T at 15 months
It’s hard to think of T as a baby anymore, time is flying and with each day that passes she’s learning more and more. While we were at the Time Warner centre in New York a lady blew a kiss at T and that was it. Now T blows kisses at strangers wherever we go.
My proudest moment came when I arrived at nursery last month just in time to see T take her first step. Since then her confidence has grown as she’s started figuring out how to use her feet.
T finds walking hysterical. She starts beaming and clapping her heads as soon as she sets off and after a couple of feet she’s laughing so hard she falls over. She still crawls super-fast if she needs to get somewhere quickly but she’s enjoying pushing herself up to standing, toddling around, laughing hard, falling over and getting back up again.
A few weeks ago T wrestled her feeding spoon from her Daddy and started trying to feed herself. Now at mealtimes she has her own spoon and feeds herself in between spoonfuls supplied by Mummy or Daddy. Generally, her spoon is upside down and has no food whatsoever by the time it’s reached its destination. Regardless, T is absolutely thrilled. She carefully taps the spoon in her food and then lifts it to her mouth with glee.
Much to her Daddy’s amusement, T has started trying to “dress” herself in clothes from Mummy’s laundry basket which she tries to put on her head while standing in front of our bedroom mirror (I’ve no idea where she’s picked that up from…)
Three weeks ago T graduated from her infant car seat into a forward facing seat for toddlers which she’s enjoying immensely. I haven’t a clue as to how it works, as her Daddy handled the selecting and installation, but it looks great.
My latest project is brushing teeth. It’s not going so well. At first T refused to allow me to put the toothbrush anywhere near her mouth. I soon realised it would only happen if she was in control and tried it herself. Now we brush teeth in tandem, I do mine while holding her in one arm. She watches and copies Mummy’s actions in her own fashion. It’s a start at least…
T’s favourite toys of the moment are the remote controls for the TV and Virgin box, the cordless home phone, Bug (a cross-eyed furry toy her Daddy picked up after she fell in love with it during a shopping trip they made to Toys R Us) and her dinosaur book.
Over Christmas T was captivated by the stairs at Grandma’s and scrambled up the staircase to play with her cousins again and again and again. She was less interested in opening presents; it was all about the stairs and playing on Grandma’s piano.
So far the only coherent words T loves to say over and over again are “Dada,” “Mama” and “Nanna.” I can’t wait to hear what comes next…
Photo credit: Leo Reynolds
T at 13 months
Now T is getting older she’s starting to become more confident. It’s really lovely to see.
My husband and I are enjoying watching T trying to stand without holding on to anything. She looks like she’s surfing – her knees are bent, her bottom’s sticking out and she’s got her hands ready to steady herself for when she tumbles. It’s amazing to watch. She likes to practise standing in her own space in her own time and often doesn’t realise we’re watching.
I’ve started reading T a longer bedtime story before she’s tucked into her cot. Right now we’re reading The Tiger Who Came to Tea and she absolutely adores it. As soon as her milk is done T starts eagerly stretching towards the chair where the book rests before story time begins and as soon as the story starts she hangs on to every single word.
During the day her favourite toys are the Big Red Talking Bus, the Thomas the Tank sit and ride, her building blocks and the tambourine. T loves playing her tambourine, especially if she hears a song on the radio she likes.
T’s top two teeth are coming through but she doesn’t seem phased by this for the time being. She’s eating really well and sleeping through the night again now she’s adjusted back from our trip to the States.
T is waving hello and goodbye to pretty much everyone now. If she’s feeling shy she does a tiny little wave and when she’s really happy it’s a huge wave and a grin.
I’ve been pretty bad at baby signing at home. We still do our weekly class but I love it for the sing songs and the educational stuff more than anything else. T does do the sign for “duck” though when it’s bath time as I think it’s the one sign I’ve consistently remembered to do.
T’s favourite songs of the moment are “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”, “Baa Baa, Black Sheep” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. T likes to do the “twinkle” actions with her hands and the other two songs make her burst out laughing for some reason every single time.
