From four to three

The day of Maya's first birthday was also the last day I fed her milk as a four pm snack.  From four breastfeeds a day, she is now down to three. 

At the funky ice cream shop - Maya's last 4pm feed

On Wednesday, she had yogurt and fruit as a replacement which she seemed fine with and today, some formula (in a sippy cup) which, I am happy to report, she downed happily in my arms. 

The beginning of the end of breastfeeding

Maya at 12 months: A Portrait

Now that Maya is a year old, it seems like a good time to recap her likes and dislikes and all her new found abilities.

Our smiley little girl

At 12 months, Maya CAN:

• Do 21 signs (monkey, mouse, cat/home, maman, daddy, more, food, water, all done, bath, car, hot, bye bye, milk, fish, hat, walk, kiss, Noah/brother, up, and sleep - she has also done the flower, diaper, please, and cold signs a few times but not yet enough to be counted). Unlike Noah who liked to perform his "tricks," Maya uses her signs when she wants something or to communicate  or converse but will generally not sign on cue except maybe for monkey, hat and kiss;
• String three signs together to ask for something (she has asked for "mama more food", and "mama more kiss") - she regularly strings two signs together ("eat cat" for feed Lhasa, "more kisses", "more food", "maman kiss");
• Understand a few additional signs: book, music, ball, banana and elephant;
• Understand the spoken words both in English and in French for all the signs she knows as well as many other words (for example "poubelle", "attention", "Lhasa"....);
• Say a few words in context (Mama, Dada, and we have heard "cat" and "lait" but she does not say them every time);
• Chew things well with her six teeth (only two of which are fully out, two of which are partially out and two of which are barely out) - she never seems to choke on anything and spits it out if it feels too big;
• Be in a room on her own without us fearing too much for her life (she seems to stay away from the most dangerous things);
• Listen to and follow simple directions (for example, "Maya touche ton nez", or "Maya va chercher le ballon" or "Maya va trouver Lhasa"); 
• Listen (and, surprisingly) heed us when we tell her not to do something (for example, if I tell her "Maya ne touche pas la poubelle" as she is walking towards the garbage can clearly wanting to touch it she almost always will listen, turn to me and then walk away, another example: the other day, she was approaching Noah's desk and I told her "Maya ne touche pas le bureau de Noah", she turned away and burst into tears because she really wanted to but understood that she was not supposed to);
• Understand and when she feels like it, point to her "nez, bouche, et oreilles";
• Point to things she wants to know more about or is curious about or wants (this is not new - it has been a few months now that she started pointed but I am not sure I noted it anywhere so I am including it here);
• Light up when she smiles which she does a lot but also fill a room with loud piercing shrieks when unhappy or just because;
• Feed herself anything that is not puree (I often put her food in her bib - especially when we are out - she happily forages for every last piece in there);
• Walk well and fast (she still refuses to crawl);
• Almost do a forward somersault on her own - she puts her head down curled up in position and starts pushing her weight forward;
• Hum a recognizable tune (her one recognizable tune is the first bit of jingle bells for some reason);
• Hold her breath when going underwater (I say A, B, C and blow on her face and she closes her eyes and mouth and underwater she goes and then back up) - although Maya lets us know when she is unhappy with a situation - she has never cried in the pool even when we first started and she did not quite know how to do it yet);

