Sweet Surprise

Tonight as we were playing Hide and Seek, I realized with surprise that 21 ½ month old Lily was counting for me. Without me actively teaching her, she learned to count one to ten with surprising accuracy. Though she sometimes needs prompting on a number or two, she can do it, especially confidently proclaiming 9 and 10. The incredible thing about birth order is how much she absorbs by watching and trying to keep up with everyone else in the family. When we play hide and seek, she squeals, hides her head under a pillow, and evidently learns to count from one to ten while she waits. And as she is absorbing new things, Lily continues to be such a ball of energy and sweetness. She climbs up everything as if there isn’t a square inch that she can’t conquer. She runs into the room with a smile and a “hi, mama!” that causes me to grin right back at her. She has started to read small parts of books when I get to a word or short phrase she knows well. She loves to color and sometimes likes to say the names of letters as she draws, pretending she is writing. As is common in the toddler years, her learning is exploding, and it is such fun to watch. She is asserting her independence and wishing for input into her own life. If I offer her the pink bib, she earnestly requests, “blue bib, blue bib.” If I offer the blue bib, she wants the pink one. If I hold both of them up, she beams and reaches for the one she wants. She loves to pick out her diaper and her clothes. While she is growing and changing every day, some things remain constant. She adores Grandma and Papa, as she calls him, and if she knows they’re coming at any point in the day, she will run to the door and say, “Watch! Watch! Grandma and Papa” as she waits for their minivan to pull in the driveway. When they arrive, she squeals and runs around the room. I love her bond with them. Sometimes Lily does get frustrated at the limitations that come with age (or, rather, lack of age.) When she is too rough with big sister’s toys and I redirect her, she is crushed, devastated. She is typically a quick one to recover, though, and though tears may stay planted firmly on her face, she is soon smiling again. She loves to say silly words like “acky!” and burst into laughter. My favorite moments in parenting continue to be those like tonight, when both girls were running around the living room, giggling together and with me about nothing and everything. All in all, Lily has such joy for life, and watching her learn is such joy in mine. I love the sweet surprise of how much someone so little can enjoy life, how much she learns from simply living it, and how brilliantly she brightens the lives of those around her.