Who are you and what have you done to my daughter?

Look at those legs!
It's been awhile since we've had an M post, so those of you who've missed pics of the baby, here you go...

I've returned home to a completely different baby.

The changes are just incredible. In the two weeks I've been gone, the most noticeable changes have been:

1) Increased height and longer legs
2) New interest in problem solving
3) She really seems to understands you
4) New Teeth
5) New interest in her stuffed animals

Bringing a friend out for a walk

Increased height

First, she's just bigger. She's longer and seems built more like a kid as you can see in the first photo. She's much heavier in my arms these days, and now has real strength to carry things and push you away when she doesn't want you.

She's using her new mass well. As SAM has mentioned, M is starting to climb up onto things, from her stroller to attempting to get up into her high chair. She can't quite do it, yet, but she's figured out she can get better leverage if she folds down the foot rest, so it's only a matter of time.

This is matched by enhanced balance whether it's walking or standing on narrow or difficult footing to gain a height advantage.

And while it seems like this will be getting her into more trouble, at the same time, it's kind of cool to watch her get into seemingly difficult positions with relative ease, then to watch her slowly back down from them.

She can now walk down moderate grades

New Problem Solving Skills

M's mind seems to have turned some sort of corner and it's becoming clear in so many ways.

Just this evening, SAM says that she tried to take a mini-pack of pocket tissues and flush them down the toilet. This is interesting because while she knows that toilet paper gets flushed down the toilet, to associate a pocket pack of tissues, while in the plastic, as being a similar thing takes the development of something SAM called, "association."

In a similar vein, we bought her a shape sorter in Guam, and she's able to spend some time with the shapes now, and trying to fit them into the corresponding holes in the box. It's interesting to watch because she gets frustrated when she can't get the shapes in, but at the same time, she definitely knows that the shapes are supposed to go inside the box.

Also, I brought back a little tangram puzzle from Germany that I got for free, and M picked it up today a couple of times and was definitely trying to puzzle how to get the pieces to fit together to make the shape complete again.

It's amazing.

Just picking up some groceries

Language Comprehension

Margaret is really starting to understand what you say to her, and not just understand, but to respond as well.

This weekend, M was carrying around an apple slice and munching it while walking around the house while we were getting ready to go out.

Once it was time to leave, SAM said to M, in Chinese, "OK. We have to go now. Why don't you give me the apple and Mommy carry with us while you go out?"

Sarah has been talking to M in this manner since the beginning as a way to both teach her some language and to give her some advanced warning, but both of us were surprised when M happily held out the apple slice to her mom and allowed it to be put away in a zip lock without a peep.

This wasn't an isolated incident either.

Last night, after M's bath, we needed to cut her fingernails. Normally, M hates this and will fuss and scream and try to pull or flail her hands away.

But when we explained to M that we needed to cut her finger nails, and she could play with her toy with her one hand while we cut the nails on the other, M quietly cooperated and held out first one hand, then the other, to have the nails cut and used the other to play with her toy.

And while, yes, it makes sense that our child is acquiring language, to see it happen and to suddenly have a cooperative baby that appears to understand reason is simply an amazing thing to observe.

She will now pose for the camera

New Teeth

This part is as unfortunate as it is fortunate.

Margaret has a new pre-molar on her upper left hand side for a total of five teeth now. It broke through just a few days before I returned with little fanfare.

Causing more issues are the two lower pre-molars (one each side) that SAM and I can both feel just under the surface that are still working their respective ways out.

Unfortunately, these are giving M plenty more trouble and pain than the other one did. Tonight, we had an upset, screaming baby on our hands who wouldn't go to sleep, even after Orajel and Baby Tylenol.

At the end, she finally cried herself to sleep with me next to her listening to her pitiful little cries grow quieter and quieter, ebbing to that occasional sharp intake of breath before finally settling into a steady rhythmic breathing at well past 9:00.

Keep in mind 7:30 is her bedtime.

My beautiful girls

New Interest in Stuffed Animals

This may not seem new to those of you reading out there, but trust me, she has got a definite second wind in this department.

While she's always had an interest in Leonard, more and more frequently, she will actually choose to play with Leonard or another stuffed toy.

She now sleeps with Leonard in her crib, and in the mornings, she can be heard chirping and cooing and talking to him.

In addition, she not only wants his diaper changed in the mornings before her, but before her bath tonight, she took the clean diaper that was prepared for her after-bath outfit and broke for the living room. By the time SAM caught up with her, M had gotten Leonard's diaper off (he now lives with one on) and was comically trying to put the new one on him.

And as you can see in the photos, she doesn't just play with Leonard, either. On Sunday, with Margaret in my arms, she pointed over to her dresser where another little bear was until I walked over, whereupon she leaned down, picked him up and wouldn't put him down for literally the rest of the day.

Like with Leonard, the play now involves lots of snuggling the toy close to her face which is new behavior as well.

She loves the bubbles in her hair at bath time
M is changing so quickly now, and two weeks away served only to highlight the rapidity of the change.

Day by day, she's more and more fun and more and more interactive.

Part of that new interactivity makes for the best sound I hear all day.

When I walk in the door, and I hear the high pitched squeal that M makes when she either sees or hears me for the first time at the end of the day.

And even though she may play coy at other times of the day, that happy squeal is what makes everything in my life up to this point worth it.

It's a great feeling.