I can’t believe Martha will be 1 in just a few short weeks! This precious girl fills our days with laughs and smiles and we can’t even remember what life was like a year ago before we really knew and held her.
She climbs on everything which is so fun to watch, but man, keeps this Mama holding my breath (she is great at getting up but hasn’t learned the art of getting down, at least without hurting herself 
). She climbs up stairs any chance she can get, but also loves to climb on people or furniture. Everything is an Everest to be conquered and she is up to the challenge. And when she crawls! Ha! it’s hilarious because she puts her head down and dashes for wherever she is going. I call her our little charging Rhino, ’cause that what she reminds me of as she makes her way around the house. Here’s a short video of her struggling to get on the couch:
Martha is a much pickier eater than Noa was. I think it is because (a) I haven’t had as much time as I did with Noa to fight the eating battles and help her learn to eat things she doesn’t initially like, and (b) she is much stronger willed than Noa is or was and that comes out in what she prefers to eat or not eat. She loves to eat on her own, though, so I am thankful that most foods we can just put on her tray for her to eat. She has 8 teeth and, I think, a few on the way, so she’s great at chewing most things. Her favorites are: oatmeal, any fruit, especially bananas and strawberries, soybeans, senbei (rice crackers), and now goldfish (my mom brought her some from America last week).
She is not really signing more (in fact, I think she is signing less than she was 
) and I think that is just because I haven’t been as consistent with her. She loves to do “high-fives” and “go get …” (a person… by crawling onto them and all over them). She also still loves peek-a-boo.
high fives
being tickled by her big sister
Martha is a big fan of her paci still, especially for sleeping or when she is tired. Most of the time, though, she is a chatter-box so she doesn’t have it in. Noa was 16 months when she began really walking, and that’s when we took her paci away. I am thinking we will do the same with Martha, take it when she starts walking and it’s easier to lose, but it kind of makes me sad for her sake.
Two weeks ago my parents went to the States for some missions conferences and so we had Hannah, Micah, and Seth here with us, along with the dog Rusty and the hamster. Martha loves Rusty, and it was so much fun for her to have him to chase around, and to feed from her high chair. She would also sometimes go after him saying, “Russssssssss, Russssssssss.” If we ask her where Rusty is now, she starts looking all over for him and wanting to get on the floor to crawl to him. It’s so funny to watch.
such a big 11-month old!
That is about it for now. We have some fun ideas for Martha’s first birthday celebration, which we will be sure to share here. I just can’t believe my baby is getting so big. God has been so good!
Boy do I miss these girls! I almost cried seeing there pictures. We have to do a little birthday party for the babies when we get back. Almost one!!! Love to your family….kiss the sweet girls for Calvin!