She's becoming such a big girl

Maddy is changing daily, and everyday she's moving farther and farther from being a baby. And more and more into the little girl she's going to become.

We've started trying to redirect her, set some boundaries for things she can't do. Like eat the table. Or play with electrical cords. And when we say "no" or "ne mona" (Ukrainian for you can't) she'll stop, look at us and SCREAM, one sort burst of sound. Not really in anger, just in response to us thwarting her desires. And then she'll grin. And do what she wanted to. We keep saying no, she keeps squawking, then once she realizes we MEAN it... it's face scrunching up, open mouthed (and silent to start) CRYING. Big huge tears and all. She's a girl who knows what she wants.

But the cuter part of her knowing what she wants... when she's in our arms she'll look in a direction, point with her pointer finger (sometimes flexing that finger, to emphasize her desires) and say "DGIS". Which sounds remarkably like "this", and is her way of telling us to take her to whatever it is she's pointing at, she wants to explore. Which can be pictures or windows or balloons or the ceiling (dada can only reach that one). She's already telling us where to go...

At Christmas dido and baba bought Maddy a walking dragon  which she loves to make sounds with. But we've always had it facing the wall, so she can't move with it. Today I put it the middle of the room, on the carpet, and left it. Maddy stood up behind it and started making noises. And then it moved. And she followed behind it. On her feet. She walked. With assistance, of course. But she did it. We know walking isn't far off. Maddy has good balance already and will stand both holding on to things and also by herself. Sometimes she'll just stand up in the middle of the room as she's looking at something.

The start of language, the start of walking, the start of the toddler years. It's all starting. And now we just have to be ready to keep up with her...