carmelajune: April 2010

Now that she's 10 months old, Ela figured it was probably time she learned something new, like flying. She and Mom joined some friends for some airplane fun at the Museum of Flight today. Asher is a bit older than Ela (he's 3 1/2), so he explained to Ela how a couple of different things worked, politely inquired into why she ate baby food and drank from a sippy cup, and announced at lunch that he would like to be a pilot when he grows up. And a doctor.

It's been a fun month for Ela. She's an excellent explorer — curious and determined — and she's starting to assert herself. She's a talkative, affectionate, curious little girl, and she has no trouble letting us know what she wants, and what she doesn't like.

Ela's favorite things right now including standing up, reaching, and putting things in her mouth. She loves crawling, and gets frustrated if she's made to sit for too long — she has boundless energy, and loves to crawl from object of interest to object of interest, happily exploring things along the way. She crawls from the living room to the dining room to the kitchen, where she spends some time checking out her favorite spots (the cats' water bowl, her Tupperware drawer, the fridge, and the cabinet where the pots and pans live). She also likes helping Mom unload the dishwasher. Somehow, she always, always seems to know exactly where the knives are in the silverware caddy. Then she's back into the dining room to torment a cat or pull herself up at her baby gate, then back to the living room to pull up onto the couch or back to the kitchen to visit Mom while she makes dinner. Mom doesn't really get how Ela's not more tired, because Mom's tired just thinking about keeping up with her. Ela's not terribly interested in toys right now except as stops along the way between areas to explore. She mostly loves to dig around in things, to crawl to something and then explore it thoroughly. She also learned recently how to climb up onto a very low shelf or step (the old dead printer, to be exact); she enjoys trying to climb things, but she's more tentative about it. Our favorite things to do now include going to places with lots of space for babies to crawl and explore, like KidQuest, or the park when it's sunny.

Ela's really learning to communicate — she babbles and gurgles and makes all sorts of noises. Mom is convinced she's started saying, "Hi!" when she sees her or Dad. Dad thinks she's just making happy baby noises, but believes she's calling him when she crawls toward him saying, "Abba-abba-abba." (Abba is Hebrew for Dad.) Ela is learning to wave, and knows the hand motion for "bye-bye" even though she doesn't do it consistently when people leave.

Every now and then, something will crack her up, and she'll laugh and laugh. Earlier today, she was having a grand time rolling around on Mom and Dad's bed, sitting up and then falling backward into the covers, and laughing her head off. The cats usually crack her up in some way, as do toes and feet. She also laughs her head off when Mom tickles her chest; this is hands-down hilarious, and Ela can be counted on to tuck her chin under, hold her hands up in protest, and start preemptive giggling when Mom holds her hands up, wiggles her fingers, and says, "I'm gonna get you!"

As before, Ela doesn't like to go to sleep; at this point, there's so much to see and explore and play with that sleep is a resented interruption. At this very moment she should be down in her crib trying to take a nap, but instead she's fussing, making high-pitched motor boat sounds, and reaching for Mom's cello and strumming the strings. Mom thinks this is funny, but isn't getting her out of her crib until she's had a chance to try to sleep.

Ela's eating more solid foods, but she seems to prefer some of the old baby food standbys, and she'll still gag dramatically if something's too chunky. She's warmed up to the avocado and will eat it well if it's cut up. She also seems to enjoy beans and lentils, small bits of cheese, and Cheerios. She also really enjoys yogurt. She loves ice cream, but doesn't get it very often, and only a few licks before bed. She likes steamed vegetables as finger foods, but more as a matter of curiosity and practicing her pincer grasp — at this point, it's very slow going to get her to eat much on her own. She likes to hold her own spoon and seems to get that the round end goes in the mouth, but she doesn't seem to grasp yet that you scoop food with the round end and then put it in your mouth. All in good time.

When the weather's nice, Ela loves to be outdoors. Miss Bella, Ela's daycare provider, takes the kids outside when it's sunny; she said Ela will cry when it's time to go in. Mom and Dad try to get outdoors for fresh air and Vitamin D as often as possible, and Ela loves to watch branches blowing in the breeze, kids and dogs playing in the park, and all the different flowers just as much as she did when she was a little baby.

As you might have guessed, Ela didn't last long in her crib, so she's up and playing again. Mom's going to chase her around and try to see about another attempt at a nap here in a few minutes — there's nothing worse than trying to get an overly tired baby ready for bed. Fingers crossed ....