Playing with leaves, water and buckets

At 12 months, Maya DISLIKES

• Not getting her way - she gets shrieky if one takes away a "toy" (a leaf, a piece of paper, a roll of scotch tape, electric cables) from her or if Daddy picks her up when she wants Maman;
• Not being in Maman's arms when she wants to be - Maya can be very independent and play on her own for quite a while and roam happily around the house on her own BUT when she wants to be in Maman's arms she really wants to be in Maman's arms and nobody else's (except maybe Noah);
• Being tired - she gets very grumpy and sensitive when she needs to sleep;
• Changing her diaper - she tolerates it most of the time but is not very happy about it - especially when taken away from the action;
• Being kept on someone's lap (even Maman's) when she wants to go explore (she likes being held when we are walking around but rarely when we are sitting down unless we are reading a book);
• Car rides - she just does not like being confined to her car seat but has gotten easier to distract and now understands if we say/sign "we are taking the car (car sign) to go see Lhasa (cat sign)";
• Being stuck under a table or in a play tunnel when she cannot walk out and has to crawl out;
• Not being involved in big kid - grown up activities;
• Being fed (eg purees) when she wants to feed herself (eg finger food);
• Having her teething biscuit taken away from her when, for example, we have to go somewhere  or bundle her for the arctic cold (note that eating the teething biscuit is a 45mn affair);
• Not being allowed to grab things from Noah's desk; and
• Not being allowed to pick up all the little pieces of paper that Noah has carefully cut and strewn all over the floor. 

Maya eyeing the forbidden desk

At 12 months, Maya LIKES

• Receiving kisses and more kisses and more kisses preferably from more than one person at a time;
• Her big brother - her face lights up when he comes home or when he comes over to play with her;
• Monkeys - since I took her to the zoo she has been obsessed with monkeys - we have some pictures and drawings that have monkeys in her room and Noah's and she signs monkey monkey to go see them and then "eat eat, monkey monkey" so she can feed the monkey imaginary food - I took her to the zoo again recently and she kept asking to see "monkeys" and "more monkeys" and "feed the monkeys" (she loved watching the keepers feed the monkeys and got very excited);
• Balls of all sorts;
• Garbage cans (though she never actually gets to touch them she likes to walk towards them and then turn to me waiting for me to tell her not to touch it);
• Pointing to things and having us name them (nose, ears, eyes but also Maya, Daddy, Maman and objects around us "bottle", "stroller", "leaf", "flower"). Sometimes she will point at different parts of herself because she wants to play;
• Hanging around in front of the kitchen and watching Eleonor cook;
• Flowers - Maya really likes looking at flowers and smelling them and having me make the flower sign (scrunch up nose and breathe in through the nose);
• Her rabbit and pony doudous - she has a pony and rabbit in her crib and two other smaller rabbits attached to her carseat stroller and her normal stroller and loves stroking them to fall asleep;
• "Sing" - when the music is on or when we are singing - she will "sing" with us - usually "aaaaa";
• Her thumb - Maya still sucks the magic thumb that calms her and puts her to sleep (though she usually does not sleep with it in her mouth);
• Doing and being involved in whatever her brother is doing;
• Music and dancing - music and sounds have always been very important for Maya - when she was a newborn, she slept very well but needed her "womb sounds" to sleep, then she graduated to Mozart and Guantanamera but to this day if I put on Guantanamera when we are out and it is nap time, she calms down and goes straight to sleep - she also likes dancing to the music and shaking her rattles along with the music;
• Playing in the sand;
• Lhasa - feeding Lhasa at night (she asks "eat Lhasa" if I forget to feed Lhasa before putting her to bed) and running after Lhasa and trying to play with her, finding her in the apartment;
• Adult food (she loved the injera and Ethiopian food we made for Ethiopian night, she loves satay and kaya toast and chana masala and dahls and pretty much anything in our plates though her tolerance for very spicy foods is still limited);
• Picking up leaves on the floor - the smaller and dryer the better. She either carries them around with her for a while or she puts them in her "basket" (little water toy bin);
• Splashing around in the pool;
• Taking a bath with her brother;
• Tiny bits of paper she can hold in her hand, swap hands so she can suck her thumb and re-swap hands (she generally does not put them in her mouth anymore but with all the hand switching it is hard to keep track!);
• Hanging upside down from her legs and somersaults in the air and on the ground both forwards and backwards;
• Playing peek-a-boo;
• Riding on our shoulders... for about 5 minutes;
• Bopping around the apartment, doing her funny walks, dancing, looping around the living room;
• Being thrown in the air (and caught); and
• People - she is generally very sociable - for example in her music and movement group she always goes up to the various moms and the teacher (she immediately picked up on who the "teacher" was and went straight to her the first time) and smiles at them and tries to show them her toys.

