21 Things - 31 for 21

In honor of 31 for 21, today I want to share 21 things about Cora that you may not know.

(The number 21 is significant since individuals with Down syndrome or Trisomy 21, have 3 copies of the 21st chromosomes in all their cells.)

Who?  Me?

1.  Today she turns 21 months old, and weighs exactly 21 pounds. No, we didn't plan that.

2.   She loves ice cream, but spits out cookies and cake.

3.   She loves to get up on one knee and scoot around, but acts like you're torturing her if you try to get her on both knees.

4.   She doesn't like to touch grass. If you put her on the ground outside she lifts her legs up and makes an "icky" face.

5.   She likes to roll the ball away from you. She thinks it's funny and laughs if you go chase it.

6.   She could seriously live off greek yogurt. Oh, and breast milk.

7.   She loves to read. She could read all day long. She has favorite books that she constantly pushes across the floor to me and her very favorite is the sea lion in her Baby Animal book. She immediately turns to that page and makes a strange garbled noise. Must be her sea lion impression.

8.   She started to take her first cruising steps in the pool and is now reluctantly cruising on the couch and around the house with a lot of support.

9.   She surprises me almost daily with the signs she knows. Right now there are about 75 that I know of, and I swear she's using signs that I don't recognize all the time. She signs what she hears us say in conversation constantly.

10.  She loves to wrestle: climbing up on you, throwing herself down, playing peekaboo and howling with laughter.

11.  I think she'd do anything for Signing Time. She recently showed me that she could sign "time", even though I never directly taught her this. Now she asks for Signing Time throughout the day.

12.   She gives some amazing hugs and kisses, resting her head on your shoulder. Sometimes she'll give a lippy kiss, but at other times she pushes her forehead into your mouth so you can kiss her.  Why, thank you, Your Majesty!

13.   She has a musical soul. She loves to dance and sing, and can't get enough singing songs together, especially if it has signs or hand motions. She's building a collection of instruments that we play with (although she's currently finding it very funny to throw them.)

14.   When she wants something, she'll give you her cute looks.  And boy are they effective.  She'll tilt her head to one side and look at you sideways, or she'll put her head back in the air and scrunch up her face, inviting little neck kisses. It's hilarious and irresistible.

15.   She can't make up her mind about our cats. Lately she's been going after them more, and will tickle them, pet them, poke their ears and pull their tails. But she gets upset with them too, and often pushes them away.

16.   She is a ham in the grocery cart, laughing and waving at her admirers as they go.   But get her in a group of people and she becomes a shy little wallflower who needs time to warm up.

17.   She is cultivating her stubborn streak and had her very first time out this week, after repeatedly grabbing at my glasses despite being told "no." She was not a fan.

18.   She loves to hide her toys and books. We're always pulling them out from under the couches and the chairs.

19.   She loves soft tickles.  When I am putting her down for a nap I soft tickle her legs and feet.  If I'm not doing it exactly right, she takes my hand and moves it around all the right places.

20.   She is afraid of most children.

21.  Although her nickname is Cora Bean or Beanie, she has a significant allergy to beans, peas, and soy.  Oh, the irony.

To see how far my Beanie Girl has come in the last year, check out 21 Things About Cora one year ago.