A day in the life...

Lucy turned 1 a couple of weeks ago. I've been meaning to write about the experience. Actually that last sentence pretty much sums up the past 6 weeks of my life "I've been meaning to write about that". Oh well. Here is a day in the life of Lucy.

7ish in the morning:
Wake up (for the third or fourth time since going to sleep) and talk to the aquarium in the pack-n-play. When mom comes in excitedly dive into your blankets, then get up as quick as you can to show her how you can turn the light in the aquarium on and off. Ask to be picked up.

During diaper change lay perfectly still and babble angelically...until the diaper is completely off, then immediately flip over and make for the edge of the bed as quickly as possible. Stopping just short of falling to sit and flash mom a huge smile as you wait for her to pull you back to the blanket for a new diaper.

Play with mom's hair and hum while you gulp the liquid portion of breakfast as quickly as possible.

8ish in the morning:
Get out to the rest of the house and get excited about seeing anyone else who is home.

Head straight to the back door and BEG to be let outside (through pointing, clapping, grunting, and trying to reach the door handle)...you may even sign 'please', 'more', 'help', and blow kisses if REALLY desperate.

On a nice day go out on the back porch for second breakfast. Announce (non-verbally) that you want to sit in the stroller and eat off its tray.  Unless you decide you'd rather stand, in which case would mom please put your breakfast on the footrest of the stroller where you can reach it. Refuse to injest anything but cheerios, puffs, and pieces of wood or acorns.

Make mom smile by dancing to the sound of a bird singing. Watch the deer in the backyard.

Get in and out of your little red car. Several times. Want to be pushed in the little red car. Sing the whole time the car is moving...except when honking the horn, turning the key or pushing the lever.

Walk all over the porch. Practice sitting to go down steps. Go down all the steps you can find. Repeat (going up as necessary). Try to cross gravel barefoot. Decide that's not a good idea. Spread some gravel on the steps. Decide that doesn't look too good and quuickly brush it all off. Go find a big rock. Taste it. Bang it on the ground...take it to the chair and bang it on that. Throw it. See an ant. Try to squash it with your finger. Get taken away from the ants by mom. Scream about that.

10ish in the morning:
Go inside (with much wailing and writhing in protest) because after 2 hours mom is getting tired of playing on the back porch (a rather risky location requiring constant supervision).

Take some letters off the refrigerator and put them in the plant by the door. Go in the pantry and try to bite into the coffee containers. See the microwave (which is at eye level) and try to get the door open. Move some shoes around.

Protest when mom announces that it is naptime. Fuss half-heartedly all the way up the stairs  while rubbing eyes and burying face in blanket.

11ish: Fall asleep with hand tangled in mom's hair...or be put in bed to scream for a minute and a half...followed by half an hour of talking before keeling over unconscious.

12ish: Wake up and repeat morning diaper routine. Have lunch. If you are eating out make sure mom orders some form of soup and bread because those are your favorites and pretty much the only thing you will eat...besides puffs and cheerios.

1ish: Go to the park. Go down the slide a lot. Be nervous at first, but after 5 or 6 rides suddenly become very brave. Try to climb up the slide...for 10 minutes at a time (you are very determined) or until mom makes you stop.

Follow other children around and talk to them. Be doted on by 7 year old girls. Try to steal other toddlers' sippy cups and strollers. Charm other moms into sharing their child's puffs with you. Ride the dolphin. Ride the motorcycle. Ride the dolphin again. Chase birds without realizing you are walking/running without anyone's assistance. When you do realize it, immediately crouch down while you decide if it's worth the risk to keep chasing or if you should wave your arms for someone to come rescue you. It's usually more fun to keep going after the birds. Try to immitate all the bad behavior you see. Ignore your sippy cup and instead drink out of Gannan's HUGE cup and straw. Get mad when she finally takes it back. Refuse to wear a hat for more than 5 seconds.

3ish: Go home. Drink all 8 oz of the water in your sippy cup and eat a cracker on the way. Give a passionate speech to your reflection in the monkey-mirror. Fuss. Throw cup over side of carseat. Throw remains of cracker over side of carseat. Fuss. 

 Refuse to take an afternoon nap. After 45 minutes of screaming, fussing, talking, singing, talking, hollering, and playing get really excited when mom comes in exasperated. Play nicely with all the toys that make noise or can be shredded (like your own personal magazine). Bring mom books to read. Practice signing 'more' and turning pages. Identify curious George. Decide you are ready to go back outside to play on the back porch for a while. Repeat morning back porch routine until dinner time.

5ish: Realize you are STARVING to death but do NOT want ANYTHING solid. Or anything out of a cup. Unless it's a chocolate milkshake because you're pretty sure you tried one of those once and it was amazing. Except for the fact that it was cold.

6ish: Dinner. At the end of the prayer throw your hands up in the air for the 'Amen!'. Discover that you have hair on your head. Feel that for a few minutes. Smash all your food with your finger. If you can't poke a hole in it, it's not worth tasting. Want what's on everyone else's plate...until it touches your tray.

Drop foods you don't want over the side for the dog...except there is no dog. Eat some puffs and cheerios...and maybe a yogurt melt or two. Wave around a fork with a piece of melon on it. Slurp on the melon for a few minutes. Drop fork over the side. When the conversation gets boring squint your eyes at people and pretend to laugh. this usually makes them start laughing. Then they make faces at you. And funny noises.  Dinner is much more entertaining when they do that. Decide you have had enough of this and attempt to sweep the remaining food off your tray and onto the floor. Sign "finished". Get down and go on a scavenger hunt for lost food. Eat anything you find on the floor.

7ish: Bedtime. Want mom to be the one to hold you ALL day. Until she says it's bedtime. Then you want Da. Or Gannan. Or Bucket. Or anyone else who happens to be there and might be able to save you from Jammies. Fuss over getting ready for bed. You didn't have an afternoon nap after all. Fall asleep after nursing for 5 minutes.

8ish: Wake up because you are still hungry. Eat for another 20 minutes and go back to bed. Participate in some mild protest but give it up pretty quickly. Your blankets are nice and soft as it turns out.