Lucy at 14 Months

Dear Lucy, 

You're really figuring out this whole toddlerhood thing with every day that goes by. Each morning I feel like I'm dropping off a baby at daycare and pick up a big kid. You're fully walking now -- and still falling, especially when you're tired. The bonus to the walking is you don't find little bits of string on the floor to eat. :) 

In language developments, you say my name! It's always "mmmmmm-om" and not "mama", but I'll take what I can get right now. I've been waiting so long to have a name from you. You mix up your constanant sounds -- books are still gocks and dogs are dos, but I'm sure you'll have an explosion in the next few weeks.   You are adjusting really well to your new school and to a completely new schedule. You surprise me with the things you now that I know you learn at school like sitting down and doing hand motions when I sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider." 

You thrive on praise and celebration when you do something well. You just love the positive reinforcement and mimic us when we only do a reinforcement once. For example, you clap your hands together in delight when you put your sippy in the designated spot on your highchair tray and when you kind of sort get the shape in the right place. When you're reprimanded or redirected, you either laugh at us or cry.

You definitely have developed object permanence. If your toy rolls under the TV stand, you stoop down low to find it -- it doesn't just disappear because you can't see it anymore. And with that comes separation anxiety when I drop you off at school. Fortunately you snap out of it quickly, but it still breaks my heart when you lunge for me and cry as I'm making my way out the door.

The last month hasn't been the best in regard to your health. You've had a hacking cough that made you throw up, pink eye (which required a trip to an urgent clinic), the worst teething pain due to emerging molars, and eczema. Most of the above affected your eating, so you haven't been eating much and went through a weird couple of days of hating meat. I want to encourage more utensil-using soon. You eat a little bit of everything I offer for the most part, though you sometimes push away things you liked previously. Guess I need to prepare myself for the fickle toddler period. You're also like that with everything else. I offer milk, you push it away. I offer it again and you snap it right up. You come over to my leg and want to be held. So I pick you up and you try to leap out of my arms 5 seconds later.

You're also developing a mischief streak. When I tell you to stop touching food to your hair when you eat, you grin at me and slowly raise it back up. We did this several times. And when your father tells you to stop pulling at his shirt collar, you turn to me with the expression "Is this guy for real?" and slowly put your hair back up his collar. I think we're in for some trouble!