(written March 26, 2008)
Yesterday Anusha turned 11 months old. It’s hard to believe she’s only one month away from being a year old. Just today I was thinking about a year ago, and how I was going to baby showers for her!
So what has Anusha been up to? A few weeks ago she was into her “ladle” kick . . . she would say “ladle, ladle, ladle” with her tongue sticking out (try it!). She did that for a good four days. Around that time, she learned how to brush her hair and do “namaste” (putting her hands together at her chest). Those two things she learned within one day of each other, after only showing her a few times. I was shocked. Now, if only she could apply that intelligence to listening to us when we tell her not to scratch or pinch (two of her favorite things to do to her papa in the morning when she tries to wake him up).
I am also happy to report that Anusha can now walk around with the assistance of only one adult hand. So, this has provided great relief to my back. My stamina is much greater now for her marathon walks (often in circles) around the driveway or house.
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Since we arrived in Katmandu (Sunday, March 16), she has been enjoying her time with her two little cousins, Shubum (pronounced Sue-bum) who is 3 ½ and Parth who is almost 7. Shubumb warned their grandmother that she better protect her eyes because Anusha likes to poke eyes. Anusha scratched Shubumb a number of times on the face and enjoys grabbing at him, which he doesn’t enjoy so much!
Anusha met her Nepali grandparents for the first time on Thursday (March 20). She wasn’t sure what to think of her grandfather, but went to her grandmother fairly easily. Since her grandmother has come, I haven’t seen much of Anusha. She usually takes Anusha in the morning and gives her back when she’s ready to take naps. Their mission (her grandparents and Anuraj’s sister) is to fatten her up. Apparently they were worried that Anusha wasn’t fat enough. So they’ve been feeding her kitcheri, a smooth mix of rice and moong lentils (a special, easy to digest lentil that is given to babies), soup and her Cerelac (Nestle’s version of Gerber baby cereal. Let me quickly insert that Nestle should be banned from making baby food. This Cerelac has wheat as its main ingredient, followed by milk solids and a variety of preservatives. Not something I really want to be giving my baby!)
On Sunday, Anuraj and I left Anusha for the first time since we’ve gotten here. She did fine. Apparently, when I’m gone and she’s with her grandmother and aunt and cousins, she enjoys herself and only complains when she’s hungry or needs to walk around. It’s when I come back or come into the room that she “goes to her mama like a magnet,” as her grandmother says.
One of the most exciting things is that Anusha took a few steps on her own today! We were outside on the driveway, walking around, and I let go and she took about four steps before she nearly toppled over (it might have been the momentum that she was riding on, but still!). She did that a few times and even stood by herself for a few seconds. Parth is predicting that Anusha will walk in two or three days, and Anusha’s grandmother says that she will walk while she’s in Katmandu. Let’s see!!!
Yesterday Anusha turned 11 months old. It’s hard to believe she’s only one month away from being a year old. Just today I was thinking about a year ago, and how I was going to baby showers for her!
So what has Anusha been up to? A few weeks ago she was into her “ladle” kick . . . she would say “ladle, ladle, ladle” with her tongue sticking out (try it!). She did that for a good four days. Around that time, she learned how to brush her hair and do “namaste” (putting her hands together at her chest). Those two things she learned within one day of each other, after only showing her a few times. I was shocked. Now, if only she could apply that intelligence to listening to us when we tell her not to scratch or pinch (two of her favorite things to do to her papa in the morning when she tries to wake him up).
I am also happy to report that Anusha can now walk around with the assistance of only one adult hand. So, this has provided great relief to my back. My stamina is much greater now for her marathon walks (often in circles) around the driveway or house.
--------------------------
Since we arrived in Katmandu (Sunday, March 16), she has been enjoying her time with her two little cousins, Shubum (pronounced Sue-bum) who is 3 ½ and Parth who is almost 7. Shubumb warned their grandmother that she better protect her eyes because Anusha likes to poke eyes. Anusha scratched Shubumb a number of times on the face and enjoys grabbing at him, which he doesn’t enjoy so much!
Anusha met her Nepali grandparents for the first time on Thursday (March 20). She wasn’t sure what to think of her grandfather, but went to her grandmother fairly easily. Since her grandmother has come, I haven’t seen much of Anusha. She usually takes Anusha in the morning and gives her back when she’s ready to take naps. Their mission (her grandparents and Anuraj’s sister) is to fatten her up. Apparently they were worried that Anusha wasn’t fat enough. So they’ve been feeding her kitcheri, a smooth mix of rice and moong lentils (a special, easy to digest lentil that is given to babies), soup and her Cerelac (Nestle’s version of Gerber baby cereal. Let me quickly insert that Nestle should be banned from making baby food. This Cerelac has wheat as its main ingredient, followed by milk solids and a variety of preservatives. Not something I really want to be giving my baby!)
On Sunday, Anuraj and I left Anusha for the first time since we’ve gotten here. She did fine. Apparently, when I’m gone and she’s with her grandmother and aunt and cousins, she enjoys herself and only complains when she’s hungry or needs to walk around. It’s when I come back or come into the room that she “goes to her mama like a magnet,” as her grandmother says.
One of the most exciting things is that Anusha took a few steps on her own today! We were outside on the driveway, walking around, and I let go and she took about four steps before she nearly toppled over (it might have been the momentum that she was riding on, but still!). She did that a few times and even stood by herself for a few seconds. Parth is predicting that Anusha will walk in two or three days, and Anusha’s grandmother says that she will walk while she’s in Katmandu. Let’s see!!!
1 comment:
It's hard to believe our little "sweetpea" is 11 months...the time has gone too quickly! So glad she's content with her grandmother and aunt. Try and capture some of those steps on video!
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