So last Sunday, Allie was 16 months old! She’s one and 1/3 years old. It seems like just yesterday she was just a tiny little thing and now she’s running around, starting to talk, and becoming a real person!
[[image:allie450a.jpg:Hello! Like my barrette?:center:0]]
* Mouse over the pictures for added captions
Allie now walks and runs confidently, trying to climb everything, touch everything, point to everything, talk about everything. She dances to music, whether it be the stereo or songs in advertisements, or songs we sing. She loves looking at herself in the mirror and in pictures. She can go from lying down to sitting to a standing (and walking and running) without pulling up on anything, by just pushing up off the floor. When she falls down, she stands back up and continues on her merry way (unless it was a hard spill and she hits her head or something like that). Luckily she has learned to fall so she rarely has a hard fall. She’s learned to protect her head and fall on her hands and knees, or on her bum if falling over backwards. She loves to spin until she gets dizzy and falls over. It’s very funny to watch. Needless to say, Vin and I have our work cut out to chase around after her! The walking wings have been retired forever! Since she is now quite mobile, she spends time in the playpen and in the exersaucer/activity center to keep her safe and in one place. She actually loves the playpen and runs around inside it, playing quietly by herself. Her hair seems to be growing like crazy! It has to be restrained now or her eyes are covered. Which meant that Vin and I had to quickly learn about things to put in little girls’ hair to keep it neat and manageable.
Allie’s vocabulary has increased. In addition to “Tat” (Cat) or sometimes “TitTat” (Kitkat) she now meows. So if you asked her what a cat says, she says “Neow-neow” very cutely. She also says “Dog” and “Duck” although they sound incredibly similar. She also barks when asked what a dog says, hoots when asked what an owl says, growls when asked what a lion says, and mimics a siren when asked what a fire truck says. She has also learned to make monkey sounds when asked what a monkey says, and sticks her tongue out when asked what a lizard does. She’s amazing! She understands so many things – for instance, when I mentioned “Lily” while we were in the car in New Jersey, far away from the kitkat, Allie actually meowed. I just mentioned it in passing, never mentioning “cat”, so Allie knows the cat’s name! She knows some facial parts, and knows her feet, shoes, and socks. She sings all the time, and a lot of the time in tune. She’s making up her own songs as well as singing (wordlessly) A-B-C and other songs. She blows kisses, high-fives and Jen taught her to do the fist bump. She’s learning new things every day.
She’s also starting to eat a bunch of different table foods. Because she still has only 2 teeth (although Vin and I see 2 more starting to break through her top gums – Allie may be getting her 2 front teeth for Christmas!), we still can’t give her too many tough foods. I still make the majority of her meals, making sure to puree the meats but with sauteed small cut veggies and small pastas and rice left whole to add texture. She’s starting to point at things on our plates and making the “more” sign (meaning “give me what you’re eating!”). She has had a lot of different foods, the little moocher – she likes thai spring rolls, curry puff, lasagna, pizza, mashed potatoes, tofu & noodles, and of course tons of bread. From garlic bread with cheese, to Red Lobster’s garlic cheddar biscuits, to bagels and garlic naan. She likes it all. I am thinking she will love roti canai and roti telur, just like her Papa! 🙂 She’s also eating store bought toddler snacks and even loves keropok udang (shrimp crackers).
Here are the pictures of how Allie spent her 16 month birthday. First thing in the morning, hanging out with Papa while he prepares her breakfast.
[[image:allie430a.jpg:Hungry, Papaaaa:center:0]]
Then she came upstairs for her morning nap and after waking up, she demanded water (hence the bib). Oh yeah, she’s FINALLY cottoning to drinking from vessels other than her little blue cup and nursing! She’s drinking water out of a valve-less (thus NOT spill-proof) sippy cup so she definitely needs the bib.
[[image:allie431a.jpg:What is Mama reading?:center:0]]
[[image:allie432a.jpg:Chit-chatting with Mama:center:0]]
[[image:allie434a.jpg:Sing with me, Papa! A-B-C-D-E-F-Geeeeeeee:center:0]]
[[image:allie435a.jpg:Oooo-chak!:center:0]]
[[image:allie436a.jpg:Yes Papa?:center:0]]
[[image:allie433a.jpg:Mmmmuahhh!:center:0]]
Then she went downstairs, had a snack, and spent a little time in the playpen:
[[image:allie437a.jpg:Fun with the birthday bear:center:0]]
[[image:allie438a.jpg:High pitched squealing – Not her “inside” voice:center:0]]
[[image:allie440a.jpg:Blowing raspberries:center:0]]
And then it was time for lunch. She ate all her chicken and rice and fruits and still demanded more food:
[[image:allie441a.jpg:More! More!!!!:center:0]]
That’s her sign for “more”. So she shared a toasted bagel with butter with her Papa:
[[image:allie442a.jpg:Aaaummmmmm:center:0]]
[[image:allie443a.jpg:Shaggy-haired, chewing girl, lips shiny with butter:center:0]]
After lunch, we decided to treat ourselves to a trip to the bookstore. Allie and her parents got some new books. Here’s Allie playing in the kids section of the Barnes and Noble:
[[image:allie444a.jpg:Rolling trains on the floor:center:0]]
[[image:allie445a.jpg:Posing by the elaborate train set and toy table:center:0]]
Then back home. Sundown was at about 5:20 PM so it was pitch dark quite early. We had to confine Allie in the exersaucer while we did some chores, but she kept herself occupied:
[[image:allie446a.jpg:Playing with a coaster snagged from the Chili’s in NJ:center:0]]
[[image:allie447a.jpg:Kiss the Little Girl:center:0]]
Then a Skype session with Opah and Atok, during which time Allie demolished her dinner, drank water, and proceeded to show Opah and Atok how much she loves her keropok. She also waved and blew kisses at the screen – really interacting with Opah and Atok.
[[image:allie448a.jpg:Confined to the activity center for the call:center:0]]
A couple more pictures of the girl from right after the call:
[[image:allie449a.jpg:The answer to What does a lizard do?:center:0]]
[[image:allie451a.jpg:Kiss ducky!:center:0]]
After a bit more running around, it was bath and bedtime for little girls. And also her exhausted parents. In case you were wondering why there are no pictures of her walking/running around – the reason is because all the pictures taken that day of her walking around is either of her back as she runs away from us, or blurred, or partial as she moves out of the frame while the photo was taken. Just take my word for it – she’s walking and running really well. 🙂
And to close, a photo of Allie and her Mama taken a few days after the actual birthday – on Thanksgiving day. Bye y’alls! See you next month!
[[image:allie439a.jpg:Y’all come back now, hear?:center:0]]
