Eleven Months: The Minxie

Hey, little girl. I can hardly see your face these days, for all the snot you're generating. It's the teeth, oy, the teeth, that are making your face a gooey mess. You have four, now - well, the fourth one is poking through, methinks, and more are coming; I can see the raised gums on either side of your bottom two teeth. You are shaping up to be a grand mimic, just like your brother before you. You like to repeat: "uh-oh," and the beginnings of words like "juice," and "bottle." You are also trying to communicate in different ways, like when I give you one of the blankies, you grin wildly, snap it up, hug it, and squeal with a big "Ahhhhh!" You crawled like a crab in all your naked splendor last night after your bath, and pushed yourself up off the floor with your two hands to stand for five seconds or so, and your face wore a look like you weren't sure you were even accomplishing this feat (twice!). You then had to turn to your brother, still making waves in the tub, to make sure you had him as a witness to this. You are also perfecting your wave, and try it out randomly on strangers (but never on mommy or daddy) when you're out in public. You are also sleepy these days, probably because there are sharp fangs edging down on your gums, and probably also because there hasn't been sun in more than a month. Problem is, your brother, god help us, is pooh-poohing naptime these days, working on the fibs that he has to go potty, and his plaintive cries usually rouse you prematurely from your own restorative slumber. Don't worry; there will be plenty of time to get him back. I have every confidence in you. You are minxish, yourself, and like it or not, the name is staying. You have developed a taste for grinning a little too cunningly when you see an escape route, usually when we're changing your diapers, or when you see something interesting to explore (which is pretty much everywhere). You react by throwing yourself into conniptions (though no bawling, I give you that) while in our arms or while you are on the floor and are trying to wrestle yourself from the clutches of The Diaper. You are so happy to be alive, and so, as much as I roll my eyes whenever you wriggle away, I'm just grateful you are a baby who is getting so much out of life.