Sucking her thumb

Our determined little girl

Overall, Maya is a very sweet and smiley girl who likes to make people smile with her funny expressions and walks. She is curious about the world and enjoys communicating with us (via signs or otherwise). She is independent (for a one year old). At the same time she also loves attention and kisses. She is very determined and knows what she wants and will easily become upset (read shriek) when her plans are foiled. She will also easily return to the smiley sweet Maya when redirected.   

She is 11 months

Our little Maya is 11 months old... for another few minutes. Crazy crazy. Only a few days ago I was at the hospital with this tiny little blue baby...

11 month old Maya enjoying the cold (more about that in a future post)

He made it to the top!

On his first day of vacation (well technically it was a Saturday - Noah and I debated whether that was the first day of vacation or just the normal weekend with the first day of vacation starting on Monday - no definite conclusion was reached!), Noah went biking to West Coast Park with Seth while I took Maya to her little playdate. West Coast Park, which is near our apartment, is pretty amazing - with various playgrounds and fields and long bike paths. Since we moved here, Noah has been eyeing this gigantic rope pyramid. He tried once or twice but was not able to make it to the top. Yesterday, he made a stop at the pyramid (you can see the full structure here: Pyramid Pictures - it is quite big). 

Noah climbing

He made it to the top!

Amazonia

On Friday, we had a playdate at Amazonia indoor playgym. Noah has been there many times before but this was Maya's first time as a walker (I think she had been before but she was pretty small). She was a bit wary of the big kid area at first (there are lots of foam wrecking balls and trampolines and slides) but then got into it. She also really liked the ball pit (we have some similar balls at home and they are some of her favorite toys).

Maya in the ball pit

I hesitated before taking her on the really big fast slide but figured we would try it once and if she did not like it we would not do it again. She loved it and signed more more more and apparently had a big smile on her face coming down (not in this picture though!).

Here we are coming down - you can also see Noah in the lane next to us 

Maya in the ball pit with color...

Driving their first car together...

Yesterday, we were at a mall and because of a mix up I got suckered into getting Noah a car ride... Maya decided she wanted to drive too.

Maya and Noah driving (luckily there were two steering wheels)

Eight Kilo (well sort of)!

After Maya gorged herself on Ethiopian food, we put her on the scale and.....

8kg! She made it (well after a humongous meal and before going to the toilet but hey - it says 8kg).

Ethiopian Night

In the past, we had fun with some "theme" nights trying to cook foods that were hard to find here (or just fun to cook). We had Mexican night and Moroccan night and Indian night. Unfortunately, the friends with whom we did these food nights left Singapore but... we found some new friends who like cooking and foods of the world so the food nights have started anew. 

Last Saturday, we had our friends over (they have a boy Noah's age) for Ethiopian night. Seth had ordered spices and powders of various sorts when we were in the US and he and Noah had been working for a while on the sourdough starter needed for the Injera (Ethiopian bread).

Noah and Seth made injera (Ethiopian bread), Shiro Wot (a chickpea based dish), cheese, Ye'abesha Gomen (a collard green dish - we used sweet potato leaves as collard greens are not easy to find here) and Doro Wot (a spicy chicken dish). 

Injera with Shiro Wot, Ye'abesha Gomen and Doro Wot 

(note the "Dady" place card in the back - Noah made place cards

 for everyone entirely on his own...)

Doro Wot

Maya liked the food the first night (Seth prepared a slightly less spicy version of the chicken for Maya and our friends' son) and LOVED the food the second night. We ate the left overs the second night and she ate and ate and ate... including the slightly sour injera and the slightly spicy chickpea dish.

