I think that Gwen is the most fun she has ever been. She is 9 months old and she can do so much now! Here are some of her newly acquired skills:
1. Knows where mommy's nose is located: She is not a conventional baby, however. I say, "Where's mommy's nose?" and she does one of two things. She either slaps me in the nose or (her preferred method) she bites me on the nose. Thankfully she doesn't have teeth. I sadly have only encouraged this behavior because I laugh every time she does it (she giggles like a crazy person). I may not be laughing when her teeth finally come through though.
2. Says "Mama" and knows who that is: She knows her first word!!!! And it's mama!!!! Unfortunately, she usually only says it when she is sad or angry. But she says it to me because she wants me. For a while she just made the sound, but now she says it because she knows that it is me and that I will come to her if she says it.
3. Walks with a walker and tries to stand: Gwen got her first taste of walking freedom on Friday night. She had been forced to only walk along furniture and walls for far too long. I bought her a walker (Keith looked at it and said, "This literally looks like a walker that a grandma would use." http://www.amazon.com/VTech-80-077000-Vtech-Sit-to-Stand-Learning/dp/B000NZQ010/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1349135212&sr=1-1&keywords=walker), she took off across the open floor and never looked back. She loved it! And within an hour she was attempting to let go of the furniture and stand on her own.
4. Feeding mommy: I guess she wants to feed mommy in the same way that mommy has been feeding her. She hasn't been interested in eating solids since she started teething. The only way that I have been able to get her to eat anything (other than breastmilk) is by putting the food directly in her mouth (if I put it in her hand she throws it on the floor to the dog). She has been handing me her toys lately, with the understanding that I will immediately hand the toy back to her, at which point she will decide if she wants to hand the toy back to me or keep it for herself. But the last couple of nights, I have handed her pieces of food and she has reached up and put them into my mouth. She seems super proud of herself when she feeds me.
5. Sharing toys with Simba: In the same way she has been handing me things, she has started handing her toys to Simba, probably in hopes that he will play with her. Sadly, he either ignores her, or takes the toy, and, unlike mommy, does not give the toy back, but rather carries it out through his doggy door to the three season room that is his refuge. I watched her drop a shaker egg in front of him about 15 or 20 times yesterday, trying to get him to pick it up.
6. Initiates Peek-A-Boo: Gwen loves Peek-A-Boo. If you are a stranger and she doesn't like you, all you have to do to get on her good side is play a lively game of peek-a-boo. It is a mind-numbingly boring game, but she loves it so very much. At least the game is entertaining to me when she starts giggling. I used to have to do all of the hiding in peek-a-boo. I would either cover my face, or hide around a corner or behind a shower curtain, and Gwen would come find me. Now she grabs a blanket and holds it over her own face to start up a round of peek-a-boo. I'm surprised to discover she has a good deal of patience when covering her face. She will hide behind the blanket for 2-3 seconds before uncovering it. I don't even have that much patience for hiding.
7. Signs: I have been working on baby signs with Gwen, on and off, since she was about 4 or 5 months old. I forget sometimes that I am supposed to be teaching her sign language, so it has been kind of inconsistent. But she learned the sign for "more." Well, kind of. I think she thinks it means "want." She does it now when she wants to be breastfed. I guess it makes sense since that is her favorite thing.
8. Tongue clicking and raspberries: If you do a raspberry or a tongue click, she will do the same. I switch back and forth between the two and she follows right along!
So she is growing leaps and bounds. It is so much fun to watch.
1. Knows where mommy's nose is located: She is not a conventional baby, however. I say, "Where's mommy's nose?" and she does one of two things. She either slaps me in the nose or (her preferred method) she bites me on the nose. Thankfully she doesn't have teeth. I sadly have only encouraged this behavior because I laugh every time she does it (she giggles like a crazy person). I may not be laughing when her teeth finally come through though.
2. Says "Mama" and knows who that is: She knows her first word!!!! And it's mama!!!! Unfortunately, she usually only says it when she is sad or angry. But she says it to me because she wants me. For a while she just made the sound, but now she says it because she knows that it is me and that I will come to her if she says it.
3. Walks with a walker and tries to stand: Gwen got her first taste of walking freedom on Friday night. She had been forced to only walk along furniture and walls for far too long. I bought her a walker (Keith looked at it and said, "This literally looks like a walker that a grandma would use." http://www.amazon.com/VTech-80-077000-Vtech-Sit-to-Stand-Learning/dp/B000NZQ010/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1349135212&sr=1-1&keywords=walker), she took off across the open floor and never looked back. She loved it! And within an hour she was attempting to let go of the furniture and stand on her own.
4. Feeding mommy: I guess she wants to feed mommy in the same way that mommy has been feeding her. She hasn't been interested in eating solids since she started teething. The only way that I have been able to get her to eat anything (other than breastmilk) is by putting the food directly in her mouth (if I put it in her hand she throws it on the floor to the dog). She has been handing me her toys lately, with the understanding that I will immediately hand the toy back to her, at which point she will decide if she wants to hand the toy back to me or keep it for herself. But the last couple of nights, I have handed her pieces of food and she has reached up and put them into my mouth. She seems super proud of herself when she feeds me.
5. Sharing toys with Simba: In the same way she has been handing me things, she has started handing her toys to Simba, probably in hopes that he will play with her. Sadly, he either ignores her, or takes the toy, and, unlike mommy, does not give the toy back, but rather carries it out through his doggy door to the three season room that is his refuge. I watched her drop a shaker egg in front of him about 15 or 20 times yesterday, trying to get him to pick it up.
6. Initiates Peek-A-Boo: Gwen loves Peek-A-Boo. If you are a stranger and she doesn't like you, all you have to do to get on her good side is play a lively game of peek-a-boo. It is a mind-numbingly boring game, but she loves it so very much. At least the game is entertaining to me when she starts giggling. I used to have to do all of the hiding in peek-a-boo. I would either cover my face, or hide around a corner or behind a shower curtain, and Gwen would come find me. Now she grabs a blanket and holds it over her own face to start up a round of peek-a-boo. I'm surprised to discover she has a good deal of patience when covering her face. She will hide behind the blanket for 2-3 seconds before uncovering it. I don't even have that much patience for hiding.
7. Signs: I have been working on baby signs with Gwen, on and off, since she was about 4 or 5 months old. I forget sometimes that I am supposed to be teaching her sign language, so it has been kind of inconsistent. But she learned the sign for "more." Well, kind of. I think she thinks it means "want." She does it now when she wants to be breastfed. I guess it makes sense since that is her favorite thing.
8. Tongue clicking and raspberries: If you do a raspberry or a tongue click, she will do the same. I switch back and forth between the two and she follows right along!
So she is growing leaps and bounds. It is so much fun to watch.
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