Fifteen

Adibaby is fifteen months. I'm not calling her "toddler" yet, because she is so babylike! I feel like I have a 7-8 month old. But lately, I have found myself thinking that she might earn the title of toddler some time soon!

She is transitioning onto all fours! Actually "threes" is more like it. She gets up on her hands and one knee. The other leg stays tucked under the tummy, horizontally across. I think it's a combination of not having enough strength to pull that leg out and leaving it there to support the cute belly. I have a feeling that she will actually crawl within the next two months!

As usual, Adi does more on the bed than on the floor. If she sees an item on the bed that she wants to reach, she gets onto hands and knees and actually walks her hands forward a couple of steps as I watch as if from another dimension. It's so surreal to see! Almost crawling! Her legs stay in the same place, and when her hands walk as far as she can stretch, she lies down fully, takes the object and sits back up.

Here she is on all fours on my bed:

It's very blurry because she is rocking back and forth, but she got into that position all by herself! I'm very proud, so I'm bragging.

She actually has a vocabulary of which to speak!!
When I tell her "up" she repeats it, "aaaaaaaah---" and the p sound is a snort coming from somewhere in her larynx. LOL.
She knows some body parts that she learned in therapy, but she needs to have exact conditions for her to make the connection. She needs to hear the same intonation, see the associated action and be in the same spot each time. But she has started disassociating some of the helpful hints. For example, to get her to show her mouth, the therapist says, "Moily" and does the Indian call, clapping her hand over her mouth while saying aaah. And Adel repeats it. To get Adel to show her stomach, the therapist sings, "Yummy in my tummy," and Adel drums on her belly as she was taught to do.
But lately she started disassociating some of the actions! She will drum on her mouth or belly when I ask her (not just the therapist) and sometimes the word itself is sufficient to get her drumming and I don't even have to model the action.
I don't think she understands that this is the mouth, this is the stomach... she views it as a game. I hear the chant, I do the motion. She wouldn't be able to just point to the body part on herself or on anyone else just yet.

She says "ah-mya" whenever the cat comes up to her. (She also shields her face with her hands in case the cat tries to pounce on her and topple her over like he has done in the past, which shows great memory, protective reflexes and an understanding of what to do!)

Adel transitions in and out of sitting like it's last year's news. And although it makes the therapists sigh in defeat, she doesn't stay on her tummy anymore- up she pops! It's important to her upper body strength to learn to crawl, so she also annoys the therapists by her pro tushie scoot. She doesn't use it often, nor does she travel long distances, but she can scoot backwards about five feet in high speed!

I officially can't let Adel see me eating, or I will have to share. Gone are the days when I could lie on the floor next to Adel, playing with her and eating ice cream. Now I can only let her see me eating healthy (and soft!) foods.

She is developing a great sense of humor! When the boys jump on beds, she doubles over in giggles. Once I was carrying Zusha as a joke and Adel was watching, all confused. Then I said, "This is my baby, Adel! This is your baby brother Zusha!" And giggles ensued once again! She will giggle if the boys do something wrong, like put a toy on the head.

She is really advancing, this one! I'm eager to see what the next few months have in store for us.

Just some photos of our resident girlie from the last month...

Bathy baby...


Toothy smile baby...


Bonding time baby...


A photo every child should have of themselves.


Clappy baby...


Hi, baby!


This picture isn't good or anything, but her expression combined with the way her hair sits in this photo just makes me laugh!


My little smiley face.


Bundled baby.