So fast
It’s really crazy how fast they change. Just a month ago I had a crawling baby with no teeth. She was most definitely a baby. Now I have a full time walker who has three teeth poking through and at least three more coming soon. I look at her walking around my house and I’m just so puzzled – proud, but puzzled. How do they figure it out so quickly? How does she look so much older in such a short time span?
She is thrilled with herself, of course. Once she realized she could take steps all on her own she was obsessed. She, unlike Kate, learned to stand up on her own at the same time as walk, so she was just constantly standing up to walk a few steps and fall to her knees… then she’d stand up and do it again. Once she could walk in a straight line she was pivoting and turning and now she’s almost running. Okay, it’s more like drunk-zombie-toddler-fast-walking but it’s considerably faster than the halting movements of a week ago.
I am actually quite happy about the walking because it makes my life in public a whole lot easier. Babies crawling around on dirty public floors is kind of gross. Now I can put shoes on her and let her toddle around in stores, parks, libraries, wherever. She’s also less likely to find things to put things in her mouth, which is all to the good.
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I have been getting plenty of chances to give Kate cuddles lately, as she is seeking attention and doing a lot of Ember-mimickry, so fake-crying, climbing onto my lap, pretending to learn to walk. It can be frustrating, as generally she wants attention because Ember is getting it… and Ember is getting it because she’s miserable about those teeth and the lack of sleep they bring. But regardless of the poor timing I still really try to put aside some time to snuggle my big girl. She’s wearing size 3T now and I am just amazed at how big she has gotten. She’s still not tall for her age, but they certainly do sprout legs! Legs and arms and even her torso is so long!
She also unfortunately is getting a little bit sassy. Not sassy in a crazy way, but I will stop what I’m doing and quirk an eyebrow at her as if to say, “Excuse me, what?” Namely she has taken to yelling demands at me. “I need a cwacker,” doesn’t work (now why wouldn’t that magically whip me into getting her a cracker, hmmm, let me think on that…) so clearly yelling “MAMA MAMA I NEED A CWACCKEEERRRR!” is going to succeed. Right? Yeah… no. I try to stay calm and just say, “That is not how we ask for things,” but sometimes I snap at her just a little. Especially if she’s been using her really loud voice repeatedly. On the plus side it doesn’t take much to remind her of manners and she’s getting pretty good at asking nicely… you know, when she wants to.
