Juniorette lived out her first year a cute yet unremarkable baby: chubby-cheeked, wild-haired, and given to cooing at appropriate moments. As a Hidden Tiger Mom, I was secretly a bit disappointed that she didn't debut her walking skills at her first birthday party, like her kuya did at his, but I was also more aware of the work involved once baby becomes a toddler, so I went ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
But everything changed shortly after that. At 13 months, Juniorette decided she would be upright, and would go where she wanted to go. She became a dancing queen, having figured out which button to press for music on her activity desk, and bobbing her little legs to the beat of the baby classics. At 14 months, she could drink from a real cup, use a grownup straw, press elevator buttons, and determinedly tried to feed herself with a spoon or fork when one was within reach. She can make lines on paper using crayons. On our recent vacation, she demonstrated truly impressive ball-throwing skills, lounge chair-climbing skills, and conversational gambits. And she can pitch a fit like a two-year-old!
It's early yet for Juniorette to reveal her 15 month surprises--maybe she'll give me advice about my 403(b)?--but I've already warned Fragrant Husband that she'll be a bigger handful than Junior. For you see, she has two cowlicks (puyo in Tagalog). When we were back in the Philippines a few months ago, literally every adult relative took one look at the back of her head and went, "Naku, dalawang puyo! ("Uh-oh, two cowlicks!")" in somber tones. Two means trouble.
But that's Future Fragrant Elephant's problem. Right now, I'm enjoying spending time with my baby girl. She's chatty, loves touching plants, is amused by dogs, and eats more than her kuya (!). She's super helpful: she hands me my towel when I'm done in the shower, shoves my shoes in my face when it's time to go outside, and throws her dirty diapers in the diaper pail. She's obsessed with stairs, has an impossibly strong grip, and can recognize landmarks to guide her home. She's never taken a pacifier and instead self-soothes with the two middle fingers of her hand, like a true rock star. In short, Juniorette is objectively the best toddler on the planet.
TL;DR: My daughter > cake
---
This post brought to you by about 100 mosquito bites! You're welcome, next generations of upstate NY skeeters!
But everything changed shortly after that. At 13 months, Juniorette decided she would be upright, and would go where she wanted to go. She became a dancing queen, having figured out which button to press for music on her activity desk, and bobbing her little legs to the beat of the baby classics. At 14 months, she could drink from a real cup, use a grownup straw, press elevator buttons, and determinedly tried to feed herself with a spoon or fork when one was within reach. She can make lines on paper using crayons. On our recent vacation, she demonstrated truly impressive ball-throwing skills, lounge chair-climbing skills, and conversational gambits. And she can pitch a fit like a two-year-old!
It's early yet for Juniorette to reveal her 15 month surprises--maybe she'll give me advice about my 403(b)?--but I've already warned Fragrant Husband that she'll be a bigger handful than Junior. For you see, she has two cowlicks (puyo in Tagalog). When we were back in the Philippines a few months ago, literally every adult relative took one look at the back of her head and went, "Naku, dalawang puyo! ("Uh-oh, two cowlicks!")" in somber tones. Two means trouble.
But that's Future Fragrant Elephant's problem. Right now, I'm enjoying spending time with my baby girl. She's chatty, loves touching plants, is amused by dogs, and eats more than her kuya (!). She's super helpful: she hands me my towel when I'm done in the shower, shoves my shoes in my face when it's time to go outside, and throws her dirty diapers in the diaper pail. She's obsessed with stairs, has an impossibly strong grip, and can recognize landmarks to guide her home. She's never taken a pacifier and instead self-soothes with the two middle fingers of her hand, like a true rock star. In short, Juniorette is objectively the best toddler on the planet.
TL;DR: My daughter > cake
---
This post brought to you by about 100 mosquito bites! You're welcome, next generations of upstate NY skeeters!
No comments:
Post a Comment