Thirteen Months

Every household with a baby should come equipped with a five year-old baby stalker. Our resident little man is not only obsessed with the safety and well-being of Molly -- he's also doing his darnedest to ensure that I'm keeping track of her milestones and accomplishments.

The other morning, when we witnessed her say, "Yay!" while clapping, Joey had as much fun as the rest of us hearing her new word, but then snapped into record keeping mode.

"That's her fourth word!" he exclaimed. "Now she says 'hi,' 'dada,' 'mama,' AND 'yay'!!! Did you get that, Mommy?"

(For the record, this is the same tone of voice he used to reprimand me after getting a mild sunburn during swim practice last week: "Mommy, today can you ACTUALLY put sunscreen on me instead of just talking to the other mommies?")

So, this late thirteen-month update is brought to you by a chastened Mommy and her mature-beyond-his-years son. 

Besides expanding her vocabulary by 25 percent, Molly is up to all sorts of new tricks. She's on the verge of walking, can stand for minutes at a time, and has taken a couple of very tentative steps. I'm not sure what Molly will think of her new mobility when it happens, but I'm pretty sure Joey's head is going to explode -- from excitement, and then unadulterated panic, when he realizes just how unsafe a walking toddler can be.

 (Joey's bike helmet is her latest accessory.)

Speaking of excitement, Molly finally learned to clap... and hasn't stopped since. She started by clapping with one open hand and one closed fist, and gradually started clapping both palms together. Reasons for applause in her world include mealtime, bottles, any stunt performed by Joey or Clara, and Daddy returning from work.

(Don't mind the crazy Aztec rug in this video; this was caught on film at the vacation home we stayed at in Twain Harte.)

She also has perfected the art of blowing raspberries, and totally holds her own in competitions with her siblings.



She continues to be a mellow, mellow baby with some spitfire moments, who has learned to hug and kiss, is taking a big interest in baby dolls, the kids' play kitchen and anything and everything in the real kitchen drawers and cabinets. We love her to pieces!