Stride Rite, here we come!

As parents, we have heard that baby girls tend to develop their verbal skills faster than their motor skills in life. This has been true for Laily. I guess it started with her crying/screaming. When she was born, one of the nursery nurses brought her to us and informed us that we really had a "screamer" on our hands. From then on, when she's not screaming, she's babbling.

Later on, in her short little life, we noticed how she would chatter all the time! She babbled while she played, when she crawled from room to room, and all the while she seemed convinced that she was having real conversations with her toys, books, and with us. Not to mention, every night we are serenaded as she talks/sings herself to sleep.

So, as you can imagine, we have been anxiously awaiting her first real word. But nothing came out of all the books we read or all the songs we sang . Not the typical "mama" or "dada" (which came in a close second). Not any of the foods that she eats or any of her favorite toys. Not anything from her favorite videos. At the most unexpected time, while we were getting ready to go out one day, I thought I heard a real word..."shoes." Micah didn't believe me, but we tested her several times and she really knew what she was saying.

Shoes...not what we expected, but it totally fits! We have been saying since day one that she's all girl...I think this settles it!