11-12 Months

• Mimics words
• “Wow” 10.4.2011
• Stands for a few seconds on her own of her own accord

 

I found a DVD at the library called “Singing Babies” and thought since Teagan loves other babies so much she might enjoy it. Turns out, it’s babies in front of green screens with adults’ mouths superimposed on their baby faces singing nursery rhymes. It’s probably the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen. But sure enough, Teagan loved it. She isn’t one to sit still, but she sat, unblinking, for a good 5 minutes. I think “BINGO” was her favourite, imitating the babies clapping in place of the missing letters. While I can’t bring myself to purchase something so frightening, I may have to continue borrowing them from the library. Teagan loves her babies!

Can't believe she's 1!

Due Date Due Diligence

One year ago today, I was eating spicy food and going for a long walk, thinking that any second now my water must surely break and I will go into labour. Because after all, it was my due date!

At that very first doctor's appointment you're given the much anticipated due date. The day is circled on your calendar, brought up in nearly every conversation as your belly (and in my case face) expands, and becomes the subject of a myriad of countdowns and tickers.

And then your baby gets comfortable and the due date comes and goes without event. So when your baby eventually makes her appearance two days later, the date you've looked forward to for months becomes nearly meaningless and falls into oblivion. I'm sure with the passing of time I'll forget that Teagan was intended for the 23rd of October, but not quite yet!

She may not be 'So You Think You Can Dance' material...

...but Teagan sure does love bustin' a move these days. She loves music (wonder where that comes from?) and can be seen "dancing" all the time. Here she is working on her abs at the same time to the Singing Babies' BINGO. (Borrowed this video from the library, knowing she loves babies and music, thinking a combo of the two would be perfect. Didn't realize they were costumed babies with adults' mouths superimposed on their tiny faces. Teagan loved it but I'll have nightmares for weeks.)

Desperate for something less creepy to buy me 5 minutes of peace, I turned to The Wiggles. Teagan's in love. (And truth be told, I think the original Yellow Wiggle is quite dashing - I know, we've watched it a bit too much.) She loves the music and tries to do the actions, which means more than waving her hands in the air. It proved a little difficult when we tried singing outside, since she had to focus on allowing only one limb to come in contact with grass at a time. (BONUS: Although I know she didn't actually say it, at :22 it sounds a whole lot like "All Done". Enjoy!

A Real Stand Up Comedian

I was lucky enough to go away for a weekend with some of my best girlfriends (and lucky enough to have a husband willing to take care of the baby) and I came back to a regular stand up comedian. She'd only got to standing twice on my watch, and apparently had been doing in constantly, all weekend. 

I know some people have babies walking and talking by now, but she's oh-so-proud of her accomplishment (as you'll see in the video) so we are oh-so-proud parents who see no need for concern - especially since I didn't walk until I was well over a year.

A few disclaimers before you feast your eyes on our stand up gal:

1. Should you receive random phone calls from me, consisting of shallow breathing or high-pitched squealing, you'll see why. 

2. Teagan only wears clothes when she isn't eating, so the majority of our pictures and videos feature a nearly naked baby. She's constantly snacking, so I'm sure there's a pile of Cheerios somewhere just out of frame. And it's still pretty hot here, so please don't judge me. Just enjoy the cuteness.

Teagan's Kryptonite

The girl is a desert baby, born and bred. Upon venturing to our favourite park with the best kept grass we've ever seen in Vegas, we discovered that Teagan has a weakness: Grass. She must have at least one limb not touching the scary green stuff at all times.

 She got herself sitting up and realized that she didn't love the feeling of the grass on her legs.

 Once she realized how to minimize the amount of touching occurring between legs and grass, she seemed to do okay.

 Apparently that wore her out a little, and she figured out an easier way to alleviate the problem.

 Apparently grass touching her head is okay. Just the legs, then?

Since I've realized that grass causes her to stay in one place for longer than 10 seconds at a time, paralyzed by the crippling fear of feeling grass on her legs, I selfishly have been taking her to the grassy area in our complex for a little quiet time. It takes about 10 minutes for the effect to wear off and she musters the courage to crawl around. One steaming pile of dog poo later and we're back in the stroller, moving on with life. Dog poo is Mummy's kryptonite.

*Just realized that all the pictures from the previous post were also taken on this particular park adventure. She does have more than one outfit :)*

10-11 Months

• Stands in crib, grins from ear to ear when she sees that you’re there to rescue her
• Signs “all done” when you ask her if she’s finished eating
• “All done, Teagan?” waves both her hands to indicate she’s done
• Takes to strangers really well, provided she isn’t tired, hungry or sick
• Loves my family even after not seeing them for 6 months
• Mimics putting hand over mouth and making noise on and off – Grandad started doing it and she imitated him – after a week, she does it upon seeing him…every time!
• Stands for a few seconds on her own, when we make her stand
• Scrunches her nose when she smiles and breathes in & out of her nose really fast
• Understands to sit down when I say “on your bum” when she stands up in the bathtub

Teagan became sick suddenly after waking up from a nap while we were in Canada, two days before my sister Kristina’s wedding. She couldn’t catch her breath after coughing her breathing became very labored. Luckily her Grandma Gay went into nurse mode and remained very calm – not her Mum! We were on the verge of taking her to the Emergency Room – with no insurance in Canada – and I was in tears. Kristina came home and also went into nurse mode and we called a hotline to find out more about her symptoms. We decided it was croup and got her some fresh air interspersed with sitting in the bathroom with the shower on, steaming. It was absolutely heartbreaking for me to see her so helpless and sick. She was sick for several days afterward, including the day of Kristina’s wedding. It was a long day to be sure, but she handled it like a champ. On the dot, every morning at 2:00 she would cry to the point of being inconsolable, so I would bring her into bed with us for the rest of the night. This continued for the remainder of our trip and I have to admit to getting tired of it. But part of me really did love her snuggling with me in bed for a while. She hasn’t been cuddly at all lately, so selfishly I (and Grandma Gay) enjoyed the opportunity to console her.

Raising a Narcissist - A Memoir by Michelle Richards

I keep telling myself that she thinks it's another baby and she isn't just completely and utterly vain.

But I think she's beginning to catch on that the baby in the mirror is always around and doing whatever she does.

Yep, I think we're in trouble.

Sadly, my ridiculous video of Teagan so excited to see that her friend in the mirror was there AGAIN won't upload. You'll just have to take my word for it that we have no self-esteem issues here.