The Helper and Strawberry Thief

Life with two kids couldn't be more fun these days!  Maddie is interactive and playful and has taken her first few steps unassisted (see video below)! And Bella is becoming a well-rounded, independent little girl, who cares for her little sister as if she's the mother.  She rarely gets possessive of her own belongings and is eager to help whenever Maddie needs something.  Like last night when I absentmindedly lugged Maddie upstairs to bed only to realize that her binkie was on the kitchen counter.  I called on The Helper (as Bella loves being called) and had the binkie in my hand within seconds - all without wasting a single ounce of energy!  Now that's what I like about having two kids! 

In fact, Bella is so nurturing that at times, I find her scolding Maddie: "No, Maddie, don't put that in your mouth!" or carrying Maddie out of harm's way: "Uh oh, Maddie's crawling into the bathroom. Come here, you little Rascal!"  And of course it's really endearing to catch her talking to Maddie as if she understands her every word: "Maddie, you need to sit and finish your milk before you can play."

At 11 months old, life to Maddie has become one giant playground.  No longer are the days where she'd sit quietly drinking her bottle.  She's constantly moving about, either standing or trying to crawl to the next destination.  And because of her new-found mobility, her appetite has been insatiable!  We already knew she had a penchant for food, but recently, her culinary tastebuds have matured to finer flavors. A typical meal for her could include red curry with rice, stir-fry broccoli and tofu, or swiss chard and rice. Yes, that's swiss chard. Maddie eats swiss chard, a vegetable that I never knew existed, much less liked, until I was well into adulthood.

One lesson that Bella quickly learned was to keep her food out of arms-reach from Maddie.  Like the other day when Bella left her bowl of strawberries unattended for a split second. Maddie swooped in and chomped into her strawberries like she owned the bowl.  By the time Bella realized what had happened, the Strawberry Thief was innocently licking her fingers clean of the evidence. Jin and I of course watched from afar cracking up.  Luckily, Bella didn't make much of a fuss and joined in on the laughter.

Check out the movie I made of Maddie's 11 month milestones. She giggles aloud playing with Bella and more importantly, she walks!!!