Aydin at Nine Months

Boy,

Things have been busy over here at Casa Akcin. Aydin turned nine months old on Saturday and we celebrated in style in Jackson Heights, Queens, where our dear friends Ryan and Lucia had us over for brunch. They traded waaaay up to a beautiful apartment on 82nd Street, super-close to the subway stop and pretty much awesome all around. I can't believe we didn't take any pictures! I guess we were a little preoccupied with yet another not-so-astonishing discovery: Aydin's allergic to eggs! She didn't even eat them this time. She just got a little bit on her hands and within 15 minutes, the hives were breaking out. It was actually kind of nice to have second and third (and fourth) opinions this time. No, it's not in my head, she really does break out into a rash with dairy and eggs. Soy? Nuts? We're not even gonna go there until she's at least 2.

Aydin's "nine-month-ness" shows in many ways. She is becoming more aware of her emotions and likes to exaggerate them to get her point across. For instance, after a few weeks of happily shifting from a seated to a tummy position, she now balks whenever she finds herself "stuck" on her tummy and wails quite loudly to let any and all know how displeased she is. She smiles at people on the street all the time; I know because of their beaming faces as they cross our path. (I can't see Aydin's face now that she's in the facing-forward stroller.) She does seem to bask in the attention. Sometimes it overwhelms her, though, as when little children just learning to walk come over to swat at her feet (propped up on the stroller rail, of course).

She's beginning to imitate more, which just hints at the fun times ahead. Yesterday I got her to pat her hands on the floor and wave them in the air (like she just didn't care). We're not quite at the "Patty-Cake" stage yet, but maybe we're close!

As for crawling, nary a hint that she's even interested. Generally, if a toy falls beyond her reach, she tries a few times, and if she can't reach, she just looks around instead for what else might attract her attention. If there are no more toys within grasp, well, there's always fingers and toes to chew on. Aydin seems very preoccupied with teething still; for weeks and weeks she has been biting everything, especially my shoulder, collar bone, and jawbone. We call her Vampira or Vampire Baby because she's very singular in her intent to latch on to some part of me to chew on! We're wondering if she's going to skip crawling and go right to walking. I'd say it's about 50-50 right now. Today she tried to pull herself up in the kitchen, but only to the extent that she could mouth the edge of the corner shelf. So... whether it's a desire to stand / walk or just another attempt to alleviate the teething, it's hard to tell.

Overall, Aydin is still very much a joy to behold. She captivates her mother and father completely, and seems to impress others with her relative composure and generally easy-going nature. I, of course, get to see all the variations of Little Miss Aydin's moods, so I can say that she certainly has a range of attitudes. For the most part, though, Aydin's father and I have to pinch ourselves every now and then to remind ourselves that we got our order placed in spades. She's quirky, observational, conversational, congenial, and seemingly almost intellectual. She likes to be engaged by other people but is also perfectly content to play with toys / investigate her surroundings for a good 45 minutes or more. In the mornings, she plays in her crib with her beloved BlaBla for up to 45 minutes before growing bored and calling out. We have seen a hint or two of increased whininess lately, but we think it has to do with her dawning awareness of her emotions (as well as her reluctance to go full-throttle unhappy unless it's truly warranted). She's also beginning to show an increased interest in her books, which obviously thrills both her father and me. Her favorite book, hands down, is "Ears, Nose, and Toes," seconded by "Olivia." Her favorite toy? Hard to say. She really likes her animal board, pulling out each animal by its red handle. She still gets excited about my watch. She also likes to bang a whisk on a metal tin canister that used to contain Turkish figs rolled in sesame seeds (yum!). Oh, wait -- her newest, most exciting thing: she goes absolutely bananas in the bath now! Kicking her legs, splashing her hands, it's truly a joy to witness. We have video but feel a little too pervy posting it online. Hopefully she'll become as happy in the pool as she is in the bath. I've taken her to the YMCA pool twice (mixed reviews) and once to the outdoor baby pool (she started to get into it once she got used to it). The outdoor public pool is about a half hour walk from our place, so it's a bit of a hike. It's a great place, though. People of all shapes, sizes, colors, and walks of life intermingling and enjoying what has so far been a beautiful summer. There's nothing but positive things our dear one can take away from the experience, even if she takes a little while to get over being splashed in the face a few times by other swim bunnies!

Well, this message has gone on too long, but it was long overdue, so just think of it as a week's worth of postings all rolled into one. Hope everyone has a wonderful July Fourth weekend. We'll be in DC visiting Hilary and Cinar, hopefully eating lots of hot dogs and playing in the baby pool we got to put in their brand new back yard. Photos to come!