EC Update: 1 Year

Well, things are still going great with our Elimination Communication. Since Abi is a busy little bee lately (and is keeping me busy chasing after her), I'll keep this update short and simple!

The Potty: As you can see from the picture(taken at around 9 months old), Abi is already using this little potty and is loving it! At about 8 months she started getting fussy when we held her in position over the big potty, and for a few days we couldn't figure out the problem. Well, it turned out she was just getting bored and didn't like the confinement... yes, she is a very independent little creature! Now, on her little potty, she can sit and play with toys on the floor for as long as she likes!

Going #1: Abi totally understands the connection between her potty and her elimination. Almost every time that we sit her on the toilet, she pees. Even when she doesn't really have to go, we usually find a tiny little dribble showing us that she at least tried!

Going #2: Abi is like clockwork with her poos! She goes poo in the toilet every morning upon waking! Most of the time, we only have to worry about catching the pees for the rest of the day! The only "misses" (that's EC lingo for going poo or pee in the diaper/pants) that we have had are when she's had teething related diarrhea (and really, who can blame her for that?!)

Diapers? In the city, we have started using disposables as a bit if insurance during the day; partly because we're generally a little busier in the city and less able to "tune in" to Abi's potty cues, and partly because she out grew her cloth diapers and we just never got around to buying the next size up! But we try to stick to a one-diaper-a-day goal (both for budgetary and environmental reasons) so potty times are still a big part of our routine. Of course, in the village, she only wears thin cloth pants (like the ones in the picture). We are still using disposables at night both in the city and the village. However, I'm happy/amazed to report that in the past month or so we've had four mornings where she woke up COMPLETELY DRY. So I'm hoping that's a good sign for the future.

Potty Trained? Not quite there, but we're moving towards it! (Although, I guess it really depends on how you define "potty trained". Eighty to ninety percent of Abi's elimination happens in the toilet. I bet that is better than some "potty trained" toddlers.) For me, "potty trained" implies that the child initiates going potty. Since most of our potty times are still parent initiated I don't think I would say Abi's potty trained yet. However, she is catching on and several times we have noticed her walking towards the bathroom when she needs to go. I'm betting she'll be pretty much on her own by 18 months, but we'll just have to wait and see!

Tags:

• EC
• Abigial

Abi: 12 Months

Well, it's time again for another Abigail baby book entry! Luckily, we're still in month 12, so it's a bit easier to remember/observe all of her little tricks! We're really loving this time; she's such a busy little girl and it's a joy to watch her learn.

Took her first steps: 3 days before her 1st birthday.
Abi Likes: Animals. You name it, dogs, cats, horses, cows, chickens... she loves them all! She's even developed her own animal "call"... she makes this wierd coughing/gagging sound. We have no idea how she came up with it, but she fervently believes this is the way to get animals to come.
Abi Dislikes: Being restrained in any way, shape or form! Diaper changes come to mind; she absolutely hates to be stuck on her back against her will! Even hugs and snuggles from Mom and Dad are usually met with unhappy screams and an arched back. Needless to say, she is already quite opinionated!
Favorite toy: Clothes or a dish rag. Pre-walking, she could entertain herself for 20 minutes or more with just a pile of clothes, "sorting" and "folding" them. Now as a walker, she loves to carry around a pair of pants or a dish cloth, all the while "trying it on" by tucking it under her chin or wrapping it around her neck like a scarf!
Favorite Snack: As much as we hate to admit it, Abi's favorite snacks are cheap little (unhealthy, I'm sure) squid flavored snacks that we get for a baht a bag in the village. Of course, we always have plum tomatoes in stock and she loves to chomp on a whole one. She also likes Cheerios and goldfish, but since those are "American" imports she gets those a little less frequently.
Favorite Foods: Abi's a great little eater and rarely turns down anything (unless she does so for reasons of boredom.) She loves spicy foods and even if her eyes are tearing up, she'll still ask for more!
Introvert or Extrovert? Hmmm. Extrovert... hands down! She loves people and becomes friends immediately with everyone we meet, from co-workers to the lady who sells us khao soy. Whenever someone leaves, she simply *has* to say good-bye. Much crying ensues if a proper good bye is not observed! Also, she's totally into kids right now. Whenever she sees another child she gets excited and wildly signs "want want!"
Akha Language: Her first word was "mam-mam" which is Akha baby talk for "food" or "eat". She's totally figured out this eating thing. Where ever we go, she's constantly pointing to the food on the shelves or in peoples hands proclaiming "MAM-MAM!" She also says "tsa-tsa", short for "La tsa tsa ma", which is a greeting you say when shaking hands.
English Language: As I mentioned earlier, Abi loves animals, and her favorite, by far, are dogs so, appropriately, her second word was "dug-dug". She can also say "all done"... well it's really more like "ahh-duh"... but it's still pretty darn good for a 12 month old!
Favorite Game: Peek-a-boo. She loves to stand at the doorway and peek her head around and yell "BAA" at whoever is inside. (The Akha say "ba" instead of "boo".)

