First German 2-Syllable Double-Consonant Word!!

Today it happened. Couldn't have asked for a more "perfect" specimen:

Baeume. Meaning, trees in English.

She's been close before, but today, interspersed throughout many "boybah"s, she was finally able to make the "m" sound immediately after the "b" sound. Baeume (pronounced, Boymah).

For those of you who know us, you can imagine my excitement at the "choice" of which word to make her "first" big word in German. Those of you who don't, I'll share that it excites me incredibly because both Geoff and I have spent extensive time backpacking and hiking, and plan to raise her the same way. Kaya and I spend a decent amount of time per week in Forest Park across the river (we shoot for once a week at least), and she loves to lean her head back and look up at the trees. She's had LOTS of opportunity to hear me talk to her about the Baeume.

Otherwise, she's been doing a lot more solid "ja"s (Eng: yeah), tonight she said "yeah!" after Geoff modeled it energetically for her while teaching her how to put her books on the shelf. She's mastered her "mehr" (more) when asking for more food, and has been saying both "mehr" and "moh" for that concept.

To put her language development in line with her gross motor skills: she still crawls like a champ (LOVES to play the game where she crawls away from us, looks over her shoulder with a big smile on her face as she waits for us to come "get her"...and giggles like mad when we make the attempt); she has learned to crawl up stairs, and with prodding, can crawl backwards down them; she can slide her way off the couch and the bed, if pointed in the right direction; and today, she started kneeling for the first time on one knee and the other foot--getting THAT much closer to walking upright without our support. She cruises along the couch, chairs, stroller...whatever she can hold on to for support. But not TOO close to walking by herself yet...though I smile to think of that day, I'm in no rush. I'm appreciating what we have here still...she's still pretty content to stay in relative close proximity to Mama. =)