You are always laughing, little girl. Laughing and moving around at lightning speed. There are exactly zero photos this month where you are holding the “12” sign and looking at me. Everything’s either a blur or you’d completely wiped the 12 off of the chalkboard (also, chalkboard? Clearly I thought this project up before I’d met a small child). Ah well, these photos capture the Ada we love right now – always giggling with just the right amount of mischief in your eyes.
I’m constantly Googling things like “toddler finger foods” to try and stay ahead of you. (Sidenote, are you really a toddler now? Oh wow.) Hooray for the internet because you very rarely take a spoon from me anymore and I had to figure out healthy foods for you to feed yourself. Your current favorites are shredded cheese, steamed carrots, and peas. You squeal with glee when you see someone take the cheese out of the fridge.
We’ve experimented with you wielding the spoon yourself. I gave you yogurt and helped you load the spoon. I’m curious if you are right-handed like me or left-handed like your father. So far, you prefer one spoon in each hand to keep the food coming at an even pace.
It seems like you are just on the cusp of walking but are perhaps a little cautious. We always know when you are tired because that caution evaporates and you throw yourself into the act of walking one reckless step at a time. During the day, you cruise along between the coffee table and the couch and are perfectly content. Jokes on us, perhaps, as why should you walk if we are more than willing to carry you everywhere?
You started using the walking push-toys in the playroom downstairs and got one of your own for your birthday so now you scoot all over on quick, stiff-legged strides.
You love to point at things. Whenever we eat lunch, you point expectantly at my food until I give you some. You point whenever the cat is in pointing range (oh man, do you love the cat), and sometimes, I swear you just point because you think it’s hilarious to watch us turn and try to figure out what you are pointing at. Oh, the power you have in your tiny finger!
It seems to delight you that this pointing is helping you communicate with us. We give you almost anything you point to, so suddenly you have a way to acquire pacifiers from shelves, bits of cookie, or a narration of whatever is just out of your reach or off limits. “That’s mama’s coffee,” I tell you, as I deny your pointed request.
You love your father so much, baby girl, and it just fills my heart. You wave each morning as he heads off to work and shriek with excitement when he comes home. If he’s in another room with the door shut, you will bang on it until he lets you in. He delights you (and for good reason). He’s my rock when it comes to getting you to sleep at night and without him, we’d both be tired, cranky messes. In the photo above, you have realized that it’s Papa behind there holding up the backdrop for me and you are ecstatic.
You’ve graduated out of the inflatable duck tub to the actual bath tub (and take what I call “big girl baths”). You got lots of bath toys for your birthday and you are in heaven. You point at them when you are dressed because you love them so and sometimes we take impromptu baths midday.
We are still practicing “good pets” with the cat. You kind of get it but are overwhelmed with your love for Odie and go for the tackle when you think we aren’t watching. There’s one spot on the corner of the couch were Odie can sit and you can’t quite reach him. He’s safe for now but will have to find another napping spot when you are a little bigger. I’m constantly amazed at his patience.