21 Months Old!

My Lanna girl is 21 months old today. It makes me sad she is getting big too fast. The changes I see in her are amazing to me. Every single one makes me so emotional.
She is exploring her environment sooo much more. She crawls all over the house. We used to have to put her toys in front of her. Now she goes over and picks out the ones she wants and drags them over to play. She is starting to have a sense of humor. She has her favorite Baby Signing Times DVD and when I put it in she gets so excited.

She's getting a little sense of humor. She likes to hear me laugh, so she gives me this big cheesy smile. It cracks me up everytime. I looove it. She does it to other people to like her therapists. Little Ham.
She is pulling up on everything and cruising! She signs eat. She says Mama!! (not regularly but at times)
Her favorite place to be is in my lap. She pulls to be picked up then turns her little self around to sit down. We had friends over watching a movie and she sat in my lap the whole time.
When she got restless in church service this past Sunday I went and took her to the 2 year old (the 1 year old room was empty, I guess everyone turned 2) Normally this would just trigger a lot of stimming. The room was packed. She crawled right over to the toys and pulled some toys off the shelf to play with. I was so proud and happy for her!
This morning she crawled into the dining room, normally she goes in there to lick the chairs, haha. I could hear her, I didn't hear any stimming just babbling. A couple minutes later I went in there and this is what I found

My Smart Head Banger

This chick is too smart. Her favorite stims have to do with her head, mostly hitting the side of her forehead. Sometimes very hard, mostly when she is tired or something is wrong. Her new stim. (overall her stimming has lessened) is bouncing her head off the couch. She sits with her back to the couch and bangs/bounces the back of her body off the couch cushions. If she is in front of the arm of the couch it is hard and she cries, then scoots over to where the cushions are, LOL. She tests banging her head on other surfaces, like walls, tables, floor, but she does it very slowwly and only once then she decides, nope that will hurt. Thank God!! I let her bounce her head off the couch because it's much better than any other surface!!

A Few Of Her Favorite Things

It's somewhat challenging to find toys that are easy enough for Alanna to manipulte in a manner that will keep her attention. So I thought maybe you guys might want to see some of her favorites and maybe your kiddos would enjoy them as well.

I picked this up at a nice toy store, I think it was 12.99, they have it on Amazon for a couple bucks cheaper. I love amazon! You fill it up with water, there are little floating fish. She can hear and see the water splash as she hits it, she loves it.

http://www.amazon.com/Earlyears-Fill-Fun-Water-Mat/dp/B000E82WRM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314401898&sr=1-1

Another favorite is her Leapfrog activity table. I love any Leap Frog products, they are well made and engage the children well.

http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Learn-Groove-Musical-Table/dp/B000ETRENI/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1314401983&sr=1-1


This ball popper toy, she loves!! What kid wouldn't. But we have to be right there to pick up the balls that pop out and to push the button to make it go, it is too hard for her. She knows to push buttons, but this one is too hard.
http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-8490-Playskool-Busy-Tumble/dp/B000GB4EAA/ref=pd_sim_t_37

Apartly if you are that determined, you can buy this modified one.
For a hefty price of course.

http://www.amazon.com/Enabling-Devices-Adapted-Air-tivity-Popper/dp/B004XJ4MX0/ref=sr_1_68?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1314402591&sr=1-68

We have a regular Fisher Price xylophone, but she doesn't hold onto the stick to wack it. This one she I linked to she loves!! The keys are very easy to make go down, and it's fairly loud.  

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Tikes-Baby-Tune-Piano/dp/B001QXDIVS/ref=sr_1_17?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1314402350&sr=1-17

I'm not sure what this toy is called. But it's for young babies to lay under and hit and play with the toys. She loves going In things, so she goes under it and places, or rocks back and forth.

She loves this Baby Einstein Ball.

http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Einstein-30974-Bendy-Ball/dp/B001UF8BL4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315360267&sr=8-1

And this ball popper, it is easy enough for her to push down. She has another one just like it that she can't do.
http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-8490-Playskool-Busy-Tumble/dp/B000GB4EAA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1315360356&sr=8-12

Her number one favorite toy is her Johnny Jump Up, I picked it up at a consignment store for 12.00, the BEST 12.00 ever spent.
It is great for her sensory needs. The things she does in there are amazing! She sticks one foot to the floor then uses the other to go around and around, then lifts her legs to spin around. etc...
She is outgrowing it. I have been looking at indoor swings, does anyone have one they love?
I highly recommend the Johnny Jump Up with the tray, it provides a little buffer between them and the doorway.
Like this one

http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Bumper-Jumper-Little-Jungle/dp/B000WJLKQM/ref=pd_sbs_ba_1

What are your kids' favorite toys?