16 months

Happy New Year.

Malaikah-girl is now 16 months and really coming into herself.  It is so fun to see her personality come out -- stronger and stronger every day.  She's going to keep us on our toes!  She seems to me to be fearless and adventurous, and definitely will stick up for herself.

She's just recently started saying "Mama" and while I'm not totally sure she really knows what she's saying, I'm claiming it.

She continues to love to read, only now she'll bring me a book, and sort of reverse into my lap to have me read to her.  Her attention for books is growing, too, so that exciting.  And, she still enjoys chewing on them.  No book is safe!

As I think you can see from these pictures, she is a happy baby, fairly easy going and easy to take places.  She is developing this little cackle of a laugh, which is mostly used when I am trying to get clothes on her and she runs away.  I'm not sure where she even figured this out, but she's mastering the art of hiding from me right when I need her.

Winter has finally shown up here in Maine, and the days are colder and we've gotten some snow. I don't really like the cold, so I stay inside.  But Dexter and I had a meeting a couple of weeks ago, so dropped the kids off at a friend's house.  She ventured outside with them.  Malaikah didn't seem to mind.

Malaikah has always loved music, and would bob to it when it came on.  Lately she's really started breaking out.  This video -- which is long, I'm sorry -- just really cracks me up.  Especially at the end when she tries to jump.  She's almost got it!  Maybe in the next month or two.

Since she doesn't talk yet, I think she gets easily frustrated and has entered into a screeching phase.  I don't really know what else to call it, so I just refer to it as a big screech.  It is. . . unpleasant. . .and happens all the time.  When Kyalo takes a toy from her, when she's hungry, just. . .whenever.  Looking forward to this stage ending.  Soon, I hope.

I've mentioned before that she likes to eat.  She really has an adult size appetite.  I give her dry cereal in the morning while I'm getting things ready, then two scrambled eggs, some fruit, water, etc.  When I told her doctor last month that she eats two eggs every day she was surprised.  With the exception of raw vegetables, I can really feed her just about anything.  Especially if it is a carb-bread, pasta, cookies, popcorn, whatever.  She'll happily take it off your hands.

Malaikah is delightful. I really love watching her explore the world around her, her books, her toys, other children.  I can't wait to see where she goes in life!