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[transcribed] Twelve months old!
Right after Aria turned 11 months old, Dada was diagnosed with a slipped disc, and instructed to rest and not lift anything heavy (such as a 20-lb baby) -- so month 12 has been all about new babysitters for the afternoons. Grandma Bobbie and Uncle Rick came to visit from California for Aria's birthday, so we had a nice 4-day visit. We also started looking at toddler programs at the nearby Montessori schools, but haven't decided on one yet (Aria will be able to start in January at 18 months).
Aria is on the verge of saying actual words, but not quite yet. We are hearing more and more wordlike sounds like "haaa" for "Hi", "dah" for "dog", "shi" for shoe; they tend to appear in the right context, but still not really directly attached to their referents. She loves to walk everywhere and, suddenly, climb -- she can climb all the way up a flight of steps (though not go down yet) and all the way up the 2-step stepladder -- all with a spotter, of course. She likes to stand on her bedroom windowsill (with help!) and look out at the front yard. She has been excited to learn how the tub stopper works and likes to let out the water during her bath, then put the stopper back in! She likes to play with Dada's tablet and smartphone -- Mama's iPad less so, but it will do. (She does get excited when the Skype ringing noise starts to play.) We've started showing her "Elmo's World" in addition to the usual videos of herself; that show is like baby crack*. She waves bye-bye pretty well now, and has started spontaneously clapping her hands when she is pleased with something (like yummy food or climbing the stairs).
*I had seen a few "Elmo's World" episodes before, so I was familiar with the format. However, I never understood the seemingly random and pointless "Ask a Baby" segment. Now that I have watched it with Aria, I grasp that it is there as pure fanservice. :-)
Aria is on the verge of saying actual words, but not quite yet. We are hearing more and more wordlike sounds like "haaa" for "Hi", "dah" for "dog", "shi" for shoe; they tend to appear in the right context, but still not really directly attached to their referents. She loves to walk everywhere and, suddenly, climb -- she can climb all the way up a flight of steps (though not go down yet) and all the way up the 2-step stepladder -- all with a spotter, of course. She likes to stand on her bedroom windowsill (with help!) and look out at the front yard. She has been excited to learn how the tub stopper works and likes to let out the water during her bath, then put the stopper back in! She likes to play with Dada's tablet and smartphone -- Mama's iPad less so, but it will do. (She does get excited when the Skype ringing noise starts to play.) We've started showing her "Elmo's World" in addition to the usual videos of herself; that show is like baby crack*. She waves bye-bye pretty well now, and has started spontaneously clapping her hands when she is pleased with something (like yummy food or climbing the stairs).
*I had seen a few "Elmo's World" episodes before, so I was familiar with the format. However, I never understood the seemingly random and pointless "Ask a Baby" segment. Now that I have watched it with Aria, I grasp that it is there as pure fanservice. :-)