nine months in, nine months out
Well, Martha has now been out in the atmosphere for a bit longer than half her life. She’s got four teeth out, and I’m pretty sure she’s working on two more. She’s back in a “I’m not really very interested in standing” phase, but I still think she’s going to start walking pretty soon. It’s hard to say whether she means anything specific when she says “dadadadda” or “mamamamama,” but it can still be cute – it’s certainly cuter than when she’s saying, “WAAAAAAUGH!”
I’m looking forward to at least a few key words, like “hungry” and “potty” and maybe, “actually, I think I’d prefer the chicken dinner tonight, please.” I also would not mind if she developed the urge and ability to give hugs on her own.
She’s eating chunkier foods, now, and we’re working on giving her a bit of grown-up food, now and then. It’s a lot of fun to watch her very nervously try to eat a piece of toast or blueberry pancake, for no reason I can clearly identify. I’m hoping that she gives eggs another try, and likes them, soon.
A few weeks ago she figured out stair-climbing, and now she loves to climb up the stairs. She shows only minimal interest in climbing down the stairs, and I haven’t tried to encourage it. She likes to sit on the sofa with Gloria and me, but she hasn’t quite grasped the fact that crawling off of its edge always leads to screaming and crying.
She’s also recently figured out that it’s fun to stick our her tongue. We’ll make a tongue-stuck-out face at her, and she will reciprocate, and then giggle. She’s also immensely amused by her own sneezes, although our sneezes still tend to frighten her a little bit.
In just a week, she’ll be celebrating her first Christmas, and she’ll get to unwrap some presents. I’m sure she’ll enjoy that, even if she’s just in it for the tearing up of paper. I’ll post some sure-to-be adorable pictures after the event.