I really feel bad about having to combine months on these posts but this (umm, and last...) month has been all about getting buried in a pile of busy.
The major increase in crawling speed coupled with a feverish curiousity and desire to. Put. Every. Single. Thing. On. Earth. In the mouth has made daily life with Zoe a domestic challenge. The dogs help to pepper the carpet with little bits -- torn up ziplocs, pieces of grass, etc. and a fresh coat of dust on a daily basis. This was a nuisance before Zoe became a human roomba but now it is completely unnerving and requires near CONSTANT VIGILANCE!
Mobility is such a double edged sword. I'm liking not having to carry 18lbs of wiggly all the time but keeping things clean & safe is a herculean task. Walking should let us get more out of parks and playgroups -- and she'll lose some speed for a bit. Definitely not ready for running but ready or not, it is on the horizon.
To re-cap, Zoe can now: cross-crawl at speed, stand up assisted, stand up and let go of said assistance, climb up on to the couch (via the nursing footstool), cruise along the furniture, and walk pushing a support (so far a walker toy and an empty laundry basket).
Between Months Ten and Eleven, was Zoe's first Halloween. I was really excited beforehand but when it came right down to it my enthusiasm, for what is normally my favorite holiday, fizzled. Nevertheless, we carved homegrown pumpkins and dressed Zoe in a "homemade" black cat costume. I'm not sure what future years will hold, as I was really disheartened by the greed & ungratefulness of the trick-or-treaters that visited our house. Probably less than 25% said "Thank you" and one teen-ish boy had the audacity to attempt to take an entire handful of candy from the bowl. Anyhoo, this post is about Zoe, not punk kids, so here's a picture:
Communication skills are on the rise, though not proceeding fast enough for us or Zoe sometimes. We have had her give us a few baby signs, primarily for "milkies" and "all done". She's a sharp one, as she's given me the "all done" sign on the diaper changer when she didn't want to be there and often she'll sign "all done" in the high chair when she wants to be picked up whether or not she's actually still hungry. The biggie now is that she's started saying "Mama". Her first word was definitely "Hi" and we're pretty sure she says "kitty". Everything else is still babble to the adult ears in the house.
The past week has plunged us into the Depths of Hell that is the one year molars. I still don't know if she actually was sick or not but last week her temp was up around 101F intermittently and peaked out at 103F. She's had congestion but no runny nose and has been pretty fussy and clingy, pulling out the brain melting shriek way more often than usual. Zoe has been tugging at her ears (ped said they're clear of infection) and stuffing her hands in her mouth, as well as nibbling on my arms and legs. During a screaming fit I saw the upper right culprit emerging from the gums. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the perp brought along some friends because she cut the four top center teeth all at the same time. Still only two little lonely teeth on the bottom for now. We are not amused by this teething business.
Tomorrow we head north to visit the Smith clan for Thanksgiving and Zoe will get to play with her cousins, hopefully not eating too many of their toys. And in hopes of posting this before her birthday, we'll now sum up:
Number of teeth: 6.5, center bottom, center top, upper right molar
Number of teeth waiting to burst from the gums: Who knows...
Weight: 18lbs
Length: Not sure.
Clothing size: 12 to 18 months
Sitting up?: Ancient history.
Crawling?: Swifter than eagles.
Standing?: Pulls up, lets go for up to 30 seconds or so
Walking?: Assisted by the LeapFrog walker or cruising the furniture.
Climbing!?!?: Gah! On and off the couch if the nursing footstool is out.
Travel in October/November: Visited Grammy & Grandpa in Hanford and was wary of Uncle Tom. Will visit Nana & Grandad and Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins...tomorrow!
Foods: Decided to keep with circular cereal, squash, sweet potato, gingersnaps.
