One week ago today, E turned one years old! I am still wrapping my mind around being the mother of a toddler. She started walking around 11 months and makes laps through the kitchen, dining room and living room dozens of times a day.
She says "hi" (which sounds more like haaaay) and "bye" and will accompany both with a wave (hand open and closed facing herself). She will tell you what a dog, cat, elephant and cow say (not that I would bet my life on her being right or even responding when you ask...but when she's focusing, she can do it). Over the past week or so, she has started giving kisses, which basically consists of her opening her mouth and pushing her face onto yours while giggling (and occasionally trying to bite). Baba (Giz) just taught her to say "wow"...except she just makes the intonation rather than pronouncing the word. So, with every bite of food or every new object, she expresses amazement.
Every cupboard in the house is a new world for her own exploration. I think it's so adorable when I find her toys in the pantry or random packages of non-perishables in the hallway.
When she eats, she reminds me of an actor in a Shakespeare tragedy. She'll be quietly inspecting her food and then, out of nowhere, make an outburst of noise with her arms outstretched. Then, she'll return to eating quietly. (Picture below is E and her destroyed first birthday cake)
It's obvious she doesn't understand most of what is going on -- her expressions remind me of how I look at people having a conversation and laughing when they're speaking in a foreign language. I smile, because laughter is contagious. But, stare blankly because I don't know what the joke is about. In our case, 9 out of 10 times, we're laughing at her. She loves the water, buckles/zippers/clasps, taking things apart and spreading them everywhere and dogs.
In travel news, we're gearing up for a trip to Iceland! In less than two weeks, the three of us will spend 10 days in Iceland. I can't wait to see the sites and take tonnes of pictures.