Wielding Tools

I just took advantage of a rare moment when she was too busy to care about demanding the camera.

She's been more consumed by her play these past few days, which is nice. I think the ability to entertain oneself is an endlessly useful skill.

P.S. Some new signs: kitty, happy, sleep, hat, monkey, baby and possibly Dada. Anika's also pretty clearly saying bye, and taking an earnest stab at kitty, monkey and ball. Not much development in the walking department this week though. She's very good at standing on her own and cruising, but is hesitant to strike out on her own.

Freestanding!

Here's evidence of the near-walking. She's taken about 1.5-2 steps here and there over the past few days, and regularly stands on her own for about 7-10 seconds.

This image is evidence also of why I'm not taking more photos or videos these days. Every time I get out the camera Anika quits whatever she was doing and demands I relinquish the device.

One Giant Leap?

I saw Anika take one small step this evening. She's been trying to stand on her own quite a bit for the past day or so. I counted 9 seconds on one "stand" this evening. She's also really getting the hang of the sign language. I feel like she's learning a new sign almost every day. New signs include: diaper, eat, phone and fan. She's definitely still interested in signing and saying kitty, monkey, bird and duck, but none are passing exactly. She says "gi" often when pointing at her kitty and monkey stuffed animals, "di" for dog or duck, and "ba" when we talk about birds. But she says "ba" for bread, banana and ball too. Oh, and she says "ah ah ah ah" (as in "ooh ooh ah ah") whenever I talk about Davely or monkeys. Does that count as a word? If she's holding Davely she shakes him up and down as she says this, just like her mama does.

She's also capable of stacking a block, playing ball nowadays, and screaming when she doesn't get what she wants. I think my baby is transforming into a toddler before my very eyes...

The Eleven Month Update

Well, we are extremely busy these days. I'm juggling being a full-time student and mom (with short-term help from Grandma Karen), Andrew is moving into our new home after a brief--an surprisingly relaxed--week and a half of residency, and Anika is... well, just busy.

Andrew was surprised to learn that he'd been scheduled to have a one week vacation just two weeks into residency. It's not what you'd call much needed, but it's honestly an ideal time. He had the movers deliver our stuff yesterday, and after two days of unpacking he'll join us in SF again for a few days on Tuesday. Anika and I will be go glad for his companionship and help.

So that I can get back to work here, I've just posted some recent photos and will list off some recent developments below.

Words*:
Bread
Yeah

Signs**:
Hi/bye
More
Dog
Wash
Milk
Toothbrush
Hooray
Drink

Favorite Activities:
Brushing her hair and teeth, along with those of Mama and her stuffed animals
Kissing
Playing ball
Listening to music/dancing
Playing with nesting cups
Reading books
Pushing her walking toy--and giving rides to her friends
Eating (new likes: curry, nectarines and lasagna; new dislikes: baby food)
Standing (for about 5-7 seconds on her own)

*Anika's been saying "brah" and "yah" for at least a month now, but I'm just now coming around to the idea that they actually mean something. "Yeah" seems like an odd first word to me; nevertheless, when I said "do you want to brush your teeth?" (with no toothbrush in sight) yesterday she said "yeah", made the sign for toothbrush, and then did it again when I demonstrated for Grandma. That's pretty hard to deny...


**She also seems to be trying to sign (and/or say) duck, kitty, bird, eat, bread, and possibly "all done," but they're not quite passable or confused (she signs "dog" when she sees a cat, for instance).

What a smarty-pants!