Friday, January 5, 2007: Naomi stole Amelia’s sippy cup at day care so we brought in her own. She grabs the handles very well and even drinks water out of a pint glass without too much difficulty. She handles her own bottles expertly now, easily holding them with one hand.
Thursday, January 11, 2007: Naomi has been eating Cheerios since just before Christmas, but now she’s getting very good at pinching them in her fingers.
Saturday, January 13, 2007: Naomi hosted a going away party for her friend Amartya, who is moving with his parents to Brooklyn. Larkin, Calida, Ottilie, and the grownups are sad to see them go, but enjoyed their visit.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007: Naomi gets up on all fours a lot. Also, thought not especially consistently, she has been waving hello and goodbye. She also gets upset now when you take a toy away, like she’s got a better memory for it.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007: Naomi said “ma ma” while we were out at dinner celebrating Mom’s birthday.
Saturday, January 20, 2007: With support, Naomi has been taking lots of steps like she wants to walk. She’s also still experimenting with sounds, saying “ga ga” a lot today.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007: Naomi is pulling herself up!
Saturday, January 27, 2007: Naomi brought herself back to a sitting position for the first time. So she’s basically crawing, though she prefers to walk. Also, for the last two weeks or so she has gotten more and more ticklish.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007: Jazmin gave Naomi her first report card! All A’s and she’s probably moving to the toddler room in June. In other news, Mom is convinced the front teeth are coming in to join the two on the bottom. Also, Naomi waved goodbye to Mom when she dropper her off in the morning.
Friday, February 2, 2007: Dad finally got a decent video of Naomi crawling!
Saturday, February 3, 2007: We lowered the crib. Had to.
Sunday, February 4, 2007: For Naomi, the highlight of Patrick’s Super Bowl party was getting licked by Libby.
Friday, February 9, 2007: Mom found Naomi had pulled herself up in her crib after waking and was gazing out the window.
Friday, February 16, 2007: We’ve been working on improving Naomi’s sleep and have been writing down how the night went. Here’s a typical entry:
8:50pm asleep (nursed)
1:30am held
4:00am nursed
7:05am woke
Saturday, February 18, 2007: Naomi really likes cruising around in the new car and Mom and Dad like how much easier it is to put her in a car that has more than two doors!
Saturday, February 24, 2007: Naomi hosted a potluck for all of her friends, 14 of whom were able to make it. Chaos and, quite possibly, the spread on infectious disease ensued. Also, Mom was right about the teeth. Her two front ones have broken through and the two next to those are visible.
Sunday, February 25, 2007: After rushing home from IKEA where she had salmon and frozen yogurt for the first time, Naomi listened to the first anniversary of her Dad’s band practice and even had a little ice cream she wasn’t supposed to. We brushed our teeth afterwards. Earlier in the day an old lady stopped us on the street and asked if she could look at Naomi. Then she asked us if we realized that we could earn one hundred dollars an hour baby modeling. We said, “no we didn’t know that” and she said we didn’t seem like the baby modeling type.
Monday, February 26, 2007: We’re pretty sure Naomi signed back for the first time. Naturally, the sign was “milk.”
Wednesday, February 28, 2007: Naomi took a step towards Dad today, breaking from her usual mode of maintaining at least one point of contact. She can pull up on walls now, and I swear Naomi signed “all done” in her high chair.
Thursday, March 1, 2007: Naomi can stand up without any support now. The Daddy Diner had to go.
Thursday, March 8, 2007: Naomi refused to allow one block to remain stacked on top of another. After she finished eating dinner she seemed quite content to sit in her high chair and listen to Mom and Dad’s conversation. She stands for long periods (maybe up to a minute) without holding on to anything.
Friday, March 9, 2007: Due to Naomi’s slight fever at day care yesterday (100.5) Dad is home with her today. The fever was highest Monday night (103.9 or 104.9 were the two readings we took), but we actually canceled her doctor’s appointent since she’s doing so much better. The redness in her cheeks from last night is largely gone as well. She’s starting to play with her bead and wire toy more.
Thursday, March 15, 2007: Naomi has been turning the pages of her board books for weeks. Also, she can do a “Native American whoop” (a sound made by putting your hand against your mouth over and over) for lack of a better term.
Friday, March 16, 2007: Naomi is walking! Mom captured on video a great little walk in the kitchen you can actually count 17 footsteps in the footage, which we put up at http://thedurbins.com/naomi.
Sunday, March 18, 2007: We can’t even keep track of the number of steps any more. Naomi walked from the laundry basket in the bedroom toward the kitchen and would have made it even farther if she hadn’t tripped on the threshold.
Monday, March 26, 2007: Spitting out water.
