beadypea

Skyrockets

Me: One time when you were in my tummy, Daddy and I went to see some fireworks, and they were so loud you started kicking really hard!

Maggie: I could hear them?

Me: Yeah, from inside my tummy!

Maggie: 'Cause your mouth was open?

Drawly

For a while now, we've noticed a bit of an accent from Maggie--she talks about things she "lahks," good "tahms" she's had, her beautiful blue "ahhs," etc. Recently, though, she put it all together into this little gem:

"Mom, wuuuut...if a Tay-Rex...swallud our whole fam'ly...ah-LAHV?"

What she does

Newsflash! Today, for the first time, Lily started getting herself from lying down to seated all by herself! Now she's sitting in her crib and screaming her sweet little face off, but still--it's a milestone we've been waiting for! I feel like the rest of it--pulling up and cruising and walking--shouldn't be far off now. It's encouraging, for sure.

I find I spend a lot of time lately opening conversations with the things Lily doesn't do yet. But there's so much she does do! Here's what else Lily is up to:

• Lily mimics lots of words and sounds, often when we least expect it. The other night in the car, I sneezed, and from the back of the car I heard a quiet, "Ah-tsew" and a giggle.
  

• She can say cat, car, cup, mama, dada, bye bye and night night (accompanied by a regal Miss America wave), book, shoe, thank you (tattoo), nose, baby, and paci (ahi--she may actually be ordering tuna for all we know.)

• She has a barnful of animal noises, too, but rarely performs them on command. During a recent restaurant visit, though, she neighed when she saw the horse race on TV, then answered our question, "Do you want some chicken?" with a hearty "bock bock!"

• Her mastery of the word "no" merits its very own bullet. She has not learned to internalize her conscience, and will often announce her intentions to get into trouble with a "no-no!" She then waits for an authority figure to notice before she smiles slyly and reaches for the trash can/pulls stones out of the fireplace/pulls DVDs off the shelf/etc.

• When I ask her for a kiss, Lily kisses her palm with a big "MWAH," then to make sure the kiss hits its mark, puts her hand to my mouth.

• She continues to scoot along the floor on her bottom really fast, using just one hand so the other is free to carry or drag a toy. When she needs an extra burst, she tucks her free arm behind her back like a speed skater.

• She loves to listen to stories, and will often interrupt her play to hand me a book and say, "buh." At bedtime, the second the cover is closed on one book, Lily is leaning over to the bookshelf and pointing for the next one. Once we pick a new book, she settles back into my chest and sighs. 

• She also loves looking at art and photos on the wall--as soon as she's out of her crib in the morning, the first thing she wants to do is look at her pictures. I took the girls to the art museum last weekend (free on Saturdays!), and Lily spent the whole trip leaning out of her stroller and pointing at the paintings.

• And of course, our Lily's smile is always blooming:

Things I've Learned from My Mom

Four generations: Mom with me, baby Maggie, and Grandma White, December 2005

• Take lots of pictures.*
• Label them.
• A baby generally needs socks, even in the heat of summer.
• Be friends with your sister(s).
• Any grudge that threatens a friendship or family relationship isn't worth holding.
• Eat lots of strawberries, tomatoes and sweet corn while they're in season.
• It won't kill kids to go without the latest fad every now and then--they may even be glad, once the trend has faded into obscurity.
• A child should have a job as soon as she can drive, but not on school nights.
• Nurture your artsy-craftsy side. It feeds creativity in all aspects of your life.
• Ripping out mistakes is an integral part of sewing.**
• Planting flowers each spring is always worth the cost.

Thanks, Mom! I love you!

*See also last year's post about what I've learned from my dad. You will note that this one isn't as photo-heavy, because my mom was always behind the camera. Nice trick, that.

**Mom could also accept this fact without excessive swearing...I'm still working on that part.

Spring, sprang, sprung

Spring is my favorite time around here, full of hope and sheer giddiness. We spend hours trimming trees and bushes, planting flowers and otherwise committing ourselves to landscaping our water bill can't handle. It's an innocent time, as each year, we clean up the patio and wonder why we don't spend more time out there in the summer--completely forgetting how miserable it is to stew outside in a Columbia August.

