Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Toddlerhood State of Mind



I tried to stay in denial, but I have finally come to grips with the fact that Laura is no longer a baby. Sort of like the word "teenager," "toddler" can strike fear in a parent's heart. Sometimes watching Laura can strike fear in our hearts, mainly out of concern for what havoc she will wreak as she gets older and stronger.

At the same time, though, toddlers have so much more personality than babies. And The Menace is no exception. As her vocabulary grows, she loves to show it off to anyone who will listen (when she feels like it, of course - she does not do command performances). She is extremely responsive to music and loves to sing. She also loves to wear hats, both traditional and make-shift (i.e. the vegetable strainer), as well as sunglasses, and she often puts on beads and then coos, "oooooh" as though she's gorgeous. She thinks she's funny (she's usually right), knows she's cute, and at 15 months has mastered a withering stare that will send would-be boyfriends home in tears.

What I find most endearing about this phase is her perspective on the world. Everything is interesting. Anything can provoke sincere shouts of joy. In fact, the simpler, the better. Routine is marvelous. And at the end of the day, Mommy is always the best. Which simply fills my heart with love.

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