Photo credit: Katiescrapbooklady
T at 12 months
At the age of one, T is now the proud owner of two bottom teeth. (It turns out T’s teeth are like London buses… you wait for AGES for one to show up and then, of course, two turn up at once.)
T has three new favourite things – Spencer, sheep and her xylophone…
Our little girl has fallen in love with Spencer, her teddy bear. Spencer is the lucky recipient of lots and lots of kisses.
T loves to play her xylophone; I was amazed that she knew how to play it straight away. It makes me smile to watch her concentrate while carefully striking the keys.
T’s is totally fascinated by the If I Were a Sheep book she received for her birthday. She loves “reading” it to her Daddy if he’s home, or to herself.
Her favourite word is still “Dada” but she calls for “Mama” when she’s really hungry.
At nursery this week T started painting for the very first time. She’s also becoming more and more inquisitive and loves walking around while holding Mummy’s hands.
T is starting to look less like a baby and more like a little girl now, I barely recognise the baby in our photos…
Tooth!
T’s first tooth has finally appeared! It’s at the bottom, just left of centre.
I don’t think T realises. She was a bit irritable the night before last and we knew it was starting to come through. Now she seems back to normal.
Just in time for her birthday!
Photo credit: Larissa Holland
T at 11 months
T is now constantly on the move. You can’t take your eyes off her for a second.
She can crawl super fast (forwards now, the backwards thing seems to have been forgotten). As soon as she’s let loose T moves like lightning to the nearest piece of furniture that can be used as leverage.
T loves to stand, it’s all she seems to want to do. Her favourite standing spot is the leg of the dining table, where she’ll look up and grin as Mummy types away on her laptop.
T can support herself with one hand while upright but when she lets both hands go she tumbles to the floor.
Her food consumption is now MUCH better. I think T’s discovered she needs the fuel for all her new endeavours and she’s steadily gaining weight.
In many ways it feels like some of the harder things have clicked into place. T eats every meal without protest. Bottles are polished off in minutes and T even holds her bottle herself if she’s not too sleepy. She would love to stay up with the grown-ups at night but T understands bedtime and knows how to send herself off to sleep in the evening.
That said, she’s also learnt she can stand up in her cot and shout for Mummy or Daddy if need be! The mobile over her cot has had to be raised along with the lowering of the cot base to prevent a future escape…
Daytime naps can be a struggle as T doesn’t seem to want to miss a second of action. Even though she’s curious and full of beans, compared to her peers, T is definitely a cautious baby. She likes to explore new toys and experiences slowly and thoughtfully.
T loves the swings, the glee on her face when we spend time at the playground is just priceless. She also loves sing songs, any music and dancing with Mummy. I hope that continues!
STILL no teeth though…
Photo credit: Rupert Ganzer
T the Explorer
T’s inquisitive nature and mobility have kicked into high gear.
Yesterday I looked up from my laptop to find, in a matter of seconds, T had gone from playing happily with her stacking cups to standing in front of the TV table while pushing the flat screen with both hands…
T’s daddy is on a quest to find a fence that can contain her curiosity. I’m not sure it can be contained so easily, T is a baby on a mission it seems.
Up till this week I could take a shower while T lay on the change mat singing to herself. Those days are numbered. Yesterday morning I peeked round the shower curtain to find T was no longer on the change mat and spotted two little legs under the sink exploring instead.
So, this morning T found herself in the door bouncer while I showered as she can’t escape from there…not yet anyway!
Even though I have to be extra careful now, it’s really fun to watch our little one discover her world and achieve new feats.
Today T started taking a few wobbly baby steps for the first time, while I held her arms. She looked so proud of herself! Where did my baby go?
Photo credit: Thomas Life
T at 10 months
Over the past two weeks I’ve witnessed T’s sudden surge of energy. It’s unprecedented. All of sudden T seems to think she’s a “big one.”
If she’s in her door bouncer she wants to spin around super-fast like an acrobat, if she’s sat on my lap she wants to clamber all over the sofa instead.
T knows her name and if you say it she’ll turn to you. She can also follow some instructions, it’s amazing to see. If I ask her for a kiss she’ll give me one and then strokes my cheeks with both hands. It makes me melt every single time.
