2009-01-11 - 8:34 p.m.

...recent developments in the teranika household...

1. a pointy little fifth tooth has arrived (for Susi, that is).

2. Susi can stand unassisted. But she only does it until she NOTICES that she's doing it, at which point she drops to a position of safety from the inevitable effects of gravity.

3. GRAVITY. Sheesh. When will this concept STOP being so fascinating?? As in, HEY COOL! If I let go of my toy, it falls to the ground. And Mama or Papa pick it up. And it works AGAIN! and AGAIN! (oops. Gravity broken. Toy falls, and then it disappears. huh. maybe it will work next time.)

4. 'Tee-tee' is definitely the first word, consistently used while stalking unamused Mizzy or Lyra.

5. "Ah! Ah!" is the sound a monkey makes. Or rather, it's the sound that Susi makes when she points at her new "At the Zoo" book that has a picture of a monkey eating a banana.

6. Either it's just a phase, or K's "Little Asshole"* gene is appearing. As in, Susi really likes to hit mama in the face, whack her over the head with the remote, or draw blood on parts of the body - ahem - where blood should NEVER be drawn (see point 1). OUCH. Mama is learning how to calmly "use her words" to express her discontent with this particular development.

7. I know I mentioned this news before, but it is SO WONDERFUL to have someone clean the house once per month (first time in my life I've had this!), and equally wonderful to have a trustworthy nanny.

8. Susi turns 1 year old on Friday. So, what does one DO when a baby turns one? I'm guessin' it's a WEE bit early for a bouncy castle, and I'm thinking that a party of babies is excessive. K and I were planning to take her to visit friends, or to a nearby restaurant for kids (which she loves).

9. Year landmarks are big ones for reflection. God, I'm remembering how much childbirth sucked. And how long it took to recover from all of that indelicate stuff afterwards. ugh. This is me, sparing everyone the details.

*****

*K's mother, when queried about her son, once admitted that he was, well, "A little asshole." I am grateful that he has grown out of it.