A few days later, we celebrated Lizzie's first Halloween. She was a real champ, and seemed happy as a clam dressed up as a Sea Otter (which bore remarkable resemblance with a groundhog, I hate to say. Good thing her daddy didn't have the Have-A-Heart trap out!) She loved watching the other kids, and got a kick from the few friends' houses where we stopped by to trick or treat. (She doesn't eat candy yet, so it was a little silly, but what the heck -- we had fun.)
Just a week after Grandma and Grandpa left for NH (via DC, for Grandpa), Lizzie's O'Mama and O'Pa drove here by way of the NY Marathon. Lizzie has one speedy O'Pa, who clocked in at 3:38 -- Not bad! Lizzie seemed less impressed with the running time than with O'Pa's hat, which was once again a bit hit. O'Mama and O'Pa then spent just under 5 days ALONE with Lizzie, while Eric and I went to celebrate good friend Heather's wedding in Mexico. While we sat out hurricane Ida on the Yucatan, Lizzie and her O'runts had a long weekend of warm weather, sunshine, long walks, and trips to the park. The only downside from both sets of grandparent visits is that each pair seems more determined than ever to steal away our perfect little Lizzie Kat to New Hampshire.In the meantime, Lizzie has perfected her assisted walking. She's incredibly stable on her feet and can stand, squat, and bend over to retrieve a dropped object at will. She will walk with minimal assistance, holding onto just one finger and waddling the length of a room. This said, she doesn't seem terribly interested in walking, and has decided, at least for the time being, that crawling is faster, certainly the way to go for anything she REALLY wants (of which are many these days). She's started to point, and does it constantly. Her wrist tilts downward in a regal sort of gesture. Sometimes accusatory, sometimes demanding, it's always very funny, if not intentionally so.
Lizzie has also started to have tantrums. Hard not to laugh. When something isn't precisely how she'd like it (for instance, the kitty is on the OTHER side of the door), she pouts, looks to us, then howls and rolls onto her belly for a good cry. It's truly ridiculous. I'm hoping this passes soon, after years of tsk-tsking other children (granted, much older) for similar behavior.
And the last big accomplishment: talking! Lizzie now has a small but clear vocabulary: "Kee kah" for kitty cat; "Da da" (or sometimes "Gah gah") for daddy, almost sung, and with impressive gusto, usually buck naked from behind the gate at the top of the stairs after I give her a bath while Daddy's still downstairs; "Mum mum" which seems to mean I want, or I like, or milk; "Ah dah" to signal that she's all done at the end of the meal or a bath (or less frequently, with a particular activity, like getting dressed); and finally "Ma ma" which, sadly, means almost anything, but occasionally does seem to be me. She also uses "da" for nouns. I think it means "that", but it could also mean "good". I speculate that she doesn't see a need for identifying anything that is both both good and desired. And "da" seems to fit the bill.
Next up for Lizzie: her one year birthday next Wednesday (oh my!), Thanksgiving with good friends (and more babies and toddlers!), and before long, her first big-girl Christmas. (Last year, at 5 weeks, she didn't notice a thing apart, perhaps, from Mommy's nutmeg flavored milk.)
More soon -- her one year checkup (oh no, and shots!) is on Wednesday, and we'll post the stats immediately thereafter.
Finally, a note on Picassa -- we've started a new album for newer pics, as the old one has reached the 500 photo cap. Look for "Lizzie Kat 7+ months".
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