Jan. 11: It’s hard for me to believe that Sylvia will be one-year-old in a month! This morning during breakfast (popovers…mmmmm), we noticed that it is the 11th. Andrew is really fascinated with looking at calendars and talking about the month and date. We noted that now when people ask us how old she is, we’ll say, “11 months!” He’s so in love with his sister:)
Sylvia is on the go these days. Her daytime naps have gotten really consistent. Usually about an hour and 15 minutes at 9am and 1pm, but sometimes she’s napping for longer. The late afternoon/early evening times have become dramatically more enjoyable. She’s screeching again, and it’s rather terrible, but it’s not constant. Plus, she can communicate in other ways now, so she reserves screeching for when she’s not getting her way.
Sylvia has lots of new tricks:
- She’s imitating. In the last couple weeks, she’s started doing things like blowing when I blow. It’s so fun to play! She’ll shake her head when I shake my head, and she’ll do other silly moments and gestures when she’s in the mood.
- Sylvia is pushing her little stroller/walker all over the house. She looks so happy and eager and rambunctious when she’s on the go!
- She wakes up from her naps pointing at the lambs who live on the top of her shelves. “Mmmmaaa!” she says, “Mmmmmmmmaaaa!” I thought originally that “mmmmaaa” meant me, but it turns out it means, “I want.” She often wants me. But she also wants Dad, big brother’s toys, the remote control, the sink, Dad’s beer, a candle, or Poodle Nose (her lovey). She reaches her arm out (often palm up) and announces “Mmmmaa!” Better act fast, or a screech might be close behind! She’s also able to direct the adult who is carrying her by pointing where she wants to go and giving negative feedback when you go the wrong way. It’s amazing to watch her become more and more able to interact with the world.
- Sylvia loves water. Tubby time is one of her favorite parts of the day. And I’ve discovered an activity that will occupy her for a long time. I prop her up on one knee and let her play in the sink. Leave a little water running out of the tap, give her something to splash in the water, and she is set. The only problem is that if I want to stop (even after say 30 minutes), she is NOT OK with that. Much screeching ensues. Also, everytime we pass the sink without playing in it, she feels thwarted and verbally punishes her carrier.
- My 11-month Sylvia is a social butterfly. On our hardest days, all that it takes is a new face to make her light up, calm down, and watch with wonder. I think our biggest challenges occur when she gets bored with me. This kid may need some group activities!
- Sylvia still loves going outdoors even though she’s bundled head-to-toe. She crawls around in the snow, faceplants in the snow, laughs while I pull her on her sled. Last night I took Andrew and Sylvia each on their sleds for a ride down the street. It was after 5pm, and the sky was dark. The kids were interacting with each other and enjoying watching the glistening white snow as we trekked down to “the Court” and back.
- Nights are going alright. Not fabulous. She wakes up at 10ish, 1ish and 5ish to nurse. I’m glad that the 4am nurse is out. Sometimes the 5am nurse is late enough that I just go the gym afterwards. One night last week, she skipped the 1am nurse. It was wonderful:)
So that’s a little snippet of Sylvia’s world these days. Happy birthday, sweet impish girl!