Monaloca

One year is starting to feel like it’s just around the corner, and suddenly Meli looks more like a toddler-in-training than an infant. I’m already getting nostalgic about babyhood’s passing, though my little girl is more fun each day and I love watching her grow. Melina’s nine-month update:

Move. These days it’s all about gross motor skills. Melina’s still not quite crawling, though she desperately wants to and is quite apt at moving around a room, by rolling, when she wants. She spends a lot of time rocking back and forth on all fours – or, er, threes: One leg is usually pinned under her butt and when she finally pulls it out she falls flat on her belly. Then when she tries to crawl on our wood floor she ends up going backwards. Oops. She can army crawl a few inches forward on the rug, and has also started trying to pull herself up on furniture. Today when she was settling into a nap I walked in to find her sitting upright (and a looking a little shocked about it) in her crib. A first for the Jelly Bean!

3/7 Update: She’s officially doing the army crawl to move across the room. Also close to crawling, but who knows, she may find this oddly more efficient. Watch a li’l video.

Eat. At daycare the teachers always ask us to “Please bring more food for Melina.” Yup, our little girl loves to eat. Her current favorites: Finger foods! Especially pear, pinto beans, salmon, cheese, and little chunks of chicken or turkey. I haven’t let Dada give her salami just yet. She also likes yogurt mixed with fruit. No intense dislikes, but she tends to give tofu back to me or drop it on the floor.

Talk. Meli finally picked up the “mamamama” sound, which of course touched me to no end even though her use is still pretty indiscriminate. We’ve been practicing “da” for dada, “ma” for mama, “bro” for bro bro, and “ka” for kitty cat. Like a true Rapoza girl she babbles a lot (it sounds like she’s telling us a story), and often will talk herself to sleep.

Play. Meli’s favorite activities include rolling around on the floor, banging two blocks or stack cups together, swinging at the park, going on walks (either in the stroller or Ergo), and taking a bath (amazingly, she doesn’t mind her brother dumping water over her eyes). She also loves to cuddle with stuffed animals and sometimes tries to turn pages of board books, and has recently discovered one of her brother’s old play kitchens. Most random favorite toy: Any sort of water bottle. Play dates and groups have gotten much more interactive. These days it’s as much about the kids “socializing” as the moms.

No Comments »