Maya covered in sweet potato leaves

Yummmm

New Tastes

These last few weeks have been full of new tastes for Maya. She tried cow milk (she seemed unsatisfied after finishing her breastmilk - growth spurt?? so we gave her some cow milk to try - she drank some and did not seem to mind but did not finish her cup) and formula (she had tasted formula in her cereal when she was younger but never alone - she seemed more into the formula than the cow milk) and ice-cream (she did not make a face but was not very enthused).

Maya trying cow milk for the first time (Feb 10 2014)

She also had a taste of pizza (she asked for more and more and more) and Ethiopian food (see the upcoming post on Ethiopian night - she was a BIG fan) and just yesterday, a French fry (she was literally trembling in anticipation when I was cutting it and seemed to like it but did not ask for more).

Play and Play

Last Saturday, Noah was in his school's play. The play was about the Chinese New year animals. Noah was a dog.

Our little dog

Little dog having fun on stage

With his fellow dogs

Crawling back to the side of the stage

Dancing (there was a song at the end)

More dancing 

Preparing for the last bow

The difference between this play and the plays in his old school was striking. In the old school, the kids practiced for months, especially the older kids and the rendition was perfect but by the time the big day came Noah was completely bored of the play and sick of practicing. In his new school, they did not practice very long but had lots of fun doing it and had fun on stage. The result was a bit more chaotic but fun. 

After the play, Noah went to play at Matthi's house for a drop-off birthday party. The party turned into a pizza dinner with all the kids and siblings and parents - lots of fun and craziness. I think there must have been at least 25 kids there. 

It's a.... POT

A week or so ago, Maya had some mild poop issues and he butt was getting a bit red so I let her run around the house without her diaper. I took out Noah's old pot to show her...

She did not mind sitting on it but thought it made a much better hat or toy basket despite Noah's demonstrations of its actual use! Since then, however, she has taken off her diaper a few times and tries to go around diaperless whenever she can... 

Eleven months old: A Typical Day in the Life of Maya

In one week, our little Maya will be one... but, for now, she is 11 months old so we thought we would do a "day in the life of Maya post" for our baby Maya (even though she has been walking for months now, I have not switched to the word "toddler" yet. She seems too small and too young but maybe at age 1?). The pictures were taken over the course of a few days as each day of the week she has different activities or playdates.

Maya wakes up around 7:20-7:45. She will often hang out for a bit in her crib before wanting to get out.

Maya in her crib playing with rabbit and pony (her crib doudous)

She is usually pretty smiley when she wakes up and is happy to see me

If she wakes up closer to 7:20, I get her and dress her immediately so that she can come down with me to take Noah to his bus. Otherwise, Seth or Eleonor get her when I am downstairs with Noah (his bus is at 7:45). When I get back, she is usually up and playing still in her PJs.

A PJed Maya in her room...

and in the living room.

She then has her milk (breastmilk is still her only source of milk these days though she has recently tried cow milk and formula) and changes out of her PJs.

She escaped before I could change her...

We then read a few books (she is getting more into books these days - this morning, I read her five (short) books in a row and she was engaged and interested) and/or play on the carpet with some toys or just wander around the house finding interesting things.

Maya in one of her favorite spots - at the entrance of the kitchen where Eleonor generally is

 (she used to walk down the step but now stays in the living room)

After raiding Noah's bed.... (she has taken to snagging his sleeping T-shirts in the morning...)

Holding on to her precious T-shirt and Daddy!

she can suck her thumb while thumbing through a book...

and leafing through a map - here with her favorite map - of Switzerland 

(she has been very gentle with it and although she carried it around and looked at it, 

it still is not torn surprisingly enough)

After reading and playing and when Daddy is up, we often go down to breakfast for some Kaya toast.

By the Chinese new year decorations in front of the nearby Plaza

We made it to T-box

We still bring cereal and fruit for Maya's breakfast (by now it is about 9:15-9:30AM).

but these days she wants to try our food too... 

Yuuuuum - Kaya toast

After breakfast, she generally does an activity. If we don't have any other plans that day, I take her to the playground in our condo...

