Another month gone by... I can't believe how quickly she is changing. Every day brings something new as she transitions from a baby to an independent little girl. Her personality is so defined now. I can read her distinct facial expressions like a book. I know her moods. I know what she's thinking. I know her current angel to devil ratio. Lately it's about 80:20 as she defiantly learns about her world...her way.
I need to start thinking outside the box and find new ways to amuse her. I truly think she is getting bored with her toys and her daily routine in general. And I think her behavior lately is a reflection of it. She wants to learn and explore, but she's already tackled everything she's allowed to do/touch in our house. All that's left is the no-no stuff so that's where she's focusing her energy. And getting into trouble. And not listening very well when we catch her and try to redirect her attention. I hope the return of warm weather will bring many opportunities for new experiences; we've barely been making it into the fifties here lately. Too cold for much outside fun.
On that note, I fear she may be getting sick again. I hope this isn't a trend we'll be riding for a while. She went a whole year without so much as a cold, and last month she was really sick for the first time in her life. I guess in my head I expected to go another year between illnesses, but last night she started coughing and this morning she didn't sound so good. Her dad kept an eye on her today but I really think we will end up back at the doctor's before the weekend. Her nose is runny, she is still coughing, and a low fever is lurking. Tonight may be a rough one.
We had planned to start a mama & baby swim program this Saturday, so if she is really sick we'll miss the very first class and that stinks. I'd been so looking forward to it. I know she'll absolutely love it. She'll think it's one giant bathtub and will be pleasantly surprised to just play without mama struggling to wash every inch of her slippery, little body. I bought her two adorable swimsuits at the mall this weekend. Oh well, there's always next week if we miss this one.
One of her favorite pastimes this month has been sitting in her toy box. She is big enough to get her leg over the side to climb in, then she plops her butt down and proceeds to dig all the toys out from underneath her and throw them on the living room floor. Sometimes she needs help getting back out, only because with all the scattered toys she has nowhere to step.
She had more opportunities here and there to perfect
I love watching her expressions as she makes new discoveries and learns about her world. I wish I could bottle the look in her eyes when she has one of those "Aha!" moments. It sounds strange, but somehow I can tell when something clicks... when she makes a connection and reaches a new level of understanding and comprehension. Those are such exciting and amazing moments!
Her vocabulary is consistently increasing. This month she mastered the names of some of her favorite dolls/toys and many other random words. One night we went out to dinner and were both blown away when Punky pointed to a wall in the restaurant and told us "Clock!" Who taught her that word? In the next few days, without any coaxing on our parts, she pointed out every clock in the house the same way, including the digital ones which really threw us for a loop.
Other miscellaneous new words include school bus, cookie, stuck, thank you, hug, pup, bed, here, there... I was just commenting the other day that I think it's so strange she hasn't said "no" yet. I thought that was one of the first words kids typically learn, and lord knows she hears it enough. I guess it's a good thing because I'm not ready for backtalk yet. The temper tantrums are plenty to handle as it is.
About two weeks ago, I was reading some boards on a website dedicated to parenting. It came to my attention that other kids Punky's age had already mastered the art of using a fork. Hmmm. It never even crossed my mind to give her one. Isn't she still at the age where she'll poke her eye out with something like that?
So, at the very next available opportunity, I handed her a baby fork. I showed her how to use it to stab her chicken instead of picking it up with her fingers and... she did it. Okay, that wasn't so hard. She's a quick learner but occasionally needs help based on the food's level of slipperiness. She starts out great, but towards the end of the meal she gets bored with the fancy gadget and goes back to using her fingers.
All in all, she is really doing great. I'm so proud of the little person she's become. She surely has her moments like all kids do, but on the whole she is such a sweet, loving little girl. Let's see what the next month brings. I'm expecting to have a total chatterbox on my hands by eighteen months.
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