15 Months

15 months today.

There have been so many growth spurts and learned things, I can’t even keep up with noting them on my calendar.  Firstly, she is a little task master.  Picking up garbage off the floor and putting it into the garbage can.  Putting deodorant on mommy and scrubbing mommy in the shower.  Sweeping with a broom and feather duster, and using the Swiffer.  Dusting the end table.  Rocking the baby doll, feeding the baby and giving her a bottle and pacifier.  Feeding stuff animals.  We noticed whenever a dog came on TV, she started barking!  So now we say, “What sound does the doggy make?” and she says, “yip-yip-yip!”  She tries to put on pants and shoes, and does a good job with getting underwear on.  She started smacking her lips and saying “num num num” when we show her food.  Clipping her own fingernails, clipping a baby doll’s fingernails.  Eating with dad’s big fork.  Shaving everyone’s legs?!  She was begging for the razor in the shower so we gave her the razor handle with the blade removed and she tries to shave our legs!  Pete put a little bit of shaving cream on her legs and she shaved her own!  Is this a typical first-born or what?

My favorite is that she learned how to pump lotion and put it on her own body.  Normally I put lotion all over her after a bath, but now she wants to do it herself.  This new behavior replaces her old reaction, which was kind of to freak out and claw at her legs and try to remove the invisible pants!  She could feel something on her legs and wanted to take it off!

I should mention that none of her new behaviors were specifically taught to her.  We weren’t trying to get her to do these things, she is simply emulating us and what we do.  In fact, everything that I have tried to teach her so far, she refuses.  Every time I have said, “Can you say ___?  Can you do ___?”  She has completely refused to do it.  Doesn’t even attempt to repeat words after me, even if I am screaming “MaaaaaMaaaaaaa!”

I finally started singing her lullabies at bedtime, about 15 months too late.  Lame.  I have hummed before, but never really sang, because I don’t know any lullabies (?)  The other night I started with “Hush little baby” and once I got past mockingbird and diamond ring, I just had to wing it.  It goes something like this:

And if that diamond ring don’t shine

Mama’s gonna buy you a bottle of wine

And if that bottle of wine don’t taste

Mama’s gonna buy you some pudding paste

And if that pudding paste ain’t yummy

Mama’s gonna buy you an Uncle Shrummy

And if that Uncle Shrummy ain’t funny

Mama’s gonna buy you some bees and honey

*Repeat*

Needless to say… she loves it.  She went limp in my arms, totally relaxed but still looking up at me.  Five or ten minutes later she started struggling to get up, and I thought, great, here she goes.  She’s going to climb down and start running around the room like a maniac at bedtime. But I was wrong.  Instead, she kneeled in my lap and cradled my face in her hands.  I kept singing.  She stared right into my face, watching my lips move, and she began tapping the beat on my cheeks.  So endearing and adorable.  Bottle that one up!  Then she just went back down and cuddled in my lap again.  No running around!  Wow.  We are fools for not trying the lullabies earlier.  Not that it got her to sleep longer per se… But she sure did like it.  And I really like my new lyrics.

I took some photos of her today, but I waited too long and she was already tired and ready for a nap.  I couldn’t get any smiles out of her, and she had tired eyes and was looking down a lot of the time.  Oh, well.  Her more serious side.

Happy Month Birthday, Little One.