Friday, March 30, 2007: Crawling up stairs. Maybe she could have done this earlier but we didn’t think to try.
Friday, April 13, 2007: Zerberts on Mom’s tummy.
Friday, April 14, 2007: Blowing for “hot” but doesn’t get “don’t touch.”
Sunday, April 15, 2007: She’s putting things in containers. Been dumping for quite a while.
Monday, April 16, 2007: Said “banana” (sort of). Serious separation anxiety at day care drop off is setting in. :(
Wednesday, April 17, 2007: Wheels on the bus movements.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007: Naomi said “ball” for the first time. Mama and dada still seem to mean “eat” and “play,” respectively.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007: Put sixteen Cheerios in the cup holder on her high chair one by one.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007: Put Cheerios in Dada’s mouth.
Saturday, April 28, 2007: Third trip to T-Mo. She loves it there. Sleeping better, in general, these days. Sleeps from about 8:15pm until 5:00am (when Mom feeds her) and then until 6:30am. Dad puts her back down anytime before 5am. It had been four times a night on a bad night, but sometimes she doesn’t need to be put back down at all.
Sunday, April 29, 2007: Fed Mama a bottle.
Monday, April 30, 2007: Spit up so much water during dinner last night we heard the splash as she shifted in her seat and the full bib released. Had to wash and dry out the high chair pad over night. Told Jazmin about it and she said she’s starting to do that with yogurt too. Signed “all done.”
Tuesday, May 1, 2007: Naomi has been walking home from day care this week. Today a lady stopped us and told her she’s so pretty she’ll be on TV some day. We kept our distance as she was shaking her keys in our face.
Thursday, May 17, 2007: Naomi simply loves brushing her teeth.
Saturday, May 26, 2007: We celebrated Naomi’s birthday right with 50+ friends. Plenty of cake to go around and 8 quarts of ice cream.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007: At Naomi’s 12 month appointment today Mom told the doctor she could say or sign 20 words. Dad didn’t believe this until they started totaling them up: mama, dada, hi, ball, hat, cheese, kitty, up, more, teeth, all done (sign), book (sign), block, dog (woof, woof), [ba]nana.
Wednesday, June 14, 2007: At the roller slide, Naomi can now hoist her body up the platform rather than taking the stairs. Naomi says hi to everyone as she walks home from day care.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007: Naomi danced to the blues at an outdoor concert in Brookline Village.
Friday, June 29, 2007: Yesterday we learned that Naomi’s ear infection is completely gone! We were getting very discouraged since we first learned about it a month ago (on May 29) and only the third antibiotic (Zithromax) finally worked after two types of Amoxicillin (“the pink stuff” and “the white stuff” as her pediatrician put it) failed.
Saturday, June 30, 2007: Naomi finished her last swimming lesson and attended Olivia’s second birthday party with Kaidan, Claire, Lucy, and Emmy. Olivia and Emmy sang the alphabet song, which I didn’t know two year-olds could do. Naomi had a blast splashing in the kiddie pool.
Sunday, July 1, 2007: Uncle Ted and Aunt Lorri came up from New York yesterday and today to visit. It was very nice to catch up and they even entertained Naomi with their circus tricks. :) Naomi cut her bottom lip a bit slightly after falling flat on her face, but she’s a tough girl.
Monday, July 2, 2007: Nothing has made Dad run out and buy his baby girl $50 shoes like seeing her with a black eye today. Day care suggested her slick shoes may have contributed to her hard fall against a chair.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007: Naomi’s eye is looking much better. Suddenly, she has no interest in brushing her teeth any more and throws her brush on the floor.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007: Naomi has a friend named Naomi. By mutual agreement, their Naomi is called “Little Naomi.” I bring this up because it was Little Naomi’s birthday today (yes, born on the 4th of July) and Dad took some pictures. After a nap, we then proceeded to Dave and Joanna’s for more festivities.
Saturday, July 7, 2007: The Laughathon video tells all. Also, Dad always yawns on the appropriate page for Goodnight Gorilla and tonight Naomi yawned before he turned to that page, then looked at him and laughed when he yawned.
Sunday, July 8, 2007: Naomi is getting much more adept with a spoon, successfully scooping blueberries into her mouth this morning. She needed the energy for her first trip to the beach! She slept the whole ride there and enjoyed a snack under the shade of our umbrella. We discovered the best way to get sand to stick to your toddler is to first slather her with sunscreen and not let it dry right away. Naomi grabbed little handfuls of sand from abandoned sandcastles and ran to the water over and over again, tossing them into the sea, laughing the whole time. The running didn’t stop for four hours and she slept well the whole ride home.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007: Last night Naomi slept ten and a half hours straight, from 8pm until 6:30am. It was heaven.
