Eleven Months Old

So the big news this month is that Maryn is mobile! 3 weeks ago, she was still only sitting and reaching for things.  After 2 physical therapy appointments, she is now rolling, scooting, pivoting, moving from laying to a seated position, pulling up, getting on hands and knees, and CRAWLING!  It has been such a crazy whirlwind of development.  She is all over the place, and we are frantically figuring out child-proofing, setting boundaries, and rearranging our home.  It seems the exercises and direction from the therapist have really helped her; she is still a little behind on a few motor skills, so we'll have a few more appointments, but over all, she has made amazing progress.  We are so joyful!

One thing that the therapists always comment on is Maryn's intelligence.  She may be lagging in motor development, but apparently she's ahead in everything else.  She's very good at figuring out little mimicking and memory games, she's very curious and observant, and has a high level of social interaction.  She is such a fun baby!  We can't wait to see her little personality further develop.

Some fun things she's been doing lately are giving lots of kisses and hugs (she squeezes you and pats you on the back), blowing kisses, throwing her arms up for "touchdown", dancing and clapping with music (see video below - her favorite move is 'the twist'), using the signs for "more" and "all done", giving high fives, learning to point out body parts (nose, hair, mouth, etc), making a doggy panting sound ("what does a doggy say?"), moving toys in and out of containers, and turning pages in books.  She's also pointing to anything and everything, especially Momma, Dada, Graycie and lights.

Maryn still loves her Graycie.  She has started figuring out how to pet her (although we still have to watch her carefully so that she doesn't put poor Graycie in a death grip).  She has also started throwing Graycie's ball short distances for her to fetch; it is great fun for both of them and so cute!  They are best friends.  Graycie especially likes Maryn's meal times - she keeps the splat mat under the high chair clean for us.  :)

Speaking of food, Maryn is getting a little better about eating.  Maybe it's beacause she's burning more calories these days with all the moving around, but she's definitely eating larger quantities than she used to.  She hasn't gained much weight - we went in for a weight check today and she is 16.4 lbs (less than 3rd percentile); perhaps a growth spurt will follow her new motor skills and increased appetite.

So I'll do one more monthy update next month for the big 1 year mark, then not as frequently - maybe every 3 months for a while.  We can't believe it's almost been a year since Maryn was born!  Birthday plans are underway!