As any type A, anal mom and mom-to-be knows, there’s countless articles, books, and web sites dedicate to the various phases your baby goes through, your toddler goes through, etc. What to expect during these period, tips on how to handle it, etc etc.
Throughout the past 19 months, I have thought about each phase my darling daughter is in. What I like about it, what I might have liked better about a previous phase. If you’re looking for an example – an initial one might just be mobility. Sure, it’s fun to see your darling baby walking like Baby Frankenstein, or waddling like your younger self after a few hours at happy hour, but still, mobility changes EVERYTHING. And frankly, life was easier before it.
But like everything else with a baby, a little time passes, and you quickly have no real memory of what your life was like before, you only know how to manage life as it is NOW. And really, in retrospect, every previous phase seems easier, right?
Well, I can say with confidence that right now, the past month – months 18-19, have been my all time favorite with my darling daughter.
I have no shame in saying that I didn’t love the first three-four months. I really didn’t. I loved my daughter but that even took a few weeks, about 6, for me to really grasp. I had to get to know her. I had to get to know me as a mom. And those beginning months really passed in a foggy haze. Frankly, I don’t really remember much about them. Except I didn’t love them.
I thought months 6-8 were pretty amazing. All the smiling and laughing.
I thought months 10-11 were adorable with the crawling.
Obviously when she hit 12 months, I beamed with pride. Not only was darling daughter one, but we survived. We made it. And we were still happily married!
But this age – right now – I LOVE IT.
Why? You wonder?
Well first of all, she’s beyond walking, she’s running. So we don’t really ever get a moment’s rest. But I love communicating with her. I love talking to her on the phone! I love how she talks to us when she’s playing. And I love that her vocabulary isn’t so prolific that she talks back. Don’t think I’m completely naive, I know where we’re headed with these improved communication skills.
But seriously – when she’s hungry, she goes to her high chair and says “up” or in the afternoon, when she wants a snack, she says “nack.”
When she’s tired, she finds her passie and blanket, then goes to the gate at the bottom of the stairs and tries to climb over it. Could it be any more obvious that the kid wants a nap?
And hell, when she’s in the midst of doing something she knows she shouldn’t be doing, she’s actually repeating “No” over and over again. She’s practically doing my job for me.
And naturally, the way she pronounces each word isn’t quite right but it’s close enough so you know what she’s saying – making it all the more charming.
So, I will happily go on the record and state that I, KT, am completely in love with the phase and developmental milestones of a 1.5 year old, temper tantrums and all. I’ll keep you posted as she gets older, I know we have lots of fun in store for us……
