How do you slow down the growing up?
I swear I turned around the other day and my child had gone from being a baby who needed to be carried everywhere to a toddler who didn't want you to pick her up, she can do it herself. How do you stop that from happening?
Obviously you don't. But it amazes me how quickly she has grown. I see pictures of her from a year ago and it baffles me how I went from having a 5-6 month old last year this time to having a 17-18 month old now. And the difference a year makes.
Leda will run when given the chance. And if we are outside, she will run with her head looking over her shoulder at us as if she's saying, "catch me if you can," with a giggle that indicates that she fully expects us to catch her and tickle her until she laughs a great big belly laugh. She's so smart. She knows exactly what we are saying, exactly what we are asking of her, exactly what we have told her NOT to do, and she does it anyway, with a smirk worthy of the most disobedient 16 year old!
She can't have anyone get yelled at or cry in her presence - if this happens, the cutest pout face is produced, but within seconds, the not so cutest crying may commence. For example, we were out to dinner with our friends, the Flogaus's, the other night. They have a 2 year old boy, Danny. Danny wasn't behaving himself so well (we think he was just showing off for Leda) and got told, sternly, to cut it out. When he didn't, he was unceremoniously removed from the restaurant. Leda, during this episode, produced the cutest pout - her little lower lip stuck out and she looked like she could start crying at any moment. Over the weekend, we went over to see the Durhams and play with Paige. Paige was not very happy that Jennifer had left the room at one point and started to cry. Leda produced the same cute little pout and very concerned eyes and almost began to cry. Nope, no crying alone in her presence!
She is talking. Not hundreds of words, but she does have ways of communicating with us. "Dat" and "Dis" (that and this) are favorites! Of hers, not ours! They are used CONSTANTLY and in multiples! She will tell us she's "done" at dinner (usually accompanied by taking off her bib) and will indicate when she wants "more." She will call "Duff" and she will call the "Cat", but she hasn't started calling me "Mom" or "Mommy" or "Mama" yet. She will say "Yes" and she definitely says "No."
Leda has been watching TV! Not much, but she does watch music videos and Noggin! LOVE Noggin! Favorite show...Jack's Big Music Show. Usually she won't spend a whole lot of time paying attention to the TV when something is on that she might like. She will stop for a few minutes and watch, then on to the next big thing. But Jack's Big Music Show she LOVES! I have tried to find DVDs for this show, but to no avail...aren't available on DVD yet! But you can be sure, as soon as they are, we'll own one (or two or three!)
She loves to climb all over the furniture (much to our chagrin) and loves taking a ride in her wagon. She's begun to want to pull her wagon and push her stroller, more so than ride in either one. She likes playing with her dolls, trying to get them to drink from her sippy cup, but she LOVES playing with her Mega Blocks the most. And, we must read the same books to her OVER AND OVER AND OVER again!
She's all about the "daddy" these days, not so much about the mommy...in fact, just this evening, I went up to her as she was sitting on the step outside the house and as I got close, she got up and pushed me away and said something that sounded like "is not the daddy." It breaks my heart that she pushes me away, but I guess I just have to wait until next week when she shuns the daddy and wants the mommy.
She thinks Mommy watching football is funny...she yells when I yell - her daddy thinks it is because she wants me to stop, I don't think so, considering the kid is doing it with a smile on her face...she's definitely got Cunningham genes when it comes to football! We just hope her first yells at the screen don't involve words that wouldn't get broadcast! ;-) Of course, I do take solace in the fact that she is learning her first curse words in the same fashion I did, watching football with her family! I just hope that some day I can teach her all I learned from my Grandfather about football - offsides, holding, and D((&#$, does that F@#*U*#@ referee have bad eye sight or what??? She's my little Swoop in training! ;-)
She's smart, she's inquisitive, she tries to understand everything we are saying (within reason...I mean, there ain't no way any self-respecting kid is going to "try to understand" what the 'rents are telling her she can't do, I mean, come one, really!) And, you think that's just a joke to make you laugh! HA! She actually gives us that look when we are telling her "No"! Really. I ain't kidding...17 months going on 16 years old. I am SO not looking forward to the teen years...can you say, go spend the summer with your Grandma or working for your Uncle Dan? I've already started practicing...I have the tone down and everything!
She's amazing, frustrating, loving, aggravating, beautiful and irreplaceable all at the same time. It's amazing how much one little human being who occupies all of about 25 pounds of space can be all at once. She tires us out, yet gives us reason to wake up each morning to greet her. She frustrates us, then turns around and flashes that smile at us and we are amazed at how smart she is. She makes our lives 100% better than before she existed. That's worth everything!
