Monaloca

The first birthday countdown is on. I know from Kai that we’ll be saying this for the next couple years, but each day Meli seems more like a little person (ok, toddler) than a baby. On the other hand, her development is also starting to feel more nuanced (new awareness and associations rather than giving her first smile or eating her first piece of toast). At eleven months old – and a few days from her first trip abroad – here’s what our little girl is up to.

Move. Melina crawls everywhere and pulls up every chance she gets. At daycare the teachers tell us she escapes the infant room – through the baby gate into the waddler room – at least 10-15 times a day. When we arrive each afternoon she immediately crawls to the gate and pulls up, then shakes it back and forth like a wee prisoner trying to escape. She’s also started doing this in her crib most mornings. She’s not cruising furniture yet, but at a park last week she finally figured out how to take a step when a push toy started to roll away from her. She’d walk a few steps then fall to her knees and keep on going as if nothing had happened. She now does the same at home with Kai’s toy shopping cart, and can get pretty far before slipping down.

Eat. One mom in our play group recently commented about Meli: “I’ve never seen a baby eat with such gusto!” She does love her food. She snatches morsels from my plate if they’re within reach, and laments loudly when she sees an adult eating something that looks good to her. A few weeks ago she swiped an apple from the fruit basket and took a bite with her two lonely bottom teeth. Daddy helped her get it started for real with an adult-sized chomp, then Melina gnawed on the apple – skin and all – for a good 30 minutes.

Play. Keeping with the food theme (and the interests of her brother) Melina’s favorite toy is now the big-kid kitchen that Daddy put in the corner of the real kitchen. She and Kai stock their mini fridge, open and close the door of their mini oven, and cook up wooden cheese and toast while we prep dinner just a few feet away.

Talk. Still babbling away. She’s really trying to communicate now, and will point to specific objects and say their names as they sound to her. To us, most of what she says sounds like “cat” or “dad.” Thor and Joey feel quite honored.

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