12th month in review!

In addition to your birthday post, I figured I should write a quick recap of what you've been up to this past month. I want to keep doing this for at least a while, because you change so much even from day to day, that if I only did a post updating on your birthday, I'm sure I'd never remember anything, and the entry would be one sentence long: "Dear Domi, this year you grew, the end." This way, I can remember that this month you became obsessed with putting thing "in", and once an object was "in" you clap. It's really very funny.
Also this month mommy and daddy have taken some initiative and made an attempt to baby-proof the place. I say attempt because three days after we put the foam corners on the tables you finally noticed them and ripped them off. Also I don't know who, and I'm not saying it was you, but some one broke the baby lock in the bathroom. The kitchen lock is still firmly in place, but time and time again, I try to throw something in the trash and practically yank my arm off before I remember to unlock it first. This was the least of my problems, since daddy didn't tell me how to unlock the toilet before I desperately had to go and began screaming that I was going to have to pee in the shower if he didn't get in there and open the toilet! So baby-proofing has had some setbacks, but we are committed to a baby-proof infancy.
To add to my danger paranoia, you've also started "cruising" very tentatively. However, you are such a lightning fast crawler, I still think walking is a long way off, a few months at least. (PLEASE!) The other thing you've started is when ever you are pulled up on something and you drop to the ground you say "boom". I'm wondering if you took a particularly nasty tumble at one point because you are super cautious about dropping down, and usually ask for someone's hand to help out. Or maybe Ana just always puts her hand out for you and you've gotten used to that kind of attentive care. Not to worry, you're only home alone with mommy 2 days a week, really, how much damage can I do in that time?
You have learned a few new signs, but I think your wants out pace your vocabulary by far, so pointing and grunting and crying when I can't figure it out is usually the order of the day. It must be very frustrating to know exactly what you want, say a bottle of beer, point to it, say it perfectly clearly (in your own language) and have your mother turn around and hand you a grapefruit and act like it's the greatest toy in the world. I'm sorry. Soon enough you'll be able to say what you want in a language I can understand and I'll be able to say to you, no, have a grapefruit. Trust me, it's progress.
This month had some milestones as well. You are now no longer rear facing! whoo hoo! You can see the world as it's coming at you rather than as it passes by. Actually what this means is that our little Jetta feels very cramped as you kick the front seats from your throne in the rear.

You are also now introduced to baby crack a.k.a. the juice box.

We usually try to cut it with water, but you are not often fooled. You have become a pro at drinking from a straw though, and are getting pretty close to getting rid of the bottle.
What you are not close to getting rid of, and make no bones about it, is nursing. Every time you ask to nurse during the day I'm giving you milk from a bottle. Sometimes you go for it, other times you don't. I'll keep nursing at night and first thing in the morning for a while, as long as my supply can keep up, so we'll see what happens.

You are still very into planes and cars and mechanical things. You can sit for long stretches of time just looking out your window at the planes going by. And whenever you hear one you'll look up and make the sign for plane.
You also love music, and love your music cube and cds. you clap and dance and always sign more when we sing, especially in the car.
You are becoming so social too, (this is most definitely from your father, or maybe Ana's influence) you wave at pretty much everyone who makes eye contact with you and smile shyly when they wave back. You also laugh all the time, sometimes even this fake laugh if other people are laughing, you'll let out this totally fake guffaw, like "I get it, haha!" It's very funny, so we usually laugh again, causing the laugh riot to continue.
I've been having a great time on my days off with you, running errands, going to the park, and just hanging out with you. I'm not looking forward to summer ending, but fall would be my favorite season if it weren't for winter at the end of it. But this winter we have a BIG trip to Paraguay planned and it's summer there during our winter, so that will make it a bit more tolerable. So I'll put my pessimistic ways aside for now and we can just enjoy the last lingering warm days, and the freedom that comes with no overcoat, at least for now.
love,
mama