Dimple Wimple at 18 Months

Dimple Wimple continues to be a delight, albeit an extremely precocious one, these days. I loved these lines when I read them to LC and CA at bedtime last night from Robert Munsch's Love You Forever:

A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth...

And while she held him, she sang:

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

The baby grew...He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, "this kid is driving me CRAZY!"

I can't bold it bold enough: she.is.so.unbelievably.busy. I thought CA was a non-stop child with neverending restless energy, but ah, each child will be unique, and Baby has her own brand of...busy-ness! And of course, she's the charming and delicious darling of the house at the end (and the beginning) of the day...

As sadly seems to be the case with later-borns, CJ does not have the fully tricked out baby book and her journal's not as detailed and rich as her predecessors' (I keep a running document for each child in Word for accomplishments and memorable behaviors, milestones, etc), but she's probably in more photos than the others were at her age, so that balances things out, right??

When I took these photos, I had been resting on the couch. Well, it's Baby's favorite thing to climb on top of anyone who might be on the couch, sit with (or on) them for a total of 12 seconds, then climb down, toddle around, and repeat. I happened to have the camera beside me and caught her climbing into my lap.

Right now she's just cut two eye teeth and is working on the other two. I have to say, she's been a champ about it, sleeping through almost every night (thanks, kiddo! thank You, Lord!).

She and CA are starting to find their own little way to play, which is endearing to watch. CA's a quick one in so many ways. CJ may not be as quick yet, but her determination in all things makes up for any lag in speed she may have. Speaking of speed, she can run now, and is learning to jump. Climbing is old news. I've stopped rushing to protect her from falls caused by her scary, slippery, off-balance trips in and out of chairs and such. She's taken a few hits because of her daring, but it doesn't slow the pace of her exploration and trouble-making. The other day we were settling down for a history lesson, with the big four girls all ready around the living room with their paper to take notes and such. CJ went from sister to sister, making mischief, grabbing their papers and throwing them on the floor. Oh, dear. Mama put a stop to that fast, much to CJ's dismay.

She loves a bath, is way too brave in the water. After a few times of watching us, she's learning how to unlock doors; she's able to let herself out the back door.

It's fun to hear her vocabulary growing really fast. It's probably only at about 20-25 words, which includes things like her version of napkin, milk (moh!), and I think she's got a little name for one of the girls.

She likes to eat ice from the freezer. We have a bottom freezer, so anytime a person opens it, she zips over to grab an ice cube. At the table, she begs for guacamole or hummus if she sees it. I fed her a slice of green onion last night and she chomped it down with a smile.

At 18 months, she's about as full of life as can be! And she's learning to give love to others: very sweet hugs for her sisters when they are hurt or in trouble, plus kisses and hugs us almost anytime we ask. Oh, and she's graduated away from the wet, open-mouthed kiss of one-year-olds - moving on to the adorable cheerio lips kiss. And at bedtime, she'll echo our I love you! with her own Eye-ah-ooooooo!
I'll borrow Mr. Munsch's lines again here...

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

*

Thank You, Jesus, for little CJ, and for all her sisters, too. You are beyond generous to us....