Disbelief that my baby will soon be 2 aside, this was such a fun month in Abby's development. That kid is growing like a weed! When we say our prayers every night, she wants to be cuddled like she was when she was a baby (laying with her head on my left arm, her belly against my belly, and my right arm supporting her body/legs). This was all well and good when she was a baby, but my big girl is getting a little too big for mommy to hold her like that - my left arm tends to fall asleep and she's so long that my right arm has a hard time supporting her body and her legs. After she falls asleep, I'll sneak into her room and watch her slumber, and I never cease to be amazed by how much room she takes up in her crib! Carey and I are discussing when to switch her to a big girl bed - we're definitely going to wait until she turns 2 and then play it by ear. Her pediatrician said that unless she starts trying to climb out of her crib, there's no need to rush her out of it. For now, Abby seems content, so I am content letting her stay a "baby" just a little bit longer...
Abby has become a chatterbox - that girl will not stop talking! She repeats everything that Carey and I say - my recent favorite is "gee whiz" - and she loves saying everyone's name. I have to be careful to call Carey "daddy" when Abby is around - she actually called him Carey a few times this week! Every time we drive by Bart & Melissa's house (which is often since they only live one house away from us), Abby points emphatically at the house and says "An Misha" (Aunt Melissa), "Unca" (Uncle Bart), "Ella" (Gabriella), and "So-fee" (Sofia) live there. She also knows the names of all of her friends at daycare, so every night when I pick her up, she walks with me over to their cubbies (each has the child's name and picture on it) and proceeds to tell me who each cubby belongs to - "Di-Di" (Derrick), "Nommy" (Tommy) and "Li-la" (Lilah) are her best friends, so she has a huge smile on her face when she points out those kids.
Cousins! :-) Sofia, Gabriella, and Abby, taking a reading break in Abby's room.Abby continues to be a good eater. She's a fan of pretty much every type of meat that we give her, but chicken, cooked pretty much any way, is definitely her favorite. She loves pasta, but doesn't like breads or rolls. She'll eat most vegetables - broccoli, peas, and corn are her favorites - but she's not a big fan of green beans. Her favorite snack is animal crackers, followed closely by Goldfish crackers and pretzels. She loves eating with a fork, even things like cereal and yogurt that would probably be better consumed with a spoon!
Who knew that they made Abby-sized bottles of water? :-)The biggest development this month has definitely been Abby's independence. She wants to do everything by herself. It was difficult at first to walk the fine line between giving her the opportunity to do things for herself and doing them for her to ensure her safety and well being. For instance, Abby loves buckling things, including her car seat, but I don't feel comfortable letting her buckle it herself in case it isn't latched correctly. So, Abby has learned that she can help mommy, but mommy has to buckle her in to make sure that Abby is safe. Once we get home, I'll unbuckle Abby, she'll crawl out of her seat, and then I'll let her re-buckle everything before we go inside. Another case of independence versus assistance was teeth brushing. I obviously want Abby to have healthy teeth, but right now, she's more interested in eating her toothpaste than she is in brushing her teeth, so she gets a teeny tiny amount of toothpaste on her toothbrush and is allowed to brush her teeth herself. Then she gives mommy her toothbrush and then mommy brushes her teeth again, making sure to reach the back molars and behind all her teeth. So, it's definitely a learning curve for all of us, but I think Carey, Abby and I are learning how to help each other and encourage her learning and independence.
Someone wanted mommy to stop holding her on the carousel. (See her trying to take my hand off her back?) My answer: Um, no.If Abby's independence was our biggest development this month, then our biggest challenge was posed by Abby's moods/temper. Our previously angelic little girl has now decided that there are often times when she wants to do something right now and if we don't let her, she grows upset. (We haven't really dealt with any temper tantrums yet, but I get the feeling that those are around the corner...) For now, when Abby gets upset, she furrows her eyebrows, swings her arms, and grunts. (I know, I know - it does sound pretty funny. But, I try my best not to laugh because I don't want Abby to think that these "episodes" are cute or deserving of my attention.) When this happens, I try to encourage Abby to use her words to tell me what she wants. If she wants to touch something that she shouldn't, I try to explain why she can't touch it. "The computer belongs to daddy, and if we break it then daddy will be sad." "Those are mommy's glasses - she needs those to see your pretty face." "Scissors are very sharp, and if Abby touches them than she will get a boo-boo." This approach works sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't. If explaining the situation to Abby doesn't work, I just let her have her time. (a.k.a. - I ignore it.) Obviously, I make sure that she's not doing anything that will hurt herself or anyone else, but most of the time, if I just ignore her mini-tantrums when they're happening, then she'll move on. I'll have more on discipline in a future post, but needless to say, Carey and I are muddling our way through...
Carey and I are trying to embrace this unique individual that God has blessed us to care for, and we pray every night for wisdom, patience, and compassion, so that we can raise this little angel to be someone who loves and serves the Lord. While I can't say that I necessarily enjoy every moment of Abby's mini-tantrums, I can say with complete certainty that I cherish every moment that I am able to spend with my little girl. When that beautiful little face turns towards me, and a dimpled smile accompanies the squeal of "MOMMY!", I know that I am a blessed woman. :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment