Hello there! It feels so good to be back. School's out, summer has begun, and I'm back to my favorite full-time, 24/7 job (pro bono of course) as Mommy, my most coveted title.
We've been very busy the last few months. On top of wrapping up the school year on the work front, we've been prepping our house to sell so we can move into a larger home that we can grow into. And on top of that, we've also celebrated our daughter's first birthday, along with several milestones like walking, talking, climbing, jumping, talking, trying new foods, talking, tantrums, and talking, lots of talking. Mostly in her own language, but she sure has a lot to say!
Our baby girl has become quite the little diva these past few months. She walks around the house with her Fisher Price iPhone to her ear, chatting away. And when her one-sided convo is over, she drops it like a mic and continues walking without breaking her stride. Who is this child? She walks around like she owns the place. She even yells at the dog all the time for no reason at all. "DOWN!" she'll yell, pointing her finger at the poor dog who is already lying on the floor... sleeping. Truth be told, she is the reason we need a bigger house! Pretty soon she is going to demand her own bathroom. We're just trying to get ahead of the game.
Her developing personality has many layers. And I enjoy them all. In addition to her sassy diva side, she also has a sweet, nurturing side. I love watching her play with her baby dolls. Selfishly, I look for pieces of me in her when she feeds, rocks, burps, kisses her babies, and then whispers "I wuv ooh." But that is quickly followed by her dragging the baby by the hair, and shoving her into the stroller upside down and backwards. This is NOT an example of art imitating life, I swear.
That's her wild side coming out to play. I get a kick out of this one. It comes out randomly and unapologetically. If I can learn anything from a one-year old, it would be to love life and be a little crazy sometimes. She will drop whatever it is she is doing (literally) and just scream. It's not an angry scream, but a stiff arms, clenched fists, every muscle in her face engaged kind of scream. It's a jubilant scream that releases endorphins and makes you feel free! How do I know this? Because sometimes I let my inner crazy out right along with her. And it feels fantastic.
And then there's her intellectual side. My little bookworm. She could be in a room filled with flashing lights and battery operated toys that talk and do tricks, and nine times out of ten she will grab a book, back her little tush up to wherever I'm sitting, and demand that I read to her. She soaks up every word and jumps in when she hears one that she can say too. I don't mean to brag, but my child is a genius.
Her quirky, nerdy side loves weather maps and watching Cosmos with Daddy. She studies things, intently, until she figures them out. She takes things apart and puts them back together. She loves buckles, buttons and zippers. And she won't ask for help until she's tried it on her own first. Several times.
My newest favorite side of her, though, is my little hippy girl. She loves nature. She will literally hug a tree if she's near one. Birds make her smile, she talks to the squirrels, flowers make her eyes light up. Even dead ones. Even the ones that aren't even flowers, but weeds. She loves to do yoga with me and the rain always calms her.
I could go on and on about my daughter's awesomeness, and I'm sure you are all vomiting with disgust right now, so I'll stop. I honestly don't care if you can appreciate this post or not. My daughter fascinates me. She inspires me. She makes me a better person. And in case I forget to tell her one day when she's old enough to understand my words, this is for her.
