Little R Is Thirteen Months Old

I've decided to keep doing these monthly updates until R is two years old, because I like gloating over my baby's amazingness. Also, I haven't cracked open her baby book since she was about four months old, so this is my one proof I wasn't a completely negligent mother.

Little R is so much fun. She is almost always cheerful and happy, excitedly experiencing the world around her with joy and enthusiasm. She is very social and friendly; she loves meeting new people of all sorts, whether adults or children. She is also very good tempered: if something doesn't go her way, then it's relatively easy for her to get over it and move on to something else. She does get grumpy and on edge, but in general it takes a lot to upset her. Teething, painful falls, run-of-the-mill frustration, and being prevented in her aims are not usually enough.

As a result, I have a fair amount of flexibility. She can only nap at home, but the time of her naps can vary by up to 2 hours; she can wait almost that long for meals as well, without any apparent discomfort or grumpiness. This makes my life much, much easier, and for that I am very glad.

Little R is very verbal (though she fluently speaks only baby language, not English) and tends to keep a running commentary going on her adventures, thoughts, and feelings. She may say a few words here and there (like no, this, shoe, sticker), but it's hard to tell as her pronunciation is not good right now, and the real words (if that's what they are) are buttressed with lots of non-English jabber.

She also loves books. By far her favorite activity at home is to "read" through her story books, which are kept in a bookshelf in her room at an easily-accessible Little R level. She will pull them off the shelf one after another, and spends up to 30 minutes looking at them, carefully turning the pages. She also frequently brings them to me; I always make time to read them to her until she gets bored (usually about 5 minutes is her limit) because I want to encourage a love of reading.

Her latest trick is "sharing". She will offer her father and me her toys or pieces of food, and wait until we accept them, at which point she is greatly pleased. Then she usually wants the item back, and the cycle repeats. Another new habit is pointing at objects and asking "jege?"; I think by this she wants me to tell her the name, which I do and seems to satisfy her. I'm not sure though. She loves pretending to talk on her play cell phone, putting things in containers (especially her toy purse or toy grocery bag), and trying to use a spoon to feed herself (so far not successfully). She also loves tearing paper and making a mess, though I've noticed she tries to restrain herself, as she knows these activities are frowned upon.

So far discipline hasn't been much of a struggle. Little R loves getting her own way, and will cry and rage when prevented, but it's over quickly. Most of the time she very much wants to please me and her father, and does her best to comply with our wishes whenever she knows what they are. I yelled at her once, for sticking her finger in the light socket, but other than that, I haven't had to be strict in any way. I am sure things will change soon though!

Nicknames: Fur, ZiZi, Little Bunny, Furble
Temperament: Happy, social, good-tempered, adaptable
Things I Could Do Without: Your desire to do everything yourself at all times. Of course this is commendable and important, but it makes everything take at least twice as long, since you are not yet very competent. It also results in huge messes (like when you are trying to eat yogurt).
Item/Toy We Love the Most: Your books. I really want to buy you more: you are going to have your own personal library soon!
Item/Toy You Love the Most: The elephant feely, your beloved friend and comforter. You also love your books, especially The Snowy Day; Caps for Sale; and the ones with animal pictures.
Things I'm Loving Most Right Now: You are so cute and full of personality. Your father love almost everything you do, from your increasing physical dexterity (climbing up on furniture!) to your attempts at speech. We spend a lot of time admiring you.
Things You're Loving Most Right Now: Reading, going on walks in the park, meeting other children (especially if they are a little bit older), climbing, putting objects in containers
Foods You Like: Pretty much every kind of fruit: jackfruit, bananas, apples, mangoes, avocados, plums..., pasta with tomato sauce, bread, ice cream. You like most food (unless it's spicy or not delicious) and aren't picky at all, though.
Sounds/Words: Dada, mama (or MumMumMum when sad), NaNa (for no), likalikalik (for approval/liking), gum (for delicious food), ga (for good/fun), sticka (for sticker)