Girl’s Life

Happy 18 month birthday, Sophia!

A half year has gone by since your big first birthday? Amazing the way time flies with you. We are having so much fun that I feel like all I do is blink and suddenly weeks and months have gone by. Wasn’t it only yesterday that you were just a chubby little baby–crawling all over the place, sucking on a pacifier, eating my keys? Now you’re this full-on kid who has conversations with us and her dollies, loves ice cream, and has opinions about EVERYTHING. It feels like it happened overnight. But I know this cool person has been in the making for many, many months.

You’re are all kinds of fun these days. I think I say it every month, but this month was the best one yet. You’re growing in leaps and bounds with the ways you interact with us and the world. Everything–and I mean everything–has to be talked about these days. You wake up yammering in the morning. You narrate your bath. You provide commentary through every meal. And because of all this talking, you’re beginning to actually use a lot of real words. Don’t get me wrong, there are still many, many words that I have to translate for the layman from toddlerese: Peek-a-boo (which, besides wrestling your daddy, is your favorite game right now) is pronounced bak-a-boo or just boo-boo and your new favorite show about a leaping lemur called Zaboomafu is lovingly referred to as Boo-foo every morning.

We decided last week that since you were coming up on a year and a half that we’d get you your very own potty. You’re still really little, so we didn’t expect you to understand what it was all about for awhile. We just wanted you to get used to having it around so that when the time came when you were ready to graduate from your beloved Huggies, you’d be ready. Little did we know you would come to love that potty like it was a member of our family. You cart pieces of it around the house all day. We’re still trying to help you figure out what the thing is for (”Um, no honey. That doesn’t go on your head.”), but I’m sure that will all come in time.

“Potty” also seems to be your new favorite word of choice right now, which thrills me to no end because last month marked the introduction of the word “boobies” into your vocabulary. And apparently you are a Junior High boy because at the most inopportune times (yes, in church and at my workplace among my colleagues when you came to visit) you would point to my chest, proudly yell out “BOOBIES!” and then snicker. Good times.

There is just something about you, baby girl–your laugh, your independence, the sweet, yet mischievous twinkle in your eye–that makes my heart leap and cling to you at the same time. Your dad and I are so proud of you and how far you’ve come in 18 short months. I can’t imagine the pride we’ll feel after 18 short years. For now, though, I’ll stick with the Huggies and Play-doh and cuddles and just keeping enjoying these moments.