Junior: August 2005 Archives

I'm still waiting for Magda to say "Mama" again (maybe it was a fluke?), but she seems to have mastered a new word - "Woof!" Magda doesn't just say it, she jerks her entire body when she woofs like a dog.

I'd noticed it before, but she really got into it on Wednesday at our first obedience class for Rose (yes, it appears we have a new family member - my earlier claims to the contrary notwithstanding). When "Fred", with whom the teacher demonstrated the concepts, started barking, Magda barked right back. She did it repeatedly and with verve and the instructor had more luck with getting Fred to stop barking than us with Magda.

Magda barks in the park when she sees a group of dogs, she does it when Homer and Rose bark around, and, according to Jennifer, she's done it when she sees a drawing of a dog in one of her books.

Magda has had a couple of firsts since our return from vacation. On Thursday, I had called home about something and Jfer told me she was about to call me that Magda has sat up on her own after her nap -- for the very first time! And sure enough, the next morning while I was sleeping in, Magda woke me up with ther babble, turned on her side and casually pushed herself up into a sitting position. Maybe it only works on the bed right now, but it's still pretty cool. She's getting much more coordinated and her upper body strength has increased noticeably.

During our vacation Magda had become more and more chatty. Maybe it was because all those people were talking to her in a variety of languages, but she often babbles up a storm. Pretty much all of it is uninteligible, but it's getting more varied than the "ta ta" sound she'd been making pretty much from the get go. Jennifer told me all excitedly yesterday that she had heard Magda add the "ma ma" sound to her babble. Still, most of that seems random and without meaning.

Last night when I was supposed to be getting Magda into her PJs, but was instead playing with her on the bed, Jennifer snuck into the bedroom and peeked over the edge of the bed. When Magda noticed her, she lit up and clearly said "mama, mama!"