Dear Lili,
Sorry to fall behind a little on the old digital baby book over here. I promise to make up for it soon. I just accepted some intense amount of freelance work for the month of August and September which meant canceling two pre-planned annual family vacations. So bummed But yet I’m so grateful and excited for the work and look forward to celebrating with you and Dad when it is completed and finished.
In other news…
You are 20 months. You are the age where I can’t say your age in months anymore without sounding like those crazy parents that say ’45 months’ when asked the age of their child. Let’s just say you will be 2 in December and boy is that mind blowing.
Also mind blowing is your ability right when you wake up and right before you go to sleep to totally have a burst of language like never before. I can’t tell you how crazy it is to go into your room in the morning and have you say, “Morning Mama! Food. Breakfast. Waffles? Ok.” and then tonight before bed a similar deal.
Before bed tonight I brought out a book we’ve had forever called “First 100 Words” and it is a picture dictionary – of words. Every time I read it you show mild interest or play with your toys when I am reading it. But tonight you opened the book while on your belly and flipped the pages like a pro and with your little hand you pointed to images and said almost in a bored tone like ‘whatever’:
hairbrush fish baby towel pillow lamp book
(flip page)
tomato strawberry orange grape apple broccoli banana cheese
No pauses. No breaks. No breaths. As I said. One word after another in almost a deep sigh tone.
Ok. First of all. You’ve never had a piece of broccoli in your life despite our attempts to repeatedly give it to you. How on earth did you know broccoli much less say it clear as day?
The only way I can describe the tremendous amounts of leaps and rewarding bounds parenthood has to offer parents is imagine this… imagine one night your partner of several years just came into the living room and started ….oh I don’t know… playing the accordion out of nowhere – huge long complicated songs – and you are there on the couch having a glass of wine and turn your head their way STUNNED like, “OH MY GOD! I had no idea you could play the accordion?!!!” That is what it is like as a parent. The constant surprises. They keep our life fresh and interesting. Full of suspense.
What waits for us around the corner now?
This is beautiful and so true. My kids have suddenly started pointing, like Quickdraw McGraw. Today we had Rod Stewart on the record player and they simultaneously began bopping their heads.
First 100 Words sounds like a great book to have – I especially like Lili reeling it out by rote in “whatever” tone!
Regarding crazy parents referring to their children being 45 months. After my babies were 17 weeks old I lost count. I was SO wiped I’d say things like “Er… they’re around 4 months … or something” and feel like total Deadbeat Mother in our parent’s group for my lack of precision.