When she’s hungry she’ll tell me by pursing her lips, popping her tongue out and make a repeated “popping” sound.
T loves to stand and each day she’s getting stronger and stronger. If she’s playing on all fours she’s trying to do what looks like pilates or trying to explore under the sofas. It’s funny to watch.
T likes to copy actions. If I cough, she coughs. If I laugh, she laughs. It’s really sweet. She’s clapping her hands all the time now. If something’s really cool or if she hears a song she loves it warrants a brief round of applause.
Everywhere we go people comment on T’s hair and her eyelashes – both are long, thick and curly. Her hair is growing so fast! She’s very patient when I comb it though.
T still loves to suck her thumb, it’s always the thumb on her right hand, but I’ve now realised she does this when she’s tired.
Most of all, T loves to be outdoors. She’s fascinated by new places and gets visibly excited when she realises we are getting ready to head out for the day.
Still no teeth though!
Photo credit: Leo Reynolds
T at 9 months
T now raises her arms to be picked up if I say “up, up, up…”
She has learnt how to give “kisses”. It’s the sweetest thing… T holds my face and places her smiling, open mouth against my cheek. I usually get four sloppy kisses in a row.
T has crawled twice in the past 10 days, but only at Sing and Sign class. I think it’s something to do with the wooden floors…
T’s favourite position is sitting but she’s starting to bear weight on her legs more and more. She can stand for a few seconds while I hold her hands, before crashing down to her bottom.
Her favourite sound to make is still “dadadada” but just this week she’s started making “mamamama” noises. “Dadadada” still wins though.
T loves singing and clapping her hands by bumping her bent fingers together. She’s slowly realising she can uncurl her fingers and I reckon she’ll be doing real claps very soon. She especially loves singing along to the national anthems during the World Cup and “If You’re Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands!”
Now that she’s eating 3 solid meals a day, T loves her breakfast porridge most of all. Banana runs a close second.
T’s favourite toys by far are the stacking cups her Auntie bought for her. She can’t stack them but she loves to chew on the rim.
T has started moving around in her cot at night and her favourite fall asleep position is now on her left side.
No sign of teeth yet!
Photo credit: Leo Reynolds
“Okay Mummy, I’m off now, bye!”
This is the look T had on her face this afternoon as she crawled for the very first time!
We were at Sing and Sign when T suddenly decided now was the time to make her move. We sit in a semi circle during the class while Vesna, the teacher, entertains the grown-ups and babies with sing-songs and signing.
There are usually a couple of crawlers each week who love scrambling to the front to look up at Vesna and play with the toys. T usually watches with fascination but this time she decided it was her turn to be the centre of attention.
So off she went, crawling backwards with alacrity, making her way half way across the room in seconds while I gawped.
I’ve been meaning to update T’s baby book for ages – I think now’s the time!
The feeding challenge
So, I spent an hour and a half at the GP surgery yesterday waiting to see a health visitor who finally turned up 65 minutes after my appointment.
I didn’t mind waiting though, as I was worried about T’s feeds and needed some advice.
It turns out my diminished milk supply may be a blessing in disguise. The health visitor weighed T and told me that she’s not gained as much weight as she should over the past two months because she needs to eat more solids.
I felt like a really bad mother when I heard that. T’s been a fussy eater but I realise now I haven’t pushed her to eat as much as I should have.
The health visitor said my milk will probably come back, and I do have a bit more than I did yesterday already, but the main focus has to be getting T on to 3 meals a day.
As soon as we got home I cut 5 slices from a banana, mashed them up and gave some to T. She ate it, slowly, but she ate it all without blowing a single raspberry. I sliced more and she ate that too. I kept slicing until the whole banana was gone. That was the first time she’d done that.
It made me realise that T could eat way more than I assumed. Because she never cries for more baby food I figured she was satisfied. I now suspect she’s just gotten used to being hungry pretty much all the time.
I feel absolutely awful about it. My husband says there’s no point looking back, now we know what we know we just need to look forward and make sure T eats lots and lots!
The health visitor recommended I bring her back in two weeks to get weighed again. I’m hoping by then she’ll be making good progress.
Photo credit: jmbmommy
