14 Months

Remember how Eli stopped counting at 12 months? Well, I'm not done yet. Should I point out to him that even the pediatrician uses months until they total 24? Hmmm...

Well, today Elsie is 14 months old. (Which also brings to mind the terrifying realization that if my children are going to be 15 months apart, I don't have that much longer to go!!! Oy!)

Some thoughts about her crazy rapid development this month:

- Elsie has excellent hand-eye coordination. I first noticed when she had two pacifiers on the floor and reached down and picked them both up at the same time using separate hands.

- She's a climber. Oh, beware should there be any surface at her waist height or lower. It's fair game. She wants desperately to be able to climb into the bathtub on her own.

- She started pointing to what she wants with one finger (index finger). And she sounds like a little monkey as she tries to communicate what she wants.

- Diaper changes have become more like trying to change a diaper on a buttery bald monkey. She does not want to have it done and will flip and twist out of my grip and run off nekkid. I have to give her something random to hold onto if it's not feeding time. Nail clipper, blue bulb of doom, medicine dropper, cell phone, whatever.

- She's still using a bottle for milk, sippy cup for water. She'll drink ice cold water, but not ice cold milk. I'm not sure what that's all about. She's drinking a mixture of formula and/or whole milk, just depending on whatever is easiest.

- With six teeth, she's getting better at eating table food. Some stuff she just gums for a while and then spits out (like canteloupe this morning). She doesn't mind us feeding her drippy stuff (yogurt, baby food, ice cream, etc), but she wants to help. Most stuff we just let her use her hands. Soon she'll be entirely self-feeding.

- She's not only walking, she's almost running, and this week she started walking backward. She is able to pivot instead of walking in a forward circle. It's amazing how quickly she learned. She's climbing up stairs and backing down stairs. Woe to me when I forget to put the baby gate at the base of the stairs.

- She's started to be fascinated by the bathroom -- the toilet lid raising and lowering and the toilet paper roll. She gets mad that I won't let her play with those things, or the plunger or the toilet brush.

- She loves opening and closing doors, but gets mad if the door closes all the way. She also loves drawers and will reach up over her head feeling around inside the drawers to find good stuff. Where did she learn that?

- And, probably the cutest thing is that she has started barking at the neighborhood dogs. "Ouaf, ouaf."

- She also can say her vowels. Sometimes she'll just randomly bust out with A-E-I-O-? (Sometimes it's another O, and sometimes it's an oooo sound)

- She loves the inflatable mattress that is set up in the guest bedroom for now. I thought about deflating it and putting it away after D left, but then I figured it wasn't really worth the disappointment on Elsie's part.

- She loves the cats and will chase them around the house. They are very patient with her and haven't hurt her when they get annoyed--they just get up and run away, beyond the baby gates and the reach of the baby.

- She keeps bringing us objects. Anything she finds. It's cute, and often it's maddening since I have to go behind her and put stuff back.

What she's not doing:

- Saying anything that we understand, though she talks all. the. time. Sometimes she'll repeat sounds that we make, but she's not labeling objects yet. She does effectively use "Uh-oh" and "Ow" but those are onomatopoeic and don't count as first words.

Wow. That's a lot in the last month. And really, this has all just blossomed in the last 4-5 weeks. I'm floored. And it will just pick up speed.

I'm 35 weeks this week. Elsie came at 39 weeks. Time is running short. I need to get my house unpacked and my business squared away. But I need to rest, too, because this heat is nearly unbearable.

Cheers.