First Steps

Lilli took her first lurching steps on Monday. 3 unsteady little steps between me and the couch. Last week she did take a couple of steps at the beach with my hands around her middle. Though the only support my hands were providing was a false sense of security, I'm not sure whether those wobbly paces really count. However Monday's steps were ones she should be proud of! We're waiting for her to repeat them and expand on them, but she's focusing instead on standing alone. Yesterday she looked so happy with herself when she realized she was standing without support. Her excited arm flapping quickly brought her down to the floor with a bump.

Arriving with this blossoming skill is anxiety. Loud noises spook Lilli. Truck and bikes roaring past, dogs barking, Jon sneezing, buzzing lawn mowers, grumbling helicopters. Quieter noises will prompt Lilli to sit by me and grasp my leg. A loud noise will bring a panicked look to her face and she'll rapidly crawl into my arms and press herself into me demanding a tight cuddle. No longer can she eat in the dinning area. Something outside the window is terrifying. Lilli now eats in the kitchen or with the shades drawn. Her anxiety is even seeping into her night time sleep. Two nights this week she has awoken screaming and will not settle for hours. Last night I camped on the floor by her crib. Every 5 to 10 minutes she would reassure herself I was still there. The pressure of my hand on her back was not quite enough. I had to speak. She had finally settled by 1.30am, which was a vast improvement from Monday night when she was agitated until 3am.

But perhaps it's her rapidly developing communication skills that are provoking these restless nights. Yesterday Lilli perfectly answered a simple question. She pointed to my glass of water and insisted "dat dat dat." To which I asked, "Lilli want water?". Lilli responded with a firm nod and "esss." It felt like our first true conversation. Her current favourite word is up. As we climb the stairs she repeats like a mantra "up up up up." Her repertoire of sign language is increasing quickly. She signs more, all done, food, drink, milk, fish, car and airplane. There are a few more signs which she's invented and I have yet to translate!

Airplane, Helicopter, Motorbike, Truck

Lilli looks to the sky every time an airplane wooshes over head or helicopter buzzes past. She eagerly cranes her head to catch sight of the garbage truck as it rumbles by the window. Loud roaring motorbikes are puzzling, perhaps because they're too fast to catch sight of. When we're outside playing in the garden these deep grumbles are a little frightening and Lilli always seeks the reassurance of my arms. She stops what she is doing and crawls over to me and climbs quickly into my embrace. From the safety of my hug she peers over my shoulder and squints up at the sky searching for the source of the noise. On a recent sunny afternoon Lilli and I were playing with the water tub in the garden. She sits naked on the rug wearing nothing but her floppy sunhat and climbs in and out of our washing-up bowl which is filled with warm water. It was rush hour and their were plenty of TV helicopters monitoring the traffic and planes slowing down as they approached the airport. I frequently found myself cuddling a dripping wet naked baby, slick with watery sunscreen.

The Name Game

Lilli is determined to learn the names of all the items in our home. With her pointing finger and imperative look we label the mask, the mirror, the birthday cards, the candle sticks, the lights, the couch, the kitchen, the door ...... When we ask, "Where is the ....." she points to the intended object and pronounces "there" very clearly or if feeling lazy or uncertain just tilts her head in the general direction. While playing in her nook with all her books pulled off the shelf and scattered on the floor, we invented a new game, "Pass Mummy the Book." I was amazed that Lilli would retrieve specific books for me when requested. Sometimes she needed a little more information than just the title, but her face would light up in recognition after a few first lines and she would busily scan the messy assortment for the tone in question.

A Picky Eater

Lilli is becoming quite discerning about what food she enjoys!! It seems as though she lost her taste for pureed food overnight. Now it's quite a challenge to make sure she eats a balanced diet. Before the green vegetables were disguised in the mush. If she had her way she would eat cheese and blueberries for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Though I am relieved that she has taken to cows milk and finds drinking it from her cup very amusing! So we're down one nursing a day and if the conditions aligned for me, I could have most of the day to myself! We nurse first thing in the morning, after her second nap at 4pm and then again just before bed.

This morning I thought I would give her a little treat of some apple juice (very diluted) with her breakfast. She downed the entire cup of juice and then refused to eat her yogurt, cereal, apple and blueberry blend. This was the first time she's refused breakfast. Luckily for me she consented to eat her breakfast when I added puffed kamut. By the end of breakfast she was dripping. The apple juice had passed straight through her!

Now, what to give her for lunch?