1 Year Plus 2

My little bear turned 14 months old yesterday. Paprika has always been bunny rabbit, and now we have Ginger, our little bear.

My little bear is now running, not crawling at all anymore. She thinks she can talk and we understand her (well, really we do understand her but probably no one else does!) She says the first syllable of words and looks at you like, "Don't you get it? I said Bath!" - when really she just said, "Baaaa!"

Her voice used to be so loud, it was as if there was the high decible switch and the off switch and nothing in-between. Now she can talk softly, loudly, and everything in between.



She loves to try new things, and has no fear whatsoever about new foods, new experiences, nada. As long as her mama or daddy is with her, she is good to go. The only thing she really doesn't like is when new people come up to her and talk close to her face. She's not a fan of that at all!

She also clings to me (still) for dear life whenever someone else tries to hold her. If I leave the room, she's fine. But if I'm near her and not holding her? That's not okay in her book.



Like I said yesterday, she is now taking multiple baths per day. Usually two...mid-day and before bed. It is a must! She finds a way to cover herself with food at every meal. And if it's not food, then it's dirt from playing outside...and a lot of it!



She can stand up for herself really well. Her favorite things to do are to play with Paprika's toys, pull Paprika's hair (we're working on this), and run away during bath time.

She loves playing peek-a-boo in her closet door, and blowing kisses, and clapping, hi-fives, and giving kisses. She understands most of what we say. Like the other day I asked her to go get a bowl for me and bring it over, and she did. She will put away toys when asked, and her clothes, too (in the dresser drawer). So, even though there aren't a million words being spoken by her (yet), I know she's understanding what we're saying.

She is amazing with her spatial-temporal reasoning, and she understands how things fit, how she can fit into things, and how to maneuver through the world in an efficient, novel way. I don't know if that's the best way to say it, but really, she amazes me with her ability to maneuver and to problem solve. There's a lot going on upstairs in her head...

Most importantly, Ginger laughs easily and a lot. She is fun to be around (unless she's tired...in which case she's not so much fun- but we're working on that!) She wants nothing more than to be held, held, held. She is still every bit the cuddle bear, and I am enjoying that more than I can even express. She is such a JOY and I don't know how I ever got so lucky to be her mama.