28 days
Written by beeber on November 21, 2008 – 11:33 pm -In less than a month, Arden will turn one. For the past few months, I have been asking myself “are we there yet?” Now, we are almost there. And I can hardly believe it. Has it really been almost one year? I feel like pinching myself until I am blue and black.
It’s such a cliché to say that Arden is unique. We all are, aren’t we? Because anZel was the only baby I took care of, I secretly wish she would be just like anZel (except the eating). As time goes on, I learn to adapt and find it rather refreshing to have a child who actually enjoys eating. I have learned to appreciate the different perspective Arden brings to our lives. First off, there is no bargaining with Arden. With anZel, we were able to negotiate early on. We could actually trick him to drink milk or say a word before rewarding with a toy. There is no such thing as negotiation. There is no bribing could get her to sign “more’ or say a word. She would do it when she feels like it.
My return to work gift from anZel’ was sleeping through the night (one week before returning to work to be exact). Arden was rolling over. She has recently learned that getting 10 hours of beauty sleep is a good thing. I have also realized the beauty of sleeping six hours straight!
Arden has gone through a serious bowel of separation anxiety when I first returned to work. At one point, it would benefit both of us if we could reattach her to my body. She has definitely come around. She would enthusiastically acknowledge my return from work after a long day, but could just as quickly return to her toys. We tried for the longest time to interest her in the stairs. One day, she discovered the stairs and has been keen on climbing them. She has yet to master climbing down. As soon as she is at the top of the stairs, she would go straight to the bathroom because she loves her bath with her brother! If we tell her that it’s bath time, she will start climbing the stairs. It’s an incredible to see them together in the bath. Last night, anZel helped to wipe his sister’s face and scrub her back.
Arden said her first word when she was about 9.5 months. It was flower in Cantonese. From there, she has branched out to speak other similar words. Her vocabulary has expanded to rice, milk, car, books, stinky, bye, and fly. She can recognize more of the photos in her picture book. Although she loves pushing a children’s chair as a walker, she still prefers crawling. She is able to stand on her own for several seconds at a time. We are hopeful that she will join all us in walking in 28 days.
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