First steps

Yes, first steps! Charlotte took hers on Sunday evening. James and I got her to take a couple of steps back and forth between us. She thought it was a fun game. It quickly evolved into lunging for us instead of actually walking, but it was exciting while it lasted! Since then Charlotte has continued to crawl and rely on her "bee" (push toy) to get around, but the day is coming when she'll be walking on her own. 

Other firsts around here lately: first frost. The leaves have changed, and I think there are now more down than up. Fall is beautiful in Edmonton, but so short. I try not to think about that last part too much. This time of year really is lovely, and I've had ample opportunity to enjoy it since my commute to the university is a pleasant twenty minute walk, mostly through our tree-lined neighbourhood streets. But it's hard not to anticipate winter as the temperatures drop. The sad reality is that the trees in Edmonton are bare more of the year than they are in leaf!

And one more first: first ear infection. Charlotte has adjusted to daycare, and overall is doing really well with it. There are still tears most mornings (although not all!), but they stop almost as soon as I've left the room, and I almost always return in the afternoon to find her playing happily. She has, however, had her share of sickness that seems to inevitably come with starting daycare, including her first ear infection and two colds. Apart from one first miserable day with the ear infection she hasn't been overly bothered by it all.

Charlotte is over fourteen months old now and with each day is becoming more of a toddler: eager to move, curious about everything, chatty, and she's becoming quite the little climber too. She is turning into such a happy little girl, and very affectionate; we're really enjoying this stage. Her language skills haven't changed dramatically - "up" is still her only fully articulated word, along with "dada" and "mama" - but she's making new sounds, understands a lot of what we say, and generally does a pretty good job of making herself understood. Two of her favourite words are "hi" and "bye", which sound more like "ha" and "ba ba" (accompanied by waving, of course). She's pretty serious about her greetings, and the funniest thing is the way she makes sure to say "ha" and "ba ba" to us as she moves around the condo. She also likes vehicles quite a lot, and has sounds for car ("ta"), bus ("buh" - also bug), and truck ("tuh"). She also has a funny way of saying "tickle" which is also the same for "chicken" ("ticka ticka ticka")! Charlotte is also taller than ever - I haven't measured recently, but she's really stretched out lately.

Tomorrow I go to Ottawa for two days to attend my cousin's wedding, and James and Charlotte will be staying behind - a first for all of us. I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends, and James is looking forward to some quality time with the munchkin. We'll let you know how it all goes...

Above photos by our talented sister-in-law Anne MacRae http://web.me.com/annemacrae/home.html