Obviously you don't. But it amazes me how quickly she has grown. I see pictures of her from a year ago and it baffles me how I went from having a 5-6 month old last year this time to having a 17-18 month old now. And the difference a year makes.
Leda will run when given the chance. And if we are outside, she will run with her head looking over her shoulder at us as if she's saying, "catch me if you can," with a giggle that indicates that she fully expects us to catch her and tickle her until she laughs a great big belly laugh. She's so smart. She knows exactly what we are saying, exactly what we are asking of her, exactly what we have told her NOT to do, and she does it anyway, with a smirk worthy of the most disobedient 16 year old!
She can't have anyone get yelled at or cry in her presence - if this happens, the cutest pout face is produced, but within seconds, the not so cutest crying may commence. For example, we were out to dinner with our friends, the Flogaus's, the other night. They have a 2 year old boy, Danny. Danny wasn't behaving himself so well (we think he was just showing off for Leda) and got told, sternly, to cut it out. When he didn't, he was unceremoniously removed from the restaurant. Leda, during this episode, produced the cutest pout - her little lower lip stuck out and she looked like she could start crying at any moment. Over the weekend, we went over to see the Durhams and play with Paige. Paige was not very happy that Jennifer had left the room at one point and started to cry. Leda produced the same cute little pout and very concerned eyes and almost began to cry. Nope, no crying alone in her presence!
She is talking. Not hundreds of words, but she does have ways of communicating with us. "Dat" and "Dis" (that and this) are favorites! Of hers, not ours! They are used CONSTANTLY and in multiples! She will tell us she's "done" at dinner (usually accompanied by taking off her bib) and will indicate when she wants "more." She will call "Duff" and she will call the "Cat", but she hasn't started calling me "Mom" or "Mommy" or "Mama" yet. She will say "Yes" and she definitely says "No."
Leda has been watching TV! Not much, but she does watch music videos and Noggin! LOVE Noggin! Favorite show...Jack's Big Music Show. Usually she won't spend a whole lot of time paying attention to the TV when something is on that she might like. She will stop for a few minutes and watch, then on to the next big thing. But Jack's Big Music Show she LOVES! I have tried to find DVDs for this show, but to no avail...aren't available on DVD yet! But you can be sure, as soon as they are, we'll own one (or two or three!)
She loves to climb all over the furniture (much to our chagrin) and loves taking a ride in her wagon. She's begun to want to pull her wagon and push her stroller, more so than ride in either one. She likes playing with her dolls, trying to get them to drink from her sippy cup, but she LOVES playing with her Mega Blocks the most. And, we must read the same books to her OVER AND OVER AND OVER again!
She's all about the "daddy" these days, not so much about the mommy...in fact, just this evening, I went up to her as she was sitting on the step outside the house and as I got close, she got up and pushed me away and said something that sounded like "is not the daddy." It breaks my heart that she pushes me away, but I guess I just have to wait until next week when she shuns the daddy and wants the mommy.
She thinks Mommy watching football is funny...she yells when I yell - her daddy thinks it is because she wants me to stop, I don't think so, considering the kid is doing it with a smile on her face...she's definitely got Cunningham genes when it comes to football! We just hope her first yells at the screen don't involve words that wouldn't get broadcast! ;-) Of course, I do take solace in the fact that she is learning her first curse words in the same fashion I did, watching football with her family! I just hope that some day I can teach her all I learned from my Grandfather about football - offsides, holding, and D((&#$, does that F@#*U*#@ referee have bad eye sight or what??? She's my little Swoop in training! ;-)
She's smart, she's inquisitive, she tries to understand everything we are saying (within reason...I mean, there ain't no way any self-respecting kid is going to "try to understand" what the 'rents are telling her she can't do, I mean, come one, really!) And, you think that's just a joke to make you laugh! HA! She actually gives us that look when we are telling her "No"! Really. I ain't kidding...17 months going on 16 years old. I am SO not looking forward to the teen years...can you say, go spend the summer with your Grandma or working for your Uncle Dan? I've already started practicing...I have the tone down and everything!
She's amazing, frustrating, loving, aggravating, beautiful and irreplaceable all at the same time. It's amazing how much one little human being who occupies all of about 25 pounds of space can be all at once. She tires us out, yet gives us reason to wake up each morning to greet her. She frustrates us, then turns around and flashes that smile at us and we are amazed at how smart she is. She makes our lives 100% better than before she existed. That's worth everything!
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