Here with Eleonor at the playground clapping to the music

and on the slide

On Monday mornings she has "music and movement" at 10am which she enjoys a lot (it involves singing and dancing and shaking).

Maya playing with her twin, mirror Maya, in the music and movement room

The girls ready for the dance!

and learning not to go touch those very tempting sockets (she is pretty good about

listening when told not to touch something - except when it is Noah's desk 

with all of his papers and pens)

Shake, shake, shake...

And more shaking...

Hmmm that orange one looks really neat

Yup - sounds MUCH better!

And playing with scarves

She found a monkey! (her favorite animal since going to the zoo - 

she is constantly signing monkey, monkey and wants me to show 

her the monkeys on the postcards in her and Noah's rooms)

Wednesday mornings she has a playdate with our little neighbor.

The kids playing with Maya's walker

Every other Thursday morning, I am planning on bringing her to the zoo but I have not yet started doing so so it is not yet part of her typical day!

After the morning activity, I feed her some milk again (or after her nap if she had a late breakfast and an earlyish nap) and she goes to nap, generally between 10:45 and 11. She usually naps between 1 and 2 hours (she is not very consistent with the nap length these days). When she wakes up, she eats her lunch (usually a vegetable like carrot with ginger or spinach or red pepper and a starchier vegetable like sweet potato or quinoa or lentils. Eleonor prepares all her food in advance and freezes cubes or small tupperwares to be defrosted and eaten later. These days though, she is increasingly also eating some of what we are having). She usually eats well and happily.

On Wednesdays and Fridays, Noah gets home around 1:10pm. Her face lights up when she sees him.

Some big hugs for a big brother

Tuesday afternoons, Maya goes to the toddler atelier near Noah's school.

Almost happy in the car on the way over (she still is not a big fan of cars

 but definitely much better)

Maya at the atelier (we generally arrive there between 2:15 and 2:30PM) - 

she loves that green hanging basket with the balls

At the atelier, discovering all kinds of new things (they have baskets of musical instruments, baskets with objects of different textures, baskets with balls...)

Maya on her way back from the music basket

On Wednesday afternoon, there are no planned playdates or activities and Maya, Noah and I play around the house or downstairs.

Friday, Noah has a swim lesson at 2:30PM and I take Maya for a swim during his lesson. She has recently gotten good at holding her breath when going underwater.

Around 3:30 or 4:00 she has some milk and a snack and sleeps for an hour (if we are out she naps in the stroller otherwise in her bed). On Tuesdays, for example, after the atelier, she naps in her stroller and we pick Noah up around 4:15 from his art class (which is next door from both the atelier and a little cafe).

On Mondays and Thursdays, Noah arrives home around 4:05. On Monday, one of Noah's friends from the condo comes over to play around 4:30. Maya tries hard to play with them and does not like to be excluded no matter what the game is. On Thursday afternoons, the kids have a playdate with Jeannette, Matthi and Lucie one week at our place, one week at their place also around 4:30.

On Fridays, around 5pm, the kids have a playdate with Daniel and Gabriel at one of the parks or playgyms of Singapore.

If we are home by then, Maya takes her bath around 6:30-6:45, she in the little tub and Noah in the adjacent shower.... but Noah had a better idea the other day.

Maya started out very smiley - Noah was working on it

Noah found something to smile about 

Noah finally laughing - Maya now ready for the next thing!

After her bath, Maya puts on (well I put on) her "home clothes" and we listen to music/play/dance/prance and swirl.

Funny girl in her home clothes

Maya has dinner around 7:15-20 with the rest of us. She is usually a good eater and will try most of everything. These days, she is increasingly eating the same food we are eating, albeit cut up into small pieces or mushed.

After dinner, Maya and I feed Lhasa (Maya loves feeding Lhasa and signs "cat" and "food" over and over). She then takes her vitamins and reads good night moon with daddy and bonne nuit with me. I give her milk and then off to bed she goes (around 8:45). She almost never wakes up during the night, luckily.

Good night Maya - see you in the morning.