At lunch with my favorite girls at our favorite frilly restaurant, Brick Street, one of them asked me if I'd given up on our blog. "I know, I know," I said, a bit ashamed. "I just haven't felt inspired to write." In reality, I've wanted to sit down and update the blog for quite some time, but just haven't had the energy!
No one told me that my new toddler would take so much energy. It's as if she went from a sweet, smiling, calm little baby girl on August 8th to a (mostly) sweet, hyperactive, fiercely independent toddler on August 9th. Did I miss something here? Does an imaginary switch flip the minute the clock strikes midnight on the baby's first birthday? Don't get me wrong, I love our little monkey more than anything and have enjoyed each and every step along the way. But now, I sometimes gawk in disbelief at Luce as she purses her lip, emits a shrill grunt, and attempts to toss her plate of food across the room. Other times, I repeat my mantra of "relax" over and over again as she whines for food only to purse her lips and turn her head away when I try to coax her into taking a bite.
From the time she wakes up until her head hits her ladybug-covered sheets at night, Luce is a bundle of energy. Though she won't walk on her own (she refuses any attempts at holding her hand and walking), she spends most of her time cruising from one piece of furniture to the next finding fun new objects to explore. So far, her favorites are Emmy's dog-bed (Yuck!! She finds this particularly enjoyable when rolling around making sure every inch of her clothing is covered in black greyhound hair), the plethora of remotes, cords, and computer parts her computer-geek Dad keeps near the tv, and the stairs. For someone who can't walk on her own, she can sure scale hard-wood steps like a pro.
As I look back over the month since Lucy's first birthday party, I can't help but smile. Yes, it's been a trying time. I've had days where I thought I just might pull my hair out. The week of teething was almost unbearable. Yet, there have been so many moments of laughter. Each and every day, we see Lucy discovering the world around her. Last week, she discovered the joys of ice-cream. She loved it so much that she promptly began to scream when it was finished. She's begun to make new faces (our favorite is the Papa Copeland. I'll post a pic), laugh unabashedly with a gravely, hearty chuckle, say uh-oh each and every time she drops her sippy cup and waits for us to pick it back up, giggle with glee when she cruises over and types on my keyboard as I try to work, and clap along to the new songs she's learning at school. She's trying new foods, playing with new friends at school in the Young Toddler class, and learning the importance of "Yes" and "No."
And every time I start to forget that sweet little baby girl that I've known for the first twelve months and fear that she's disappeared, I find that wonderful, perfect spot once again in the mornings. Each day, Lucy wakes up around 6:30 for her morning milk, and we always bring her into our room. She always closes her little eyes, puts one of her hands on Jamie's arm and the other on mine and sighs with content. As we feel her milky breathe, warm on our faces, we fall in love with her all over again.
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