Ah, well...we enjoy it while we can, marveling anew at how just stepping outside instantly cures a child's cranky mood.

Gamer Girl

Maggie did her first Playstation-ing tonight, and did her father proud. She quickly had Spongebob jumping and spinning like crazy. She let me have a turn, and after I failed miserably a couple of times, she gently told me, "This isn't really for grown-up moms. It's for little kid girls and dads."

An artist's prerogative

Much to my delight, Maggie has been really into drawing lately, and she's starting to attempt figurative sketches. Here's a cat:

It's on a paper plate, and she told us it was a cat mask. She wanted to add a string so she could wear it, but when I offered to cut eye holes, she told me, "NO! I already drawed eyes!"

She often starts drawing intending to create one thing, and then revising her plans along the way. The other night, she announced, "I'm gonna draw a leopard...skritch skritch skritch...a leopard snake...skritch scribble...A leopard snake is kinda like a...skritch skritch...whale...skritch...or a tiger...scribble...or a lion."

Happy Birthday, Lily!

Dear Lily,

Today at 1:55 a.m., you were exactly one year old. Precisely five minutes later, all the clocks leaped forward an hour. And then you woke up with a brand new tooth. It seems the whole year has gone that way, time disappearing in huge chunks as you hurtle past each milestone.

This year has gone by in a blur, as I knew it would. Your daddy, big sister and I are so happy you're part of our family--it's been a true joy getting to know you. It's also delightful to see you and your sister develop a bond. Recently, Maggie was home sick from school. You were at daycare, but Maggie kept forgetting and asking, "Mom, can you go wake Lily up now?" Maggie misses you when you're apart, and your face glows when she enters the room.

You had a rough start, but quickly rallied and have been a robust little thing ever since. You have only two teeth (three as of today!), but make short work of any food we put in front of you. You have a smile for everyone and you're quick to warm up to strangers. You love to give hugs and make kissy noises.

You have a few words: uh-oh, cat, duck and/or quack (not sure which!), and sometimes mama and dada. While your sister at this age had a quiet but persistent "Eh? Eh? Eh?" for everything else, you rely on an emphatic, ear-splitting "EHHHHHHHH!"

You've recently started getting from place to place by scooting on your bottom. It's unconventional, but effective, and I love to hear the smack!shhh...smack!shhh...smack!shhh of you dragging yourself across a room. You are starting to pull up on one knee, and I know once you find your feet, we are in big trouble! You love music, and any tune starts you bouncing and rocking, clapping and smiling. I can't wait to see what happens when you get your legs under you.

Left: Mel and Lily (two days old), March 10, 2008. Right: Maggie, Mel and Lily (one year old), March 8, 2009

I've often heard women pregnant with a second child worrying that it will be hard to love a second as much as the first. I never for a moment had that worry: from the moment I knew you were coming, my heart grew as you grew, and I have no doubt that it will continue to grow with you forever.

Love,

Mama

Scooter

So pretty much as soon as I hit "Publish" on my last entry, Lily figured out how to propel herself forward more efficiently. It's still not crawling; it's more like scooting, kinda like Travis the chimp:

This video also features Lily laughing uncontrollably at her sister, followed by her sweet kissy noises.

Reflections

A couple of weeks ago, I was futzing around in the kitchen while Lily played on the floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her raising and lowering her arms while gazing intently at her reflection in the Kitchenaid bowl.

 

She made her way over to the bowl in her glacial way--she's still not crawling, but she manages to scoot herself from place to place on her bottom. It's not a fast mode of travel; in fact, it's nearly impossible to detect she's covered any ground at all until I look up and see she's three feet away from where I put her down. (Or feel the clunk of baby skull beneath me as she wedges herself under the office chair again!)

The lack of mobility frustrates her, for sure--sometimes she just squinches her eyes shut, clenches her fists, clamps her gums together and "Hulks out" with a screech--but overall, she's a happy, happy girl, with the sweetest giggle. Her first word is "cat," and she also says "duck" ("guck").

I can't believe almost a whole year has rocketed by. I find myself plagued with guilt that I haven't chronicled Lily's every milestone in words like I did over Maggie's first year, but there are pictures a-plenty, at least. And sweet reflections.