Eleven

Ok so I’m a week late with this post. But you know, chicken pox happened.

Lady Lila is now eleven months and a bit, hurtling towards one year. Most noticeably this girl now has an opinion on things. Oh the horror! My placid, easy going little princess has recently been replaced by one determined little monkey who is in. to. absolutely. everything.

The glory days of having a baby content to sit on my lap for extended periods of time are well and truly over and I am now forever washing filthy leggings with dirt-stained knees, fishing out stones and other small things from inside her squidgy cheeks or moving various objects out of reach. I even caught her licking a snail the other day. I know.

She has been practicing her free-standing. Actually, just standing in general, but now she can do it hands-free. It’s quite exciting and she’s oh-so pleased with herself. Just yesterday she even made it across the room with her baby walker and a few wibbly wobbly footsteps. Yet another step towards, well, stepping.

Standing has also lead to stair climbing and she can now hot-foot it up a flight of stairs on her hands and knees. Cute in theory, but I had a true heart-in-mouth Mama moment this week when I thought both kiddos were playing in the playroom together while I cleared away the breakfast things. When I finally tuned in to their chatter I realised, to my absolute horror, that Ollie had encouraged the little miss to climb the entire flight of stairs on her own. He was on the landing, she was sitting on her knees on the top step, beaming at him. Holy bejezus! Think it’s time to get a stair gate fitted.  

In other news, little Boo has two more teeth poking through, which totals six. She’s still sleeping like a dream and she has developed the most amazing way to cuddle. With her head on your shoulder and both arms hooked firmly around your neck, it’s like a proper big-girl, grown-up cuddle and is truly divine.

Her talking is coming along well. She has definite words for ball, book and bottle (the three b’s!) among others and tries to copy the sounds and syllables for everything she hears. Animal noises are fast becoming a favourite, particularly woof woof, baa baa and mooo. I really feel like I understand everything she’s trying to communicate now, which is a wonderful thing for us both.

And finally, in this month-of-Lila update, she's started these cute little role playing games - putting phones to her ear and saying 'ha ha' (hi) cuddling her teddies and dolls and saying 'ahhhh', drinking pretend drinks from the tea set, even attempting to brush her hair with my brush (gender stereotyping much?!). She must have been absorbing so much in that little eleven-month old brain of hers, and now is the time for her to put it all in to practice. 

As always I’m sure there is more I want to write. I wish I would learn that I’m actually not any good at remembering things and need to write it all down as it happens. Sigh.

Until that day… have you ever had one of those ‘holy shit’ parenting moments? 

You can read more month-of-Lila updates here:

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten