I'm a Big Girl Now!

Hard to believe one year ago this little waddler was sitting in a bouncy chair on my counter cooing and smiling away.  Now she wiggles her but as she dances and is everywhere and into everything.  More locks have gone into place on drawers and cupboards as she not only explores with her hands and feet, but also her mouth.  Lavender Johnson and Johnson baby lotion along with pieces of baby wipes and toilet paper pieces are some of her favorite flavors. I now have the poison control phone number memorized. One needs to be quick as even if those cupboards are open for a second, she is there right under your nose attempting a taste while emptying it out.  If you don't catch her soon enough coffee filters, cans of  Busch's Baked Beans and dog treats are strewn throughout the kitchen and living room floors. The k-cups to the Kirig are also fun to walk around with and shake. 

I find myself constantly moving about the house cleaning one mess up after the other.  Whether it is the coffee table remotes and centerpieces, the dogs water dish(alongside the spilled water), the entire dishtowel drawer, or picking up the many books she likes to empty off the shelves.  Sometimes Carly thinks she is cleaning as mommy does and will take many household items and the search is on to find them in random drawers, the laundry basket, the toy box, or inside of a box in her closet.

It is amazing how much our daughter has learned in a matter of months. Grandpa has taught Carly many things like sticking treats between her toes and now how to crawl up and backwards down the stairs.  So now we're up and down, up and down, up and down-who needs a stair master?  She is like a mermaid who just discovered she now has legs.  She loves to walk even run, wherever she can especially when she is in trouble round tables, throughout the house, and everywhere she can move outside. 

Carly has developed her own language as she visits with you using many expressions while pointing her fingers in several directions but sometimes becomes frustrated when others do not understand what she happens to be saying especially if she wants something.  Our communication barrier however is continually shrinking as Carly seems to know what we say.  "Bath" means- go to the bathroom and pick out  toys and put them into the tub.  She finds her jacket and shoes and tries to put them on when she hears we will be going outside.  When Grandma says "lets read a book", she is off to her basket of books in the next room. It won't be long and she will also be speaking many of our words and most likely non-stop. 

My daughter definitely knows what she wants.  If you give her a preference of color- it must be blue!  She walks around the house with her blue boat from the sand table, blue fish from her tub toys, and when shopping selected the blue elephant at Target.  When making our food choices, we have learned that if we aren't going to eat it, neither will she.  Don't try and fight it, she wants to feed herself, even if the food lands everywhere but her mouth.

Carly is a girly girl through and through as she loves to empty her tub of her many, many pairs of shoes and carry them around the house .  She also loves to play dress up with all of mom's old necklaces, hats, and sunglasses.  Boomer has even been caught in the action walking around the house with a necklace or two. She is wishing she had more hair as she tries to brush her hair or attach mom's ponies and clips.  We know our daughter is going to have good hygiene as she will become extremely angry if you are near the medicine cabinet and do not give her the green toothbrush.  Her dentist will be proud, we are brushing her new set of pearly whites an average of three times a day and have to sneak the brush away from her. 

In less than a year, our daughter has gone from the counter top to running through our home and into our hearts. Whether we like it or not right before our eyes our little baby is indeed becoming a Big Girl.  In the meantime, I am enjoying every minute of every moment keeping these unforgettable precious memories I can share with her as she grows(and a boyfriend or two) for the rest of our lives.