Happy 11 Months, Baby!

• Alma can say lots of words but they are so inconsistent that I have a hard time counting them as first words.  She can do lots of repeating or, for example, she heard me listening to a message from Joshua on speakerphone and said "dada" on her own.  The same is true for signing.  She will sign "more" but not always, "all done" but only after we have started the process of being all done, and "bird" whenever she sees a bird.  And Joshua always points out that she only has two signs which each have multiple meanings: flapping (all done, hello) and clapping (applause, more).  Flapping and clapping, who could ask for more!
• Tooth number 7 (and possibly #8) has peeked through on the bottom next to the two little teeth that get a lot of attention these days.
• Everyone's sneezing (including her own) is always funny.

• While playing, she makes monster/machine noises that remind me of when Hayden was a toddler. She also has a fake laugh that is all her own.
• Saying goodbye as Joshua goes to work is part of the morning routine for Alma, Simon, Shanti and me.
• She walks along furniture, walls, fences at a pretty good speed. Very comfortable on her feet and stands barely holding on these days.  Occasionally, she will let go and stand for half a second on her own.
• Goodbye and hello get immediate waves these days. Usually both hands open and close and wrists twist (similar to her sign for all done).  Even if I say goodbye to someone on the phone, I can see her pause her playing to wave a little at the phone.

• Pointing and saying OOO is both cute and useful for knowing what Alma is interested in exploring. Birds are the big hit these days and we spend a large part of the day in the backyard watching the birds migrate south for the winter.
• Often, Alma will pick up all of the items from her high chair tray before putting them all in her mouth at once.  Especially if it is chicken. It is comical how much she loves chicken.
• Alma's imitations of everything (words, sneezes, dog's bark, trucks passing, garbage disposal) are fascinating and make us all smile.
• Some morning are crawling marathons as she chases the cat around the dining room table again and again.  (Poor kitty.  Although, we just took her to the vet and she had lost weight, which was good!)
• After playing around with the mirror in the car, now she knows "where's your tongue?" It is hilarious! She smiles and then sticks her tongue out immediately.  The day she learned, I showed the neighbors and grocery clerk, who thought it was a little odd but cute.
• Taught Alma giving high fives but now when offer hands to pick her up, she hits them with a big smile!

• At the beginning of last month, Alma was a bit fussy and her slow, moaning crawl with an outreached arm made me feel very in the season of Halloween ...like a zombie moaning and reaching out for me.
• If you are looking for gifts for Alma's first birthday (next month!!), we prefer non-plastic, non-battery operated toys.  We are thinking of making her a play kitchen, so wooden food items would always be appreciated.  Or PJs with feet, those are always handy.  Or wooden puzzles.  No pressure, just want to share in case you are looking for suggestions.