Week 47 - The Reader

Beginning the first week we brought Milan home from the hospital, I have read to her on a daily basis. From very early on, she has tolerated being read to, and now seems to enjoy it (or looking at the pictures, anyway). On the days I'm home with her, we read a couple of stories during the day, and always two little books right before bed. As soon as Milan could pull up, not a day has gone by when Milan hasn't played with her books. Sometimes it seems she is more interested in them than in her toys. She spends a good hour or two each day handling them and looking at the pictures. James and I are really thrilled about this as we are both avid readers.













On this particular day, James was in the shower when Milan decided to crawl into the bathroom, pull up on the tub, and move the shower curtain aside...she was soaked by the spray of the shower!

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Recently, Milan has started reading out loud.....

Week 46 - The Little Big Girl

Once again, I'm amazed at how quickly Milan is growing and changing. She waves "Bye Bye" and the last couple of days sounds like she is trying to say it too! She routinely says "Da Da" and occasionally says "Ma Ma" (what's up with that?) She is walking around furniture and can stand for several seconds without assistance. I think one of my favorite changes is it seems she is beginning to develop a sense of humor! Before, whenever I would act silly, she would stare at me like I was from another planet, but lately she has started to giggle!

A couple of weeks ago Milan began saying "MMMmmm" before and after each bite of food. It finally dawned on me that she has learned it from me! For as long as I've been feeding her solid food, I've always made the "MMMmmm" sounds, as if I need to convince her of the delicious baby food I'm about ready to spoon into her mouth. I've noticed too she has begun to say "MMMmmm" whenever she sees food!

Speaking of food, she is definitely turning her nose to baby food and eagerly eating "people " food. I'm hoping she will continue to humor me for a bit longer so that I can empty my cupboards of the remaining jars.





The last few weeks we've enjoyed taking walks in the local park. It is so beautiful this time of year! Milan really seems to enjoy it!

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Week 45 - The Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend we had such gorgeous weather, we decided to take Milan to a local farm to enjoy some Fall festivities. We looked at farm animals and "picked" a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch. Milan really enjoyed pulling up on them, banging on them, and trying to eat grass! We had such a great time, we've decided to make this a tradition every October.

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Milan's new favorite thing to do.....help Momma in the kitchen!

Week 44 - A Visit to Gymboree

After making it through a nearly week-long illness (Milan had a fever for 5 days), she seemed to feel better just in time for a previously scheduled visit to Gymboree. I've heard a lot about the place and with cooler weather setting in, I thought it might be just the thing for Milan and I to participate in, once we are no longer able to spend a lot of time outdoors. Gymboree allows for a free session before joining, so we signed up for a "play and learn" class specifically geared towards 10-16 month olds. Milan loved it! There were all kinds of ramps, mats, tunnels, and plenty of places for her to practice pulling up on. We played with balls, sang songs, played with bubbles, as well as participating in a few games which involved playing with a parachute. It was really nice to allow her the opportunity to explore to her hearts content without having to remove her from certain places or things. Please excuse the blurry photos, my assistant (who shall go unnamed) was having a bit of difficulty working the camera). :)

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