So we're a bit past exactly 13 months old. But not by much.
As you've seen, Natalie is beyond walking...she is speedy! We can't always keep up with her.
Her vocabulary is really starting to expand. So far, she says, "Mom," "Dada/DeetDeet," "Woof-woof" (for dogs), "Up," "Hi," "Bye-bye," "Ball," "Woah!", and "Nayna" [for banana]. I think that's about it. She's able to imitate a host of other words we say; her favorite being, "Baba" for "bubble." The girl loooves blowing bubbles. At library storytime, they blow bubbles at the end, and she chases them around, stomping out each remaining bubble like a baby T Rex.
She really likes seeing other kids, but she's not quite sure how to interact with them just yet. Thankfully, the only times she's had separation anxiety in the nursery were when she wasn't feeling well. She's very confident and sweet. Probably the comment she gets most often is, "What a beautiful boy!" Ha :) This is only on days when she's not in pink. So I try to dress her in girly clothes, lest she be scarred. When I explain that she's a girl, people usually say, "No wonder she's so pretty!"
One of our "fears" came true today. We took Natalie to the nursery of a new church we visited, and when they checked her in, the nursery worker said, "Wow! That's interesting that her name is Natalie, when you [pointing to me] look like Natalie Portman." Doh...we hope people don't think we did that intentionally. That never crossed my mind, though Taylor says he thought of it once or twice but decided not to make an issue of it, since we both liked the name so much.
Natalie is at a fun age where she is learning so much and loves exploring. She's a bit more independent at home, now that she can walk. She is realizing she can say no to things, which she usually does by adorably shaking her head, but sometimes her "no" involves throwing a fit. We're trying to find the balance of setting limits but letting her have some autonomy in the small things. Most of what she says "no" to right now is food...which is frustrating, since she says no to things she has always liked!
Loves those blueberries.
One thing that amazes me is her receptive language (her comprehension). I can ask her to do almost anything, and she will do it. "Push this," "Pull this," "Bring me x," "Give dada his shoes" (as she loves carrying around our shoes), "Turn off your music box," "Put your toys in the box"...I'm so impressed. I have no idea what normal is, but I'm just blown away by how much she understands. What I'm also enjoying at this age is that she usually does what we ask. We give her so much positive feedback and overexcited "Good job!!"s that she is just thrilled to obey. Love that.
Enjoying the animals at the NC State Fair
On this day, Natalie really, really wanted to be with Dad:
A preview of Halloween: sooo funny.
Natalie is finally becoming gentler with Hallie. It has taken her quite awhile to get this concept, but her fine motor skills and her cognition are finally in sync with the idea that she needs to be gentle to animals. Her fine motor skills have improved quite a bit: she suddenly stacked rings on her ring toy one day, and she has figured out how to move small pieces in zig zag patterns on a track.
Her bed times are pretty consistent, although naps still are not. She LOVES her Pooh Bear these days, who is always in her crib with her, and the hugs she gives him are just adorable. She's learning to brush her teeth (she finally has 6!), and we're slowly weaning.
I love this age because anything is a good toy - even the mounds of laundry. Everything is worthy of intense exploration and scrutiny. I love that.
1 comment:
She is so adorable. I love the laundry pics. And I had totally never thought of it before, but you totally DO look like Natalie Portman!!
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