Today, our little Lily turns 1. Right about now, actually. This time last year, the doctors were placing her on my chest, cleaning her off, cutting the cord. I was staring in awe at this little tiny person who just came out of me and was suddenly all mine. "Hello, baby, do I know you?" "Surreal" can not even begin to describe how that moment feels. Especially after going through 31.5 hours of labor together.
She's napping at the moment. Or pretending to be napping. Sometimes she likes to fake us out, but, hopefully, she's getting some shut-eye, because we have lots planned today. We need to go to Borders and look at some books, she has her 12-month pediatrician appointment (hopefully, they'll tell us she's big enough to use her forward-facing car seat!), and hopefully we'll get to Costco and Toys'R'Us to compare the rocking horses and double wagons...one of which will become her birthday present, and the other might be for Christmas. If we have time, we'll head to Babies'R'Us for some desperately-needed magnetic cabinet latches. She's figured out how to remove the ones that never properly wrapped around the nobs.
After her nap, I'll change her out of her cozy pajamas and into the adorable outfit I bought her yesterday for her birthday. It's from a new store at the mall I discovered while Ryan was getting his haircut called "Crazy 8". The clothes are adorable and not super-expensive. Her long-sleeved knit dress was $12 and her matching tights were $2.50 - those are both sale prices, of course. Similar items at Gymboree or Baby Gap would have cost at least twice as much. And as a mushy, "Awwww, it's her only first birthday!" Mama, I might have been suckered into spending twice as much.
Thank goodness Ryan needed a haircut and I needed to kill some time.
So here are the words Lily knows when you say them and ask her to point to them: light (this was first and only applies to HANGING lights, like pendants and ceiling fans - she identifies "light" with the fixture, not the actual light itself), kitty (she knows they say, "Meow!" but has never attempted to say it herself), balloon (there are still a couple hanging on from before her party Friday night), juice (her sippy cup), duck or duckie (she attempts to say, "Quack!" although it sounds more like, "Gak!" - I think this might technically be her first word), Cheerios (this applies to either the container or the actual Cheerios themselves), clock (so far, she only knows the one in her bathroom).
I'm pretty sure she knows who Daddy is, but we still have to get her to point at Ryan when asked where's Daddy. "Mama" was one of her first sounds, but I still don't think she associates it with me. She says it a lot while she's eating, which is guess is OK, because she certainly ENJOYS eating and probably gets Mama from Mmmmmm, which she says a lot at mealtime.
Words we're currently teaching her to understand: bottle, Oma, pacifier, and Coke. Ryan is teaching her this one. It applies to all 2-liter plastic beverage containers. I thought he should teach her something a little more generic, like soda, since it could be Sprite or Dr. Pepper or rootbeer or whatever in the bottle, but he was insistent it should be Coke - and he doesn't have the opportunity to teach her as many words as I do - so I'm going with it. Coke it is.
She knows she's supposed to clap when we cheer, "Yaaay!" or clap ourselves. Though the other night, Ryan pointed out that she seems to think you take turns clapping, because she always starts after we stop, which is pretty funny. She also knows to wave when we say, "Hi" or "Bye" or when we're waving. Sometimes, she gets too excited and starts clapping instead. She learned both these things at the same time and probably thinks they're interchangeable. Silly girl. If you rest your ear to your shoulder, she'll do the same thing with a big grin - it's the sweetest little thing you've ever seen. And if you stick your tongue out at her, she'll stick hers out right back at you. I've found this is a handy trick for getting her to show you what she's snuck in her mouth behind your back.
She's always been very touchy about getting her face cleaned after a meal, but lately I've discovered that if I tell her what a good girl she is while wiping her down, she sits still a little better and fusses a little less. Hooray for positive reinforcement. She definately knows what "No" means. Or using that same tone of voice when we say her name. She'll stop what she was doing - or about to do - and look back at me. I'll raise my eyebrows and maybe shake my head, and that's usually enough. Sometimes, we have to do this a few times, but she listens pretty quickly. By now, she knows what is and what isn't off-limits in the house.
It's funny to watch her test me. She'll go towards something she knows she shouldn't touch, put her hand out towards it, then stop and look back at me with her eyebrows raised, as if asking, "How about now? Is it OK if I touch it this time?" I shake my head or raise my eyebrows back, and she knows and stops. It's amazing. Every day, I realize the importance of consistency with her and how well she responds to it.
Little does she know I'm figuring this all out as I go along...
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