Second year:
13 September 2004 -12 September 2005.
September-December:
What a difference a year makes. Aditi is more or less
developmentally caught up, and as of end of the year, is about median
height (albeit <5th percentile in weight). She began to walk
the night before her first birthday - we had several witnesses. A
few months later, she is running all over the place. She also
gets into everything - the
personification of entropy - as I suppose most toddlers are. From
baby food (ground up veggies) and whole milk yogurt, she now likes to
eat things she can feed herself with her hands, like pinto beans cooked
with garlic, stir fry tofu and veggies, mashed potatoes, samosas from
Naniji, spaghetti, bits of whatever we're eating... She also
seems to like it outside, and in particular, riding in our neighbor
Jen's red wagon around and around the neighborhood, or on the trails at
the Desert Museum. She is more and more social, and is especially
interested in other toddlers. I suspect this is part of starting
daycare in September at the Khalsa School in Tucson. She likes
hanging out with neighbor Ellie, who's 6 months older than her.
We got to see lots of family at Thanksgiving, and Aditi and her cousin
Shoshana played nicely. She loves to read; the best way to make
friends is to read a book that she's brought you. Most recently
(end of December 2004) she is starting to put things in order:
taking cans out of and putting them back into a crate; taking
shoes off the shoebench and putting them back; you get the idea.
She's still not sleeping through the night. Usually we're up 2-3
times to feed her. Much of the fall has also been spent under the
weather: Aditi picks up cold from neighbor kids or day care; brings
cold home to Mom and Dad; we all enjoy being sick; repeat. As of
December we've had, we think, four colds in four months; hoping for a
break over New Years.
Nov.
11th : We like halva: hot cereal made from butter, chickpea flour and
sugar. Not health food, maybe, but feels good on a sore throat,
and packs in the calories.
Nov.
13th: Enjoying a wagon ride with Jen.
Nov.
24th: Reading
with my cousin Vikram, in for Thanksgiving from Washington.
Nov.
25th: Sharing
the wagon with cousin Shoshana, visiting from Baltimore. Easy,
Shoshie, that's quite a hug. Thanks for hauling us around, Nani.
Nov. 26th: We had a
full house for Thanksgiving (left-right): me, Ganesh (Vikram's
stepdad), Petey, Diti, Vikram, Jessica (Vikram's fiancee),
Becky/Shoshana, Chachi, Anu, Jackie, Nani.
Nov.
26th:
Petey gets the cousins rocking the house, or at least, one poor sofa.
Nov.
26th: Shoshana demonstrates why early toddlers are mainly destruction
personified. Tower by Mike.
Nov. 28th: Reading with Poppy is fun.
Dec.
4th: Car seat
photo redux (left to right): November 2003; April 2004; December 2004.
January-March:
We're still at about 50% attendance in school - one week healthy, one
week sick. Aditi's hair is coming in brown, sometimes shining a
bit reddish? From just walking, now Aditi is running; and she
seems, for some reason, to like to spin around. Do all kids do
this? Chocolate is emerging as a favorite food -- Mom's
genes. Riding in the wagon has morphed into trying to pull the
wagon, or pull a pint-size version of the wagon, or simply drag
anything around by one end. In addition to taking things apart,
Aditi is also starting to put things back, when asked to; she likes
helping by closing doors, the dishwasher, and drawers; and in a
watershed event, carried a load of compost to the garden. Under
direction from Aditi we've evolved a bedtime ritual: bath (well,
playing in the water), then a feed, then a few books, then sleep.
This was all her idea. With the spring wildflowers, Aditi is even
more interested in botanizing than before. I am trying to teach
her to leave a few flowers on the plants, but she usually likes to
bring specimens to me while we're out for a walk. Birds, dogs,
cats, and horses are all of immense interest. The infant car seat
has finally been replaced by a forward-facing behomoth of a seat; which
provides such interesting views that Aditi doesn't sleep in the car any
more. Aditi is not talking yet, but communication is
developing. Here
is a favorite word (780Kb). She can indicate yes or no; tell us
she's ready to
use the bathroom; tell us she's hungry; signal for milk or water; say
'bird', 'dog', 'cat' in Aditese; delineate a 17 point plan for peace in
the Middle East. OK, I made up that last one.
New Years 2005:
With Anu, Liz, and Liz Porcupine. The porcupine was such a big hit that
Liz was compelled to leave it with us.
Reading with
Naomi. I am so sick of Where's Kitty, but the Auntie influx gives
us a break.
Snoozing with
Joanie. And Will Turtle.
Playing with Tommie
(son of Maria and Bryan), who was born a day after Aditi. Tommy,
what's with the tongue?
