Lil's found a new way to express her affection: hugs! And she has hugs for everyone and everything she loves—Mama, Papa, her sippy cup, Jenny Giraffe, Woofie, her shoe... and her Kee-Kahs. Last night I found The Cat pinned under her while she quietly hummed him a song...
This may turn out to be Lil's first taste of unrequited love.
"where, oh where has my big kee-kah gone? where, oh where could he be?"
Lil is undoubtedly finding some words here and there. She has been saying "Dada" and sometimes "Mama" for a while now, and she's been working on a few others. "Nana" could mean banana, or nursing ("baba" could also possibly be her word for nursing). "Dah" is what she says when she points to a dog. I swear she almost said monkey ("mmm-keh") and horse ("usss") last week. But there is one word she says clearly (often in a whisper) while pointing at the object. Kitty ("kee-tah" or "kee-kah") is Lil's official first word. She not only says it when she sees one of our cats, she says it whenever she hears them too!
This week's video needs a bit of a set-up. While taping Lil doing something silly with a bath toy (a kind of foamy color-form type thing), The Cat started meowing at the bathroom door (I think he really needed to use the facilities). Lil stops making funny sounds and becomes very serious about Mr. Kitty's dire needs. I cut the tape when Lil attempts to climb out of the tub to rescue him. Now that's loyalty.
I remember reading that around 12 months babies start mimicking our behaviors. They try to do things like getting dressed, brushing their hair, yelling at the cat, and cleaning. It's important to encourage good behaviors, so I started walking around with a paper towel, dusting and wiping, putting her toys back in their basket, and so on. It wasn't long before Lil picked up a boogie wipe and started cleaning off the coffee table! Right on, Lil! It's so much fun, isn't it!? I'm sure you can just hear me encouraging away.
pre-moistened does work best
working on a wax-on-wax-off technique
All that frantic cleaning can definitely tire a little one out, so it's the perfect pre-nap activity.
working hard/ hardly working
She must be a fast learner, because she started doing the windows all on her own...
too bad she can't reach the top pane
When is she old enough to introduce Windex? I couldn't find that in the baby development book.
she even cleans her own fingerprints.
Maybe she does need one of these fancy toy Dyson vacuums for her birthday (Only if Mama gets the real deal for her's).
It feels like Lil is learning new things all the time, and every new week brings a new skill. Last week it was using a spoon to feed herself, this week it's climbing down off the couch—the right way! It is very reassuring to see Lil practicing safe maneuvers, but I fear that it won't belong before she forgets, and dives headfirst onto the floor.
With Papa spotting, Lil demonstrates her ability to wiggle her way off the couch, onto the floor, where she attempts a quick getaway. This time, however, Papa puts the kabosh on her moves, which ends quite happily for everyone. Hooray.
Lil is quite comfortable in her all-natural active wear. On top, she's doing her part to Keep Santa Cruz Green in an organic tee from Aunt Sarah, and on bottom she's bulky but quite absorbent in her organic bamboo/ cotton diaper from Green Sprouts, and a pair of knit wool longies from Llamajamas. Good thing that bum is fluffy— she may be taking some hard landings on that backside in the future.
Yesterday after the party, Lil came home and crashed in her crib. But someone got there before she did. Like Goldilocks in reverse, Lil blondie arrived home to find a furry creature all cuddled up in her bed! Rather than try and move the cat while balancing a sleeping baby in one hand, I just arranged Lil next to Kitty and let them be.
Lil slept for over two hours, and for most of it, Kitty stayed curled up right by her side. Apparently Mama isn't the only one who's crazy for baby cuddles.
It may be possible that I have concocted a little love interest for Lil among the group we hang out with. I admit it's a bit pathetic, even creepy. But with every last soap opera gone off the air, what was I supposed to do?
... their eyes meet...
Anyway. A young man named Leo first appeared on the blog back in September, when Lil "borrowed" his had on a windy day at the waterfront. (So chivalrous!) New Year's Day, was Leo's first birthday, and his family threw a little party for him. Lil was eager to attend, but not wanting to seem like she was trying too hard, she opted for some pink pants with her fancy Nicole Miller tunic, and a pair of metallic mary janes. Since Lil was the first girl to arrive, it was hard for anyone to keep their eyes off her. Especially Mr. Birthday Boy (yeah, sure).
but it's just too crowded.
Leo was looking pretty dapper in his airplane print Oshkosh overalls and old man cardigan. If anything will get Lil's attention, it's a nice pair of Oshkosh.
