She’s one! Everyone keeps saying, “Can you believe she’s one already? Don’t they grow up so fast?” And I have to say in response: No, I can’t believe it … JUST ONE??? Wait. She’s only been around for a year? I can’t remember life before her.
She took a couple of steps last night. Do they count as walking? Not really. But they were steps nonetheless. She has also said “Mom” a few times. Does it count as talking? Not exactly. But it’s a word. It’s clear now she understands a lot of what we say—when she wants to. I am a broken record: “Sit down, Violet.” She’s quite the Houdini with any stroller or high-chair seat-belt, and keeping her from standing up in the bathtub is futile.
She waves goodbye and says “Ba.” When you say, “Hooray!” she claps her hands. And smiling, ALWAYS SMILING. It really gets us a lot of attention when we go places. No cashier, waiter, or fellow diner fails to comment and talk to us. She is always making new friends.
I say she is always smiling, but that’s not entirely accurate. Her scream-volume continues to increase, and she now has little tantrums when I take something away from her (where does she FIND all of these life-threatening objects!). Her tantrums often begin with her grabbing the pacifier from her mouth and throwing it forcefully to express her anger. Step two usually involves the quick retrieval and replacement of said pacifier. She HATES to have her diaper and clothes changed. It is always an ordeal. She’s whiny and squirmy about it, and she often wails the whole time.
And the dancing! I’ve seen little ones dance, and it’s awesome, and this kid has been moving to the music since day one. She cannot help herself. Her head starts to bob, her shoulders start to shake, and if she’s on the floor, she is up on her knees with her hands in the air bouncing up and down.
Her favorite things to do right now … climbing the stairs! She LOVES to go up the stairs and giggles the whole time. Every few steps, she turns around to see if we are there, points a finger at us, and continues on. She also still loves to unpack things. Drawers, bags, boxes, trash cans, laundry baskets. The other day she helped herself to an entire container of bread crumbs from the pantry and got it open, spreading bread crumbs across the entire kitchen and all over herself. My day now involves going in circles, cleaning up one thing while she undoes something behind me.
She also loves to hang out with me while I take a bath, play in the water, and throw things into the bathtub. She enjoys her many noise-making toys, and honestly, we don’t mind them. Maybe she is musically gifted, because every time she plays her “piano,” I feel serenaded. She likes to “read” books now and while I wish it wasn’t so, this kid LOVES TV. Oh man. When I turn on the upstairs TV, which she can reach, she literally makes out with it.
But nothing pleases her more than snuggling. If she could hug my arm all day, she would.
She’s gotten very long, but her waist doesn’t quite match her length, so her pants are always sliding down. She eats a lot of vegetables, a lot of various foods in general. She’s a good eater. Often while she eats, she makes loud sounds of pleasure the entire time: “Mmm. Nmm. Mm mm.” Hilarious.
She loves to see older kids playing and talking. We just joined the Y, and I can’t wait to get her into some of the programs. I’ll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, we’ll be celebrating tonight with friends at a local restaurant. She’ll have pizza and cake and all the attention she could ever want. She deserves it, she’s very special.