Abbie on the road - and other changes!

I have so many things to write about lately, I literally need to jot them down on paper to remember them all. The fact that I continually lose my notes, though, is of no help whatsoever. I don't want to forget a thing and I want Abigail to know all the minutiae and little stories of when she was growing up. So I'll make an effort tonight to write on this blog some of the latest itty-bitty adventures.

First: Abbie has made new friends. David and Julia are especially noteworthy, because Julia is 3 years old, the first "grown-up kid" that she has befriended. David is one year old, only four days older than Abbie. And both Julia and David 's mom is Italian. I am excited when I think about future play-dates in Italian! I have to admit that I've not been teaching Abigail Italian on a consistent basis. It's a shame. Besides the fact that my family will KILL me next time they see us, it's mostly a waste of a wonderful learning opportunity. I am not, in the least, proud of myself for that. Speaking my own language here makes me feel odd for a variety of reasons. So, I generally abstain. But my new Italian friend and her kids will hopefully be a breakthrough! We have play dates scheduled with other Italian speaking moms and kids. I can't wait. This will be wonderful for my little girl - and for me. I need good, authentic and deep friendships too! I have given up, especially lately, on a lot of relationships that started on a very promising note just to turn out to be the usual superficial nothing-of-value. But the search for solid human relationships is still on, as hard as it is at times, and regardless of any and all disappointments.

But I digress...

Something else of recent date, a turning point in Abbie's path to world-discovery: her newly acquired ability to walk. Now that she can, it's all she is interested in! Can't stop her! Today, for example, I took her to our favorite park, Van Dyck, and as soon as I sat her on the swings she started to cry pointing to the floor: she wanted down. She is obsessed, seems like, with walking and running as much as she can to make up for the past 12 months! She walked here, there and everywhere. She interacted with anyone who'd give her the time of day but, mostly, she rushed from one place to the next. I got exhausted following her around, but she sure didn't. Never stopped, never faltered for an hour. Then we went to Wegmans, and as soon as we got out she wanted to get down and walk. She did, all the way to the car. She's still "crawlking", especially at home: interchanging crawling with walking, but there is a lot more of the latter being done.

Thirdly: She is also understanding the meaning on "getting dressed": she has finally stopped fighting me every step of the way. Today she grabbed a shoe I was holding and tried to put it on. Failed miserably, but it was so cute, I was mesmerized that she even tried! She has also learned to groom herself. Sometimes she doesn't use the right side of the brush, but she still rubs it on her head.

And then... and it pains me to say it: 'That Baby in the Mirror' has lost its allure and no longer captivates Abigail's attention as much... I am sad to see that go. It has been such a fun part of her play.

I have already mentioned that she is a chatter-box. Lately, my name has changed from Ahta' (which I loved) to Yaya. Don't ask me how the transformation occurred. Maybe it's just a softer way of saying ahta'... Her daddy is no longer Iaidada, but "Da-dee". She is trying to talk, and has specific names for things and activities, but I am not always in the loop about what she means with her babblings. I really enjoy hearing her lovely musings.

Lastly, for lack of time, she has learned to "feed" me. And she is rather smart about it, too: she only feeds me what she doesn't want to eat. Here is how it generally plays out: I am feeding her lunch, or dinner. I try to give her a little bit of everything - meat, or fish, or poultry, veggies, and fruit. She'll feed herself, and then she'll stretch out her hand toward me, with the biggest grin on her little face and the funniest look in her eyes: "eat, mom, eat" - I can hear her say. So I open my mouth, and she drops in her special treat. She loves to do that. It makes her day on several levels: she gets away (not always!) with not eating what she doesn't want, and, too, she makes a game out of it.

Well, I am done writing for tonight. But I know I am, by far, not done marveling at my little girl, at how wonderful she is, at how much I truly love her.