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”.)