Thursday, July 12, 2007: In a very eventful two hours, Naomi discovered she’ll start transitioning to the toddler room on July 23, picked up a piece of chalk on the playground and drew for the first time, ate about half a pound of broccoli for dinner, and flung her body into the tub when Dad wasn’t looking. Bad Dad. :( Miraculously, she bathed unscathed. :)
Saturday, July 14, 2007: Naomi climbed up on a box of wine at Trader Joe’s all by herself. Of course, she needed a little help getting down. She also walking backwards.
Monday, July 16, 2007: The NaNoo NaNoo video says it all.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007: Naomi figured out how to put her finger puppets on her fingers. She’s also figured out how to blow her nose.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007: Naomi is a motorist. Check out the video. She loves driving her convertible backwards.
Thursday, July 26, 2007: Today was Naomi’s first full day in the toddler room (she has been transitioning all week). Last week she was exclusively in the infant room (apart from the times Dad would bring her over to the toddler room for a while during pickup.) Naomi came home with a new word: mine! (It sounds more like “my.”)
Friday, July 27, 2007: One the walk home from daycare Naomi noticed a horse in the window of a party store. Daddy told her a horse says “neigh” and she has been really good about telling us what horse say since then.
Saturday, July 28, 2007: Naomi is trying to say her own name. It sounds a bit like “Nomi.”
Sunday, July 29, 2007: Naomi said “R” after Mom pointed to the letter her alphabet matt. Tonight she actually put a soup pot away for the first time, even closing the door on the cabinet.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007: One on Naomi’s favorite pasttimes now is feeding the kitting. One of the best ways to get her to leave the playground to come home for dinner is to ask her if she wants to put food in the kitty’s bowl. She says “bowl.”
Wednesday, August 8, 2007: We have been visiting a petting zoo in Montreal all week and today when we asked Naomi if she’d like to see the animals, she said, “Moo!”
Thursday, August 9, 2007: Dad and Naomi were reading a book that had a picture of two toddlers holding hands with the caption “friends” when Naomi reached over and gave Daddy her hand. They held hands for a good five minutes while Mommy drove.
Monday, August 13, 2007: This morning Naomi put a monkey finger puppet on Mom’s finger and said, “Oooo, oooo.” It was also Naomi’s first day back to day care after a week’s vacation. She kissed her friends Julia and Aviv. At night she fed Bear Bear a bottle.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007: Naomi strung two words together for the first time: “more banana.” She puts blocks or other uncomfortable objects on her little chair and sits on them, for a few moments anyway.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007: Buritto muncher
Sunday, August 19, 2007: Naomi ate a few Cheerios and fed the rest to the birds.
Monday, August 20, 2007: Naomi walked down the stairs on the big kid Devo school playground all by herself while holding on to the handrail.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007: Naomi likes to shake the horse at the playground.
Thursday, August 23, 2007: Naomi put a blanket on Bear Bear and shushed Mom and Dad so that he could fall asleep. For a few weeks she hasn’t been waving and saying “hi” to strangers as much, but this was apparently a phase as she’s back to her usual gregarious self.
Friday, August 24, 2007: Naomi does this funny walk where she holds her hands behind her back.
Sunday, August 26, 2007: Naomi loves the “If You’re Happy and You Know It” song and claps her hands and feet. She also played the keyboard and danced for Grandma.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007: Naomi said “three, four, five” followed by “one, two.”
Wednesday, August 29, 2007: Naomi sang “la la la la” as the refrain for “Elmo’s Song.”
Thursday, August 30, 2007: On the way to day care, Mom rattled off some of the names of Naomi’s friends there. At dinner that night, Naomi was saying “Claire, Hannah, and Ada.” If you ask Naomi about Olivia, Naomi says, “Jump!” If you ask her about Julia, she cackles.
Friday, August 31, 2007: Dad took the day off to take care of Naomi since her daycare was closed for professional development. As usual, they hit the park and Naoi squealed with delight on the swings.
Sunday, September 2, 2007: Naomi went to the zoo for the first time! The jaguar sprang towards her, forgetting about the glass in his excitement over lunch. Mom took a great picture of Dad and Naomi:
Thursday, September 6, 2007: Upon seeing him walk into day care, Naomi said, “Daddy’s here!”
Saturday, September 8, 2007: B&N Storytime.
Sunday, September 9, 2007: Mom showed Naomi how to roll down a hill at Greg’s party.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007: Naomi and Conner are partners in crime. Whoever wakes up from nap first wakes the other and then the two of them wake the rest.
