The first year of a baby's life is a constant process of change, but we're struck by the way Charlotte's development seems to happen in clusters. In the past month or so Charlotte's ability to communicate with us has improved significantly. Some of her new abilities include clapping, waving, and pointing. And it's now clear that Charlotte understands a lot of what we say to her. We estimate that she recognizes at least fifty words. These include: Mommy and Daddy; "outside", "tree", "park", "bubbles", "ball", "book", "clap", "wave"; names of animals; body parts such as "hair", "hands", "feet", and "nose"; "cup" and many of the foods that she eats.
Charlotte is also better able to communicate her likes and dislikes. At the moment some of her favourite things to do include: standing up in her crib (and standing in general), going on the swing at the park, playing with the laundry basket, and "brushing" her teeth (ie. sucking on her toothbrush). It follows that her biggest dislikes are being interrupted from doing any of those activities! Fortunately she's easily distracted from her displeasure at this stage.
