• eye
• cheese ("sheese")
  
• yes ("yeshhh")
  
• outside ("ahsah")
  
• fish ("ish")
• shoe ("shh")
• banana ("nana")

She loves:

• hats
• walking
  
• shoes
• being outside
• climbing the steps
  
• exploring
• pointing to eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, hair, belly, belly button, ears, shirt, pants, socks, shoes
• sitting in chairs by herself
• doing everything by herself
• cheese

I'm amazed by how much she seems to learn every day. On our way to work/school on Tuesday morning, I heard her say fish and, in the rearview mirror, saw her pointing. I said, "where do you see a fish?", thinking that surely there was no fish. But there was, on the Captain D's sign: a big red fish. Ah, the learning moments that come from fast food.

Mary Lawton, you are a sweet, loving girl . . . and also stubborn and feisty. Your willfulness exhausts us already, but we love it--we love how you're figuring everything out. We especially love your sweet hugs and kisses and hope you never get too big or old or cool to hug us and kiss us.

Love you, little monkey.