15 Months of Fun

Maya had her 15 month doctor's appointment today, so we thought it might be a good time talk about the what Maya is like these days.

First the stats:
Weight: 22lbs 6oz (around 40th percentile)
Height: 29.75 inches (around 25th percentile)
Head: Big...above 95th percentile.
Teeth: Only 5 are showing so far...6th is coming soon.

She's very healthy and is hitting all her developmental milestones according to the pediatrician.

Maya is really entered an exciting new phase. She's become more independent and more affectionate at the same time. She's lost the separation anxiety that she had a few months ago making her much more open to being held by others and being away from Mom or Dad. As much as she now walks or crawls away to explore on her own, she also likes to come back and give hugs or kisses. Sometimes she will just lean her head on my arm, knee, leg, face, whatever's available.

Maya's eating and drinking on her own more and more. As of about a month ago, she is completely weaned from the breast. She drinks milk from her sippy cup and doesn't seem to miss the breast at all. She can eat with her own spoon (very slowly). She's eating a lot of finger food even though she only has the five teeth. Her favorite foods right now are cheese, toast, raspberries and peas...yum.

Maya loves to communicate. She is understanding so much now. She asks what things are by point and saying "ehhh?" She has signs, sounds, or words for many things. She says 'hi,' 'Mama,' 'Dada,' 'apple,' 'turtle,' 'all done,' and the latest is 'diaper.' She has sounds or signs for most animals, and will reliably sign 'more,' 'water,' 'milk,' 'hat,' 'socks,' and 'shoes.' She will come to you if you call her. She understands when she's not allowed to do things. She will point at all sorts of things if you say the word and she sees it in a book including words like 'house,' 'truck,' 'car,' etc.

She's walking more and more and crawling less and less. She loves bouncing, rolling, and mimicking anything that Mom and Dad do. She likes to climb over and under things. We just bought her a little chair and she LOVES sitting in it. She likes stacking blocks and taking things in and out of containers. She loves any sort of stuffed animal and will kiss and hug them or make them bounce around. She loves books and really likes seeing something in the book and then seeing a 'real' version of the same thing. She loves going on walks or going anywhere where she can see new things...especially if those things are animals. She loves to play peekaboo and has now started hiding behind things and then peeking her head out gleefully.

She continues to be very mellow with a great temprament. She rarely cries and seems very content most of the time. She gets along well with other babies and has a very gentle nature. She likes to explore and will walk around a room carefully examining everything and everyone. She likes to engage people and loves to follow around slightly older babies. She likes to 'share' and when she likes someone, she will try to give them whatever she has as a way of engaging with them. Of course, she usually likes it if you give the item back. She laughs a lot and likes finding new ways to play with the people around her.

As parents, we are constantly surprised by the changes day to day. It's very strange to see these signs of independence and realize that we are saying goodbye to our little baby and we are beginning to get to know our little girl.