Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Samara at 14 Months

I am so relieved to be here. Thirteen months was about as bad as I had feared. We had multiple incidents that required the ER, my grandmother got very sick and a variety of issues conspired to make the whole month rather wretched. But it is over now. Hopefully, this next month will be drama free.

That said, we have made some major, major strides around here. First up, the cognitive. Our "baby" can now moo like a cow and bark like a dog on command. She mimics almost every sound or word we come up with. She has an extensive vocabulary that includes anywhere from 12-25 words. Granted, some of her words only I understand (Booo, means book, by the way). But everyday she surprises me with new ones. Yesterday, she said monkey and then picked the monkey from a group of animals. She tells me when she made "poo-poo" and asks to be changed. She finds her socks and shoes and tries to put them on herself. She opens and closes drawers when you ask her to and she puts the things back that she takes out (if asked). Truly, it is blowing our minds. R and I just sit and shake our heads at the changes this past month.

Sam has always been far ahead in her verbal development and a bit closer to average on the physical side. This has held true. As yet, she is still not walking. She is getting very, very close, but is not yet willing to let go of our hands or whatever she is leaning on and just let go. Everyday, I think this is the day she will walk, but she doesn't. I am trying to maintain my perspective even though she is the last kid in her various playgroups to walk. People keep telling me that children are either very verbal or very physical. I think Sam is just the former as she says at least 10 more words than any other baby her age. Not that I am counting or insecure or anything!

She continues to like taking her bottle and refusing the sippy cup. She can now give her bottle to herself, though, which is a very welcome development. Some days she eats better than others. She does love broccoli, though, which warms my heart.

There were some good things this month. Easter was good. Purim was fun. Sam enjoyed many baths and continues to adore the dog like no other, exclaiming "puppy!" at every opportunity.

Current likes: Rocky, glazed salmon, any animal, Disco Duck, dancing, trying to buckle and unbuckle the various straps on her high chair, stroller and car seat, our cell phones.

Current dislikes: Any vegetable besides potatoes and broccoli, not being on someone's lap or arms

Some photos:





Also, check out my latest post on Shoe Tube.

4 comments:

Kristi said...

14 months already? Insane.

As we talked about before, I would be anxious about her not walking yet too, but honestly, she'll get there. And like you said, she's highly verbal, so it's likely she's just concentrating on that aspect of her development. Love the photos, and that last one of the two of you together is adorable.

Unknown said...

Oh my gosh, all that talking! WOW! She is definitely advanced in the talking, at least I think so.

Walking is totally overrated. So is climbing furniture and toys. I'm sure she is going to bust out with it any day now. I'm surprised you have so many friends whose kids are walking, because in Gabe's playgroups, it is about 50/50, or maybe even leaning a bit more toward the non-walking. Three of his closest little buddies are not walking, and two of those are not even close to walking, they don't even cruise! Maybe your playgroups are advanced in the walking area.

beagle said...

Great photos! And a 14 month old that loves broccoli? How'd ya do that?

She may just be planning on skipping that walking thing and going straight for running.

g and c boyarko family said...

I love the pictures...her hair is getting so long! She is just adorable!...and her development sounds perfect. To each their own!!