Don't get me wrong. I love babies.
I love skinny babies and chunky babies. Preemie babies and babies that grow too quickly. Babies that snuggle and babies that move.
But I think I love one year olds more.
Becoming an aunt at age 12 and having 15 nieces or nephews before having a child of my own showed me a lot of baby stages--and one year olds have always proved to be pretty tops. I've anxiously looked forward to this time of life, and trust me, Greta has been no disappointment. At 18 months, here's a few of my favorite things about her.
Her manners. She is VERY good at saying "please." She says it every time she wants to be done with dinner and whenever she wants something. She's also very good at wiping her mouth at the table.
How she blows raspberries on me whenever possible.
How she loves rocks and sticks.
How she's a little shy to try new things in front of people.
How she sets the table.
How she slings a purse or bag over her shoulder to go somewhere, and absolutely cannot leave the house without one stuffed animal.
How she waves her arms to dance.
How she is NO show-pony. On webcam with family she is often pretty dead-pan. She does not like to do tricks for other people, thanks. She does not perform on command. And I kind of love it.
How she likes to play ring around the roses.
How she cannot STAND someone going to the bathroom or showering without her. She will knock on that door and holler in until someone opens it for her to come in.
How she says no when she means yes. And how if we question her on it and say "do you really mean yes?" she'll respond "Yaaaesh."
How she exclaims "Oooohhh!"
How she kisses me very romantically. (I don't know where this girl has picked it up. She grabs my face, her mouth half open, and kisses me for a solid ten seconds. It's very affectionate. Sometimes she'll go back for more kisses.)
How she cooks. Taking one pot out of the cupboard and putting spices in it and then a lid on top.
How I know she's woken up from a nap because I hear quacking from the other room.
How she gets this delirious hysterical crazy goofy at the grocery store sometimes. I mean, it's also impossible to work with and involves so much wrestling and bribery and usually having Jason there whenever possible. But it's pretty funny.
Her little mullet curls. They are so sweet and dear to me.
How if she ever catches me sitting on the floor she will immediately and carefully start backing up until she is sitting on my lap.
How she can't stand not being in the middle of things or not knowing what's going on. She has some serious FOMO. You're cooking up there? I need to see! Working at the computer? Let me come, too!
Or the way she tries to come sit in the front seat of the car instead of the back, or always just wants to sleep in our bed. She's also pretty convinced she knows how to do everything.
How she loves to read. And really loves libraries and bookstores.
How much she thinks about animals, as evidenced by the frequent animal noises.
Her petite little body. We laughed the other day when we put a shirt on her that she has literally been wearing for the past YEAR. (It's size 3-6 months). She's starting to grow, but we have to be really careful getting the right clothes that will fit her skinny waistline, narrow shoulders, be long enough, and still go over her large head. (Percentile-wise she's in the 3rd for weight and like 60th for head.)
How everything except water is "juice."
How much she hugs. And how much she obliges if I say, "want a hug?"
I love skinny babies and chunky babies. Preemie babies and babies that grow too quickly. Babies that snuggle and babies that move.
But I think I love one year olds more.
Becoming an aunt at age 12 and having 15 nieces or nephews before having a child of my own showed me a lot of baby stages--and one year olds have always proved to be pretty tops. I've anxiously looked forward to this time of life, and trust me, Greta has been no disappointment. At 18 months, here's a few of my favorite things about her.
Her manners. She is VERY good at saying "please." She says it every time she wants to be done with dinner and whenever she wants something. She's also very good at wiping her mouth at the table.
How she blows raspberries on me whenever possible.
How she loves rocks and sticks.
How she's a little shy to try new things in front of people.
How she sets the table.
How she slings a purse or bag over her shoulder to go somewhere, and absolutely cannot leave the house without one stuffed animal.
How she waves her arms to dance.
How she is NO show-pony. On webcam with family she is often pretty dead-pan. She does not like to do tricks for other people, thanks. She does not perform on command. And I kind of love it.
How she likes to play ring around the roses.
How she cannot STAND someone going to the bathroom or showering without her. She will knock on that door and holler in until someone opens it for her to come in.
How she says no when she means yes. And how if we question her on it and say "do you really mean yes?" she'll respond "Yaaaesh."
How she exclaims "Oooohhh!"
How she kisses me very romantically. (I don't know where this girl has picked it up. She grabs my face, her mouth half open, and kisses me for a solid ten seconds. It's very affectionate. Sometimes she'll go back for more kisses.)
How she cooks. Taking one pot out of the cupboard and putting spices in it and then a lid on top.
How I know she's woken up from a nap because I hear quacking from the other room.
How she gets this delirious hysterical crazy goofy at the grocery store sometimes. I mean, it's also impossible to work with and involves so much wrestling and bribery and usually having Jason there whenever possible. But it's pretty funny.
Her little mullet curls. They are so sweet and dear to me.
How if she ever catches me sitting on the floor she will immediately and carefully start backing up until she is sitting on my lap.
How she can't stand not being in the middle of things or not knowing what's going on. She has some serious FOMO. You're cooking up there? I need to see! Working at the computer? Let me come, too!
Or the way she tries to come sit in the front seat of the car instead of the back, or always just wants to sleep in our bed. She's also pretty convinced she knows how to do everything.
How she loves to read. And really loves libraries and bookstores.
How much she thinks about animals, as evidenced by the frequent animal noises.
Her petite little body. We laughed the other day when we put a shirt on her that she has literally been wearing for the past YEAR. (It's size 3-6 months). She's starting to grow, but we have to be really careful getting the right clothes that will fit her skinny waistline, narrow shoulders, be long enough, and still go over her large head. (Percentile-wise she's in the 3rd for weight and like 60th for head.)
How everything except water is "juice."
How much she hugs. And how much she obliges if I say, "want a hug?"
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| She was playing peek-a-boo at the moment. |
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I love this baby girl.
I loved this. I started reading it a few days ago and didn't finish until today, but ever since I started reading, I've been watching Ben more closely. Due to what you said, I've noticed things that ARE awesome about one-year-olds. Thank you.
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