Important new pictures have been posted. Go to http://gallery.sonicbeet.com/login.php ** to see:
— pictures of Katya with her babushka (grandmother), dvorodni brat (cousin), parents and Maggie the dog.
— pictures of Annabelle Francis Repoli (Liz and Andrew’s daughter)
— pictures of Annabelle and Katya together
— pictures of Katya in her Microsoft outfit.
** if you don’t have the password, e-mail one of us and we will send it to you.
If a word is a sound associated with an object or concept, then Katya’s first English word and second word ever (after ANG!) is: BUAH.
“Buah” for “Book.”
We read a lot of books. We look at pictures in books. We keep at least one book in every play place. But it never occurred to me that her very first word in an established historical language would be BOOK.
I am teary-eyed-pleased.
A lot of nothing muches have been going on lately and added all together they add up to quite a lot. Well, you might not say “nothing” muches but rather “exciting-but-too-small-for-an-entire-update” muches.
So here they go:
•Katya learned how to put cherios in her mouth, and then take them out again.
•Several days later she learned how to put them in her mouth and leave them there.
•Katya can gum cherios, zwieback toasts, arrowroot cookies, шушки, and little soft pieces of banana, avocado, potato, carrot, and celery.
•She can also gum bagels but the pieces that come off are too big and they gag her.
•Katya can wipe food in her nose, eye and ear all in the same swift hand stroke.
•No matter how small the pieces (even ground up and mixed with six cups of liquid), chicken makes Katya gag and act like she will regurgitate her entire meal if she tastes it again.
•Katya can sit on the floor and play for a long time by herself. She likes emptying containers, beating things on the floor, chewing on string, and shaking things that rattle.
•Katya loves to be upside down.
•Katya ZOOMS around in her walker now – alternatively pulling things from shelves and running over my little toes as she tries to stay close to me while I am cooking.
•Katya sleeps almost exclusively on her stomach (so now all the urine collects at the front of her diaper and not the back – practical parental point).
•Katya gets to pick the books we read at bedtime – and now she more and more loves books with photographs of real things, especially if the real things happen to be babies or cats.
•Katya is in the early stages of trying to crawl. She wiggles and waggles all over the floor on her rounded belly point (my personal term) – pressing her head and arms up on one side and her feet up on the other. The concept of knees under belly has not yet come to her nor is she appreciative of hints in that direction.
•In fact, she is wholesale impatient of hints about anything. She has made it quite clear that she simply prefers sucking her finger even though we have several times pointed out to her that if she sucked her thumb she would not poke herself in the eye repeatedly.
•Katya has become wary of strangers. If she hasn’t seen you regularly and you walk purposefully up to her, she will start to cry. Then if she finds you looking at her, she will start to cry again. But, if you stay around for several hours, she slowly might make friends with you.
•Katya is often in that observant mood which causes her to stare adults down. She watches them intently with the utmost gravity and is not in the least swayed or deterred by any coaxing or crazy antics.
•The doctor (who is appeased for the time being about Katya’s giant head after hearing with amazement the head sizes of Katya’s immediate relatives) asked if Katya was cooing yet. I said “I don’t know what cooing is, but Katya is saying “a-da. A-da-da-da.Da-da-DA.” “OH!!!” our doctor exclaimed jumping a little in her chair, “She is Babbling!! That’s just great.” So, Katya is babbling.
•Katya’s hair has grown long enough so that it is possible for me to pull it when trying to snap her bib behind her neck. And as you know, pulling someone’s hair is not productive of a friendly eating attitude.
•Katya has a tooth!! Not visible to the casual eye – but beware all ye who try to put your finger in her mouth. It may come out with a nasty little wound.
•Katya can and does do the sign language sign for milk.
I don’t remember anymore – but I almost didn’t remember about the tooth and that is one of the most important ones.
Katya reading Pat the Bunny…
Pages One and Two: (theater narrator voice) Here are Paul and Judy. They can do lots of things. You can do lots of things too.
3 months old: No reaction
6 months old: Looks up. Big smile. Remembers the book. It is familiar.
9 months old: Impatience. Turn the page!
Pages Three and Four: Judy can pat the bunny. Now You pat the bunny.
3 months old: Allows me to pick up her hand and put it on the bunny.
6 months old: Starts to put her hand on the bunny herself.
9 months old: Scratches the bunny and the rest of the page with her fingers. Scratches all the bunnies she sees in the book.
Pages Five and Six: Judy can play peek-a-boo with Paul. Now You play peek-a-boo with Paul.
3 months old: Watches as I pick up the blanket over Paul’s face and say “Boo!”
6 months old: Continues watching as I pick up the blanket and say “Boo!”
9 months old: Picks up the blanket herself and whenever she uncovers Paul’s face I say “boo!” Enjoys lengthy bouts of this game.
Pages Seven and Eight: Paul can smell the flowers. Now You smell the flowers.
3 months old: No reaction.
6 months old: No reaction.
9 months old: Twice she has stuck her face to the book as if she would like to eat as well as smell the flowers.
Pages Nine and Ten: Judy can look in the mirror. Now You look in the mirror.
3 months old: Big Smile.
6 months old: Smile.
9 months old: She is over it. Deigns to grant the page a smile on rare and fleeting occasions.
Pages Eleven and Twelve: Judy can feel daddy’s scratchy face. Now You feel daddy’s scratchy face.
3 months old: Hides her hand so that I can not help her feel daddy’s scratchy face.
6 months old: Continues to hide her hand and resist any effort on my part to help her feel daddy’s scratchy face.
9 months old: Bravely tries to feel daddy’s face a couple times. Conclusion: Does not like this page. “Throw it on the floor, mommy! ….Ok, if you don’t, I will!”
Pages Thirteen and Fourteen: That’s all. Bye bye. Can you say “Bye Bye”? Paul and Judy are waving bye bye to You.
3 months old: No reaction.
6 months old: Starts to watch me waving Bye Bye.
9 months old: Keeps watching the bye bye wave. Almost never looks at the page itself.
