Watching my daughter over the past week or so, I realized that she changes so gradually and so subtly that I don't always have the words to describe what I see in her face or behavior. I try to call the grandmas to keep them informed about how she is growing, but words can't seem to capture a glimmer of understanding in her eye that wasn't there just last week or the spark of mischief that sprang up only yesterday. Words and things and ideas are starting to make sense for her. She is learning to assert her independence and will sometimes at inconvenient times and I am not looking forward to the day she realizes that I can't actually make her do anything.
Just this week, she started doing something breathtakingly new, playing with me. We've been rolling a ball back and forth together for sometime and she has always enjoyed me being near, but just since Sunday afternoon has she been actually playing with me. I have been sitting on the floor with her to play, handing her a rattle or reaching a toy that has rolled just out of reach of chubby baby fingers. Then, all of a sudden, she has seen me as someone to play with. She sees me get down on the floor and races over to me, hugging me and jumping on me. She rolls over and over me, jumping and pulling until I return the roughhouse play and tickle her until she squeals, face flushed with laughter.
Last night, we just had the best time. After the horrible news yesterday, I made a point to love on her a little more. And man, did we play. She has a little two-sided kitchen that has an oven door that opens into the fridge. She was sitting on the fridge side while I was on the other side. I reached through the open oven door and grabbed and tickled her. She jumped and her eyes turned to small saucers, but then giggles just bubbled out of her like a cough she couldn't control and we were both laughing. I know there are times I feel left out when my friends can go out and socialize, but I spent a lot of time last night thinking that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Even writing about her now makes it hard to finish the day. I can't wait to get to her and see what tonight brings. I love watching her learn new things. If I hand her a brush, she brushes her hair or at least rubs it against her head (although to be fair she also did that with her chocolate bunny Sunday). She tells me when she is full by signing finished. She dips her little spoon into her food and tries to feed herself. She is growing up so fast and I don't want to miss any of these so precious tiny changes.
Just this week, she started doing something breathtakingly new, playing with me. We've been rolling a ball back and forth together for sometime and she has always enjoyed me being near, but just since Sunday afternoon has she been actually playing with me. I have been sitting on the floor with her to play, handing her a rattle or reaching a toy that has rolled just out of reach of chubby baby fingers. Then, all of a sudden, she has seen me as someone to play with. She sees me get down on the floor and races over to me, hugging me and jumping on me. She rolls over and over me, jumping and pulling until I return the roughhouse play and tickle her until she squeals, face flushed with laughter.
Like the perfect crack of lightening blazing across the sky, the flash of change is gone so quickly and is so intangibly hard to describe. I try to keep the camcorder and camera handy, but it just isn’t the same as being here. I see her every day and sometimes the changes are so subtle that I don’t notice them until she makes a big leap.
I can’t imagine the changes her dad saw when he came home. He left a tiny baby who slept a lot and didn’t do much and came home to a crawling, babbling near toddler. By the time he comes home again, she will be walking. She is just about ready to do it. I’ve seen her balance improve and her use my security less and less, but she just hasn’t been willing to take her first independent steps yet.
Yesterday she stood by herself for a second again, but dove for me once she realized she wasn’t holding on. Lil Bit is still little for her age but is getting bigger. She has realized that an obstacle in her path can be overcome. While she hasn't yet mastered overcoming them all, it is hilarious to watch her analyzing the ottoman and attempting to climb over it. Although I am laughing, I can see that soon I won't be able to keep her contained and a whole new level of baby proofing will have to occur.
Last night, we just had the best time. After the horrible news yesterday, I made a point to love on her a little more. And man, did we play. She has a little two-sided kitchen that has an oven door that opens into the fridge. She was sitting on the fridge side while I was on the other side. I reached through the open oven door and grabbed and tickled her. She jumped and her eyes turned to small saucers, but then giggles just bubbled out of her like a cough she couldn't control and we were both laughing. I know there are times I feel left out when my friends can go out and socialize, but I spent a lot of time last night thinking that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Even writing about her now makes it hard to finish the day. I can't wait to get to her and see what tonight brings. I love watching her learn new things. If I hand her a brush, she brushes her hair or at least rubs it against her head (although to be fair she also did that with her chocolate bunny Sunday). She tells me when she is full by signing finished. She dips her little spoon into her food and tries to feed herself. She is growing up so fast and I don't want to miss any of these so precious tiny changes.
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