Listening to a band. This girl FEELS the music.
Maleia hasn't been on a ride yet at Disneyland that she didn't like! The Merry go round is her favorite so far.
It's been a long fun month of family birthdays, but I want to make sure I write down all of her incredible milestones. She's come so far. This week we celebrated her 5 month anniversary together. That's about how long she was at Hannah's Hope. The common question from friends is, "How is she doing?" I have my standard reply, "Great!" Depending on how I feel and what I'm doing, I sometimes elaborate and sometimes just smile and move the conversation along. Sometimes it is just an overwhelming question because Maleia amazes me. Every few weeks I look back and have a "WOW" moment. Just recently she has started to cuddle on my shoulder. She nestles in while I'm carrying her and I just melt! She has always loved sleeping right next to me face to face and being cradled in my arms during a nap, but this is different. She is awake and wanting ME to cuddle and love all over her! She now is gazing up at me when she takes a bottle. Up until a few weeks ago she would look out sideways. I don't even realize how far we've come until I think about where we've been. The attachment to me, Brendan, the kids, and our extended family is going better (and easier) than we ever expected. Thank you God!
We celebrated her birthday with family, our small group from church, and a few close friends that were close to us in the adoption process. It was special. She was walking around like she knew what was happening. She wore Ellie's exact outfit from when she turned one. We gave her her first Ethiopian present which was a dress. We'll have some pictures taken of her in it. She mashed the cake up with her hands and then immediately wanted it washed off her hands. She didn't attempt to put it in her mouth and shook her head no when I tried to give her a little taste. I thought she would go crazy with it. She seems to enjoy being messy and LOVES real food (not baby food). Ahh...well...there is plenty of time for cake in the future!
At one year old....
Maleia can say Mama (her first word, I'm so proud), Dada, Nana, hi, gama (grandma), tata (Shasta), Grandad (I know it's crazy, but it really sounds like his name!), hat, ball, ut..oh (something falling), mo (more)
She signs more, all done, milk, and food.
She can point to her eyes, head, ears, mouth, nose, and feet.
She loves animal sounds and all types of songs. She claps her hands for "Patty-cake", puts her two pointer fingers together for "Itsty-bitsy Spider", and open and closes her hands for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."
She has 7 teeth and weighs about 23 lbs.
Maleia is finally getting some curls!
We went to the gastroenterologist about her constipation issues and she is now learning how to "push" with the help of a stool softner. :)
Loves to be outside. The swing is her favorite.
She also loves water. We can't wait to get her in a pool for the first time! We even have to close all the bathroom doors because she heads for the toilets! Yuck!
When anyone lays down on the floor, Maleia will walk over and lay on top of them!
She knows what she wants and is very verbal with her grunting and pointing.
She still wakes up twice a night. Midnight and 3 ish are her hours of choice.
She still sleeps next to us in the pack-n-play or in our bed because we don't want her to wake Ellie since they'll share a room.
Barney is Maleia's friend.
Maleia has a great laugh....she IS her father's daughter! "He...eh...eh...eh...eh...eh...eh"
When we are going places and meeting people Maleia can be very somber and observant, while at home she is is normally very loud vocally, content, and confident.
She can't stand to have her diaper changed and wiping her face with a wet wipe makes her REALLY mad.
She can drink from a straw.
She seems to enjoy walking away from me, looking back to taunt me, and then walking faster in the opposite direction of me.
We grow deeper and deeper in love with Maleia each and every day. Her personality is blossoming. It's exciting to watch her learn and grow because she takes it ALL in. I could stare at her all day. She amazes me.
