Baby Anna's Eleventh Month

Baby Anna turned 11 months today. Paul and I can hardly believe that she is one month from her first birthday. It seems like yesterday we brought her home from the hospital. She's had a great month. The cooler Indian weather has turned into hot sunny days as we now are entering the Indian summer months. Anna has gained one more tooth this month. She still has not troubled us too much with eating, however she now wants to feed herself more and more. We have basically stopped mashes at dinner and Anna eats salmon fishcakes, hummus or cheese sandwiches, or her favorite--chopped green beans and chicken. Any type of finger food that she can feed herself. She loves to dance. And though she is still cruising everywhere, Paul and I think any day now she might take her first step, but we will just have to wait and see. By the end of this month, Paul and I have noticed developmentally and physically that our little baby is becoming a little girl. Here are some photos from this month.

Anna playing with her wheelbarrow and blocks. Anna loves to stand by the stereo and dance to the music. Play date with all the babies and mommies at our house. Anna and Ethan playing patty cake. Anna playing with her porridge in the morning. Anna and Jasmine visit the Pune Zoo. Anna likes to spend the late afternoon before dinner looking out the window and talking to the sparrows in her bamboo trees. Where's Anna? Peek-a-Boo! I'm sitting with all my friends. So happy! Anna and Lily are great friends. They love to play hide and seek together. Anna is increasingly getting better at petting Lily gently. Now, Lily comes and lays down with Anna for a few scratches in the afternoon. Princess Anna peeks out of her mosquito net while on safari in India this morning! Anna eating salmon cakes for dinner while sporting her new set of Indian bangles. Daddy's home for a cuddle and story before bath and bedtime.

Saturday Morning at the Flower Market

We finally made it to Gultekdi Market Yard for the much talked about Saturday flower market. The flower market is where all the local shop owners come to buy their stem flowers for sale in their shops as well as the ladies to buy kilos of flower petals to string together to make garlands. Here are some photos from our morning adventure. Photos starring Anna and Jasmine with their mommies.

Busy, busy, busy selling marigolds, daisies and mums. Orange marigolds to string in garlands . . . Bec and I make our way through the mayhem . . . Bec stops with Jasmine to get a price . . .

Roses for sale!

We finally decide to buy roses in each color. 20 INR for 20 stems. About 50 cents USD. Not too shabby.

Piles of flowers . . .

Let's wander down this gali and look for more flower shops . . .

And yet another gali.

Jasmine walking . . .

Let's stop to smell the roses . . .

Jasmine on her new motorbike. It's bigger than her daddy's.

Now, we're off back home for the kids to take their morning nap.