Jan. 31st: This is
the look that says, 'I am about to, or just did, something
mischievous'. Here is the accompanying laugh
(490Kb). We usually get this look just after she's stolen the
remote control and is about to fast-forward or turn off the movie, for
instance, or when she's just put some sand, rocks, other inedibles in
her mouth. Often combined with running away from The
Authorities. Are delinquent patterns of behavior really set this
early?
Feb 9th:
Chocolate. I like chocolate. More chocolate...
Feb 14:
Hanging out with Ellie (center), and Athena (right). Athena was
born about a month before Aditi and visits here often.
April-June
2005: After 6 months or so of getting sick (us too) every
other week or so, we took Aditi out of day care. The idea was
that she'd gain weight faster without all the colds, and it looks like it's working so far. We are starting to get
words, and it's clear Aditi undestands more than she can say (although
understanding and obeying are two different things.) Words so
far: Dada (a favorite), Mama, bird, bear, elk, owl (last 4 courtesy of
nightly readings of the National Parks alphabet book), cat, flower,
night-night, uh-oh,
bye-bye, Diti, Ellie, 'nana (banana, or
Nanaji?), ice,
water (wawa), bath, yellow, eye, woof-woof, dog.
Entropy is big these days: flipping light switches on and off,
squashing play-dough, coating herself with fingerpaint as if it were
sunscreen; unloading drawers, toy baskets, recycling bins... Going for
wagon rides is still big, and climbing on just about anything is a
favorite activity. Aditi is very social and seems to play well
with neighboring kids of all ages. She's showing interest in the
toilet, but getting her to do her business is still about a 1-in-4
prospect.
April 9: Bathtime
with Ellie. They know how to get us wet too.
April 13: Toilet
training seems to be going well...
...Or maybe it's
not going so well.
May 14: I have
wanted to pile all of Diti's blocks into one tower for a while now, but
she always knocks it over before I finish. This time I win by
building and documenting it while she's asleep.
May 25: When the
going gets hot, the hot cool off.
Memorial Day
weekend, at Vikram and Jessica's wedding in DC: a favorite game is
jumping on Dad's stomach.
June 9: Rare Moosie
sighting. Although Neera has been living with us
during a project in Tucson she works long hours and is not usually home
by the time we got to bed, and is gone again beforewe get up.
June
19: With Jen and Ellie at Tom and Fer's shower.
July-September 2005:
It's been a near record hot summer in Tucson, so there's been a lot of
inside time as Anu gets more pregnant and the mosquitoes are
emerging. This does not go over well with Aditi who likes her
outside time every day. In the interim, the television is getting
more use than we'd like. A lot of PBS cartoons and Sesame Street,
sometimes tolerating Mom and Dad watching NOVA, but more often, asking
for Dumbo, which she can sit through nonstop. There are more and
more words every day; as of early September, Aditi can pretty much
imitate, and occasionally remember, most 2-syllable words we give
her. Reading is still big but much more interactive. She's
clearly understanding more than she can say at this point.
Whether she listens or not is another matter. A high point of the
summer was a family vacation with Jackie, Pete, Becky and Shoshana in
Cape Cod, in which we got to visit with
friends Dan and Diane, Beth, Naomi, Joanie, Kate, Alexey and
Anna. We also visited with great-uncle Al and great-aunt Irma and
cousins Sam, Seth and Will. Unfortunately, Aditi seems to now be
shy of new or unfamiliar people, but is very attached to John
Dog. Over Labor day weekend Nana,
Nani and Moosie visited us in Tucson.
July 4: we went
camping in the Catalina Mts. to escape the heat. This is one
outfit of Aditi's before and after the trip. There was also a
vomit in the tent episode not captured on film, but that's another
story.
July
11: reading to Moosie.
July 12: We might
have the makings of a girly-girl. (Note: Remember Reese Witherspoon in Legally
Blonde? Just remember I predicted it. ) Given the
choice, Aditi has a definite preference for strappy high heels.
Nani is happy to oblige.
July 23: With
Rodolfo visiting from Peru at the end of July.
August
8th: In Chatham, on the Cape, asleep after a long hard day of playing
with cousin Shoshana. John Dog was along for the ride as was
Spotty.
Aug
13th: With Grandpa Jackie and cousin Shoshie on the Cape.
Aug 13: "After
vacation (week 1)" photo. When's the next vacation?
August 16th:
Watching the television with Sam.
Aug. 17th: Evans brothers taking a breather from all
that vacationing.
Sept. 2: Preparing
for Aditi's second birthday party. Anu getting serious with the
cupcakes.
Sept. 2: With
Din. Nani is a bit jealous.
Sept. 2: Finally
warming up to Nani.
Sept. 3: Blowing
out the candles, with Kelia, Brent/Ellie, Noam, Gabe, Anu, and Madeline.
Sept. 5: Anu is
probably regretting buying those stickers about now.
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