Slacking Again

Another whole week gone by…

Between work and Punky, life is flying these days. Having time to write is a goal I am struggling to reach.

I just put Punky into bed for the night. She was in there a few minutes when the “mama…mama…mama” started. It’s rare for her to do that at bedtime, she usually falls right to sleep. But when she does do it, I can’t help but go to her. She is so sweet and that one little four letter word just melts my heart every time.

How fast she is learning and changing just blows my mind. She understands…everything it seems. This morning I attempted to have her cuddle with me in bed and go back to sleep for a while, since it was only 6:35 on a Sunday morning. After two minutes of restlessness, she looked me straight in the face and said “bah-bah”… clearly, slowly, and deliberately. She wanted her bottle, and actually communicated it in a way other than crying or fussing. She was telling me something. Talking. Expressing a need. My big girl…

Her vocabulary seems to be expanding quickly. Aside from the usual ball, red, green, and mama, she also says car very clearly, and good, and tries to say good girl when I say it to her. If she has something now, and I tell her to give it to mama, she does. She understands. I asked her where a toy train was in a book I was reading to her, and she pointed right to it. Every day I have another shocking moment when it hits me that she got what I said and responded the correct way. It’s the most amazing thing.

The tooth that popped through last weekend is the bottom right. The one next door is coming right behind it. I can see it just below the gum, ready to break through any second. I have to say I’m surprised at how pleasant she’s been this week. I thought I was in for a hell of a week with all of the teething horror stories I’ve heard, but not with my baby. It hasn’t seemed to affect her much at all. She’s been chewing more than usual but she’s really not cranky.

Last Monday night she was a total riot. We attempted to watch House on TV, the only hour of TV I care to see each week. Punky wasn’t having it. It was the first time we saw her truly trying to harass both of us and keep our attention. She would come over to me and throw herself down backwards onto my lap, fully trusting I would catch her of course, and then giggle her hiney off and head for her dad. She would either steal his hat, or jump on his back, and giggle like all hell and race back to me. She repeated this cycle between the two of us for forty-five minutes and of course we missed the whole show. She was so adorable…how could we resist giving her the attention she wanted.

When I got home from work one day this week, her dad looked at me and said, “I guess it would be kind of nice if she had a little playmate to grow up with…” After I retrieved my jaw from the floor, he said it was just a passing thought. I’m still no closer to deciding if I want another one. I know my clock is ticking away at almost thirty-seven; it will probably run out and make the decision for me. I just can’t commit to the thought of another one. I would love to experience all of this again, but Punky was a miracle and I don’t feel like I should push it and tempt fate. I have a beautiful, healthy, perfect baby and maybe I should just be grateful for that and leave well enough alone.

Besides, in a few more months I’ll have a brand new nephew…or niece…to satisfy that strong baby itch. And now the countdown is on to find out pink or blue. Everyone seems to be hoping for blue. We should know in about six more weeks.

Oh, and to my surprise, I recently found out there are actually people who read my rambles. They just all do it in silence… Who would have thought?