Big Girl Now

Hana is now 13 months and what a busy bee.  I'll get into that in a bit, but first a quick update - We have had quite a start to spring break with a literal bang, or rather, "thud" of our ceiling collapsing onto the floor in our bedroom.  This can be attributed to our ancient, ahem, I mean, "historic" home and its flat vs. angled roof.  Thankfully we've been taken in by Hana's kind grandparents for the time being.  What began as a small leak as evidenced in our photos below turned into a big headache just a few hours later!

Yuck and double yuck :(  Some great things though of being displaced - lots more room at the Kumar compound for Hana to test out those wobbly legs...yup, she's WALKING!  She has been taking several steps since before her 1st bday, however, she is now an official walker, moving from living room to kitchen, and chasing after her favorite pet - much to our pooch's chagrin.

We've also moved into more words vs. babble as Hana's word bank now includes: her own name, morning, baby, and a recent favorite, "hot."  She first used this when trying to touch coffee mugs as her ammama (Grandma Kumar) would tell her it was very hot.  Now she says hot when she wants to touch ANYTHING!  It's quite cute.

Here are my current 5 faves:

1.The Cup
Hana has tried everything from Nuby, Green Sprouts, Avent, Nuk, Born Free and so much more (I wasn't kidding when I mentioned "x amount of dollars"), however we've found that she loved the Take and Toss.  These in particular are great (even the nursery staff commented on their durability) because the lids don't pop off right away, though we haven't seen Hana give it a huge heave ho.  I also like that they're BPA free and easy to replace.  I have already used them in the dishwasher without any warping.   The only con is its longevity, or lack thereof.  Luckily they're cheap so if she bites on the spout, out it goes and we can use another.

2.socks that don't slip
Love these - just restocked on a few more pairs.  Though we have our Trumpette, Baby Gap favorites, in terms of the sock department, these are our feet down favorite.  After a full day at daycare, not only does Hana not have any missing socks, but even better, they stay in place!

3.Say Cheese!
So I'll admit, I wasn't wiping my baby's mouth with a damp cloth after every feeding, but despite not being a dental Nazi in the first year, I do think the six teeth she now proudly displays do need some TLC, which is why I really like this particular toothbrush.  We had a Zolibot and Razbaby brush, however, this little brush has soft adult like bristles that our little one doesn't mind rubbed on her teeth and gums.  We have a morning ritual after the first diaper change and last brush before bedtime. 

4.Pasta Please
Farfalle, better known to moms as "bowtie" is the best shaped pasta for our little girl's growing appetite.  She loves this mixed with a little tomato sauce, but I love it because I can just halve each tie and voila, the perfect little bite!

5.Fish Sticks 2.0
Okay, so I'm not really into giving the little gal processed foods, but then again, life gets hectic and when you need a quick finger food for your kiddo, try these.  I like that they are organic, easy to make and actually taste good!  I'm finding that the husband has mistaken them for hotcakes because the box is always left empty in the freezer, so you can see the benefit on taste alone, plus these are salmon based so think of all that omega goodness!