Tops and bottoms

Lilli takes her teeth brushing very seriously.  If we let her, she'd brush her teeth 5 times a day.  Before bed the other night, she climbed up her bathroom stool to brush her teeth at the sink.  She was carrying her favorite toy of the week, a Little People pig, and on her climb up the stool she dropped it on the floor.

"Oh No! Piiig where are yoooou?"
She picks up the pig, places him on the counter and knocks him down again on the way back up the stool.
"Oh nuts! Sorry, pig!" then picks him up again.
To make it up to him she brushed his teeth too.

"Song of the Entry"
Mirador by Efterklang

Progress report

Lilli has recently taken up running. Not just a brisk walking, but- arms flailing, smile wide, almost screaming in excitement -running. She likes to be chased around and will sometimes take things from us and walk just out of reach backwards to see our faces, then we are forced to chase after her. Her response to that is to run full force into the side of our bed and hide her face in the blankets laughing hysterically as we catch up. I have to admit, as frustrating as it is to try to catch a naked baby running away with a box of wipes or diaper, it's really fun to watch her play. Learning her boundaries and pushing them just a bit further.

Whether she's testing our authority or pushing her own physical limits, she's learning at such a rapid rate sometimes I am thrown back when I hear or see her do something new. The past two weeks she has picked up on about five new signs and close to 5 new words. Earlier this week I asked her if she wanted a banana (followed by the usual banana song) and she replied "Nana!" I nearly fell out of my seat in shock. And when she screamed at me for not watching her do the "all done" sign after eating breakfast one morning, I realized that she's moving along quicker than I'm able to keep up.

She can tell us what she wants and needs and she knows the sequence of events for long drawn out processes. She knows what comes next and when it doesn't play out the way she thinks it should she is quick to let you know that it is not right. Her personality shines through every new thing she learns. Defining herself everyday with her intelligence and disposition.

On another note, she has grown her top two front teeth and they are starting to show. It's so strange to see my baby with a mouth full of teeth. She is a late bloomer for teeth, I can't say I am sad about it. It's almost hard to imagine her as a baby anymore, she'll always be my baby, but she's starting to look like a toddler. I truly cherished the toothless grin and the two bottom teeth smile was beyond adorable. But now... a full on toothy smile, it makes me proud and sad at the same time.



"Indie Song of the Entry"

Scream Scream by The Battle Royale

chomp chomp

Lilli was teething last week. I had thought that both front bottom teeth broke through at the same time, I was wrong. She wasn't too fussy, just a little more grumpy and less sleepy than normal. She ate less but not for long. As usual, my baby girl has proven to be one of the easy babies.

However, biting... not easy. Not easy at all. Since I'm still breast feeding (3 months to go!!!), teething has made a serious "impression" on me (ha!). There have been one or two times when she has chomped down and looked me right in the eye. As if to ask "what will happen if I do this?..." She had that smirk that her dad gets when he did something bad and knows it. I know that smirk well.

The first time I laughed, I couldn't believe it. That face always makes me laugh. I knew I couldn't ever laugh again... It really wasn't funny. It hurt. Bad. The next time was while we were nursing before bed. It was dark and I couldn't see that face, and I was NOT amused. "NO!" I shouted in my best Mom voice. She seemed really startled. Hasn't happened again.

Then there's the weird aspect of the teething situation. I find it very strange to imagine how she must be feeling, suddenly her gummy mouth has these little sharp pieces poking through her gums. But here's the thing... I kind of DO understand what she's going through. For some reason, my wisdom teeth have suddenly started to push through. I've had ear aches, sore gums and pain while eating. Is this how she feels? This is awful. She has to do this so many more times! I think it gives me a perspective that makes me feel more sympathy for this little one. Even if she does test my limits and quits sleeping for two days at a time.