Tags:

• Abigail
• firsts

Abi's First Birthday

So our little girl is now 1 year old, and a wonderful year it has been.

We celebrated a few days early at Aje and Nancy's home and to put an exclamation point on the party Abi took her first (completely unassisted, or spotted) steps!

The party had most of the usual American trimmings (food, birthday cake, and the song "happy birthday"), but we did miss our family from America on the occasion. To make up for it we had people from (at least) 4 different nations - Thailand, Burma, America and New Zealand. It seems like this international audience will be the norm for Abigail in this strange, wonderful life we lead.

Here is a video of the party, some antics at home leading up to the party and of course those famous first steps. Enjoy!

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Tags:

• Abigail
• celebrations
• firsts

Abi: 6-8 Months

Abi just turned 11 months old, so I figured it was about time that I finally post her 6-8 month photos that have been sitting on my desktop awaiting a blog of their own. Also, since this blog is really our digital equivilent to a baby book, I thought I'd share a few milestones and interesting tid bits about Abi's life during those months:

Favorite toy: Other than big people toys (cell phone, laptop, mouse, remote, etc.) which she's not really allowed to play with, she loves the foam letters in the ABC puzzle mat, and also she loves these squirter ball toys that we got in four packs from the dollar store!
Her first two teeth showed up when she was: 6 months & 10 days old
Her biggest fear: the blender!
Biggest hurdle in life: huge gag reflex... even just a pacifier can make her vomit!
First foods: Rice cereal, mashed pumpkin and tomatoes and cucumbers in a mesh feeder.
Nicknames: Boo, Tomato head, Frog Face, sweetie, sweetheart, sweet thing (or any other variation on sweet-something that happens to come to mind!)Of course, her Akha name is Yeh-mi, but all of our Akha friends have different nicknames for her too, including Bu-Tsa (pretty girl) and Bu-ga (Loved Girl) or just A-mi (Girl).
She crawled for the first time when she was: 7 months & 13 days old
Teeth #3 & #4 popped through when she was: 8 months & 10 days old

Tags:

• Abigail
• firsts

Abigail Dancing (Video)

I know I said I would put a video of the house tour up next, but I lost that video so instead you get more video of the baby :)

Lori shared with you a while ago that we have been showing the Signing Time series in the village to teach English and Sign Language to the Akha children. Well, it turns out that Abi loves the movies as much as anyone, especially the theme song.

Back at home she will watch it over and over, dancing and "signing" as she deems appropriate.

We put a video together of her dancing, but that's really all it is. So unless you are a grandparent, family member, friend or stalker that really wants to watch the baby for three minutes, it will be pretty dull for you. All of you can go check out a slightly more interesting video.

For those of you who are still on this page, here's Abi!

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Isn't she cute?

Tags:

• Abigail
• family
• firsts

It Takes a Village...

This is more than just a cliche or ad campaign! Abi is constantly being passed around to her adoring Akha family! ...And she loves it, what a people person she is! (She must take after her mother!) Here is a little glimpse into Abi's life in the village.

Tags:

• Abigail
• village
• Akha

Abi: 4 - 6 Months

It's been so long since we've posted anything on the baby blog that I have to go back in time to catch up a little bit! Here are a few cute pics of Abi during our trip to America.

Tags:

• Abigail
• firsts
• pictures