Saturday, September 15, 2007: Naomi said, “Thank you.”
Tuesday, September 18, 2007: Naomi said, “I love you.”
Thursday, September 20, 2007: Naomi loves to play “Ring Around the Rosie.” Mom and Dad sing the song as we all move in a circle on the mat and Naomi throws herself on the ground a bit early, well before we even say “ashes.” :)
Wednesday, September 21, 2007: Naomi started singing “Baby Shark” on her own. She can also do the biggest slide on the Devo playground all on her own!
Saturday, September 22, 2007: Went for a hike in the Blue Hills.
Sunday, September 30, 2007: Went apple picking and took lots of pictures
Monday, October 8, 2007: Naomi saw her first elephants and rhinos at the Columbus Zoo.
Thursday, October 11, 2007: Naomi sings all sorts of songs. Today the music teacher at day care provided Dad with what he had asked for: some excerpts from the book she’s using with the children, “First Steps in Music for Infants and Toddlers” by John M. Feierabend. Flipping to a song at random, he asked, “Naomi, do you know Ride-o?” and Naomi instantly started singing “Ride-o” and dancing. She may not have the tune quite right or more than the first line, but it’s still very impressive and very cute. She also sings “Row Row Row Your Boat,” “The Wheels on the Bus,” and “Elmo’s Song (la la la la)”.
Saturday, October 13, 2007: “Eyes, eyes,” Naomi kept saying as her hair kept flopping into her face. She refuses to leave her hair clips alone so she got her first haircut today.
Sunday, October 21, 2007: Naomi peed in her potty for the first time tonight! For the last three nights the minute we stick her in her bath she stands up and pees so we had her sit on the potty for few minutes. After her bath, Naomi impressed Mom and Dad with how well she can stack her oversized legos.
Thursday, October 25, 2007: Mom: “Where does your diaper go?” Naomi: “Bum… bum.”
Friday, October 26, 2007: Naomi is starting to learn her colors! She knew what color a polar bear is anyway. :) She also knows where to wipe with toilet paper.
Saturday, October 27, 2007: She seems to know “red” as well.
Thursday, November 1, 2007: Naomi is doing really well on the big girl swings. Also, she started a fashion trend at day care by insisting on wearing her winter boots.
Monday, November 5, 2007: Naomi called Mom and Dad by their real names and thought it was pretty funny.
Thursday, November 8, 2007: Naomi made the newsletter at day care:
November 11, 2007: Naomi comes up with her own names for her books like “Mommy Owl” and “Achoo Bear.” She also wants to floss now.
Sunday, November 12, 2007: After dinner Naomi was looking at the picture of Bryce and Shannon on the fridge, and she mentioned Shannon’s name while chattering about her day as Dad rocked her to sleep.
November 19, 2007: Naomi sucked on a wet washcloth during her bath and then repeated what Mom said, “Babies are gross.”
Thursday, November 22, 2007: Naomi watched her first Baby Einstein video at the house of a friend of a friend. It was about farm animals and she was completely enthralled, but at one point she started crying as she watched a hand puppet change colors through some video effect. I think it was shocking to her, unnatural, if you will, which it was.
November 30, 2007: Just like Daddy, Naomi makes clicking sounds to call the cat.
Sunday, December 2, 2007: Naomi discovered her echo in the tropical forest at the Franklin Park Zoo.
Monday, December 3, 2007: For weeks Naomi has been on a huge drawing kick. “Crayons, crayons” prompts us to we pull out the So Bigs and tear a piece off the roll. Tonight she figured out how to draw circles, which she calls O’s. O isn’t the only letter she’s into. S, T, and P are well known to her (to round out the sign she spots everywhere). And lately she’s always looking for her R book so she can turn to the last page to find the rhino.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007: Naomi sings “Head, Shoulders, Toes” (close enough) during every bath these days. She loves her bath so much that Mom had to teach her the term “wrinkle toes” when concern spread across Naomi’s face.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007: “No, Squeaky! Squeaky, no!” we hear frequently these days whenever the cat is tearing up paper, as she is wont to do. Dad taught Naomi a new sign, “good,” in an effort to clear Squeaky’s name.
Sunday, December 9, 2007: Naomi dumped out her chili and pushed it to the corner of her tray saying, “Bye bye.” She also really enjoys crossing her fingers now.
Monday, December 10, 2007: Naomi loves to say “cheers” and clink glasses (or sippy cups).
since mid november: loves airplanes, dipping, silly putty, fire early december: says thank you a lot. loves the R book (Rhino)
Sunday, December 30, 2007: When asked where he bib was, Naomi responded, “Mommy’s getting it,” which was not only right, but her longest complete sentence to date.