At a little over 12 months old, Lauren is fearless, headstrong, and completely clueless as to gravity or its consequences. Hence she is the best climber in the house.
About a month ago Lauren fell down half a flight of stairs. She'd somehow gotten through a closed door to the hallway and made it halfway up the staircase before succumbing to gravity, but upon her father's frantic arrival all she had to show for it was a bump on the head and a disappointed howl as he brought her away from the offending structure. She had learned nothing except, perhaps, to be quieter next time she fell so that she could climb and fall to her heart's content.
Recently she has discovered the joy of flopping around on the couch, which turns out to be a fear inducing, high adrenalin game for anyone trying to ensure that she doesn't fall off the edge of that structure either. The last time we played this game she stepped confidently off the edge right into my arms, entirely sure of my reflexes and my grip, I guess, because she promptly did it again and again. Sydney watched this maneuver thoughtfully and then announced that she wanted to do it too. "No!" I said, sharper than I'd intended. My heart was already racing for fear of missing the smaller one. I couldn't imagine trying to catch the larger one.
I don't know where Lauren got this climbing gene from. Neither I nor her father are natural gymnasts and I personally have an irrational fear of heights which keeps me from attempting daring feats. I imagine the world from the eyes of a 1 year old and I can't personally imagine having the courage to step off into the abyss and trust that either the ground or a fellow human was going to catch me. But there is Lauren, climbing up onto everything and--somehow--climbing down.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
A Lauren Turns One
Right around this time last year, Lauren came into this world.
Unlike her sister, who pretty much came pre-named, we weren't entirely sure what to name her at first. We'd narrowed it down to a few favorites, but our absolute favorite, Skye, just didn't seem to fit. Skye was a forceful, abrupt name and the baby in our arms was quiet, confident, and definitely not a Skye at all. So we finally settled on Lauren, and a Lauren she definitely is.
Lauren's first year was more of a blur to us in some ways than her sister's, and yet the details of her first journeys seemed more clear to us, since we'd gone through it before and knew what to expect. Lauren sat up, crawled and walked earlier than her sister, but is taking her time growing teeth. Her sister's hair all fell out and then grew back in, but Lauren's grew in just as her dark baby hair was falling out. Her sister's hair is thin and straight; Lauren's appears to have a curl to it.
So Lauren, here you are. These days you have just begun to communicate in earnest, with a very cute and definitive nod when you are in agreement with a question we ask you. At first you nodded your whole body, but now a few days into it, you've figured out you only need to nod your head. You think it is hilarious when mommy jumps on the shovel to dig out the garden. Your favorite pastime is to put toys on the cat or to steal his food bowl. And the most amazing thing about you in your first year is:
You're almost as tall as our apple trees.
Happy First Birthday, Lauren!
Unlike her sister, who pretty much came pre-named, we weren't entirely sure what to name her at first. We'd narrowed it down to a few favorites, but our absolute favorite, Skye, just didn't seem to fit. Skye was a forceful, abrupt name and the baby in our arms was quiet, confident, and definitely not a Skye at all. So we finally settled on Lauren, and a Lauren she definitely is.
Lauren's first year was more of a blur to us in some ways than her sister's, and yet the details of her first journeys seemed more clear to us, since we'd gone through it before and knew what to expect. Lauren sat up, crawled and walked earlier than her sister, but is taking her time growing teeth. Her sister's hair all fell out and then grew back in, but Lauren's grew in just as her dark baby hair was falling out. Her sister's hair is thin and straight; Lauren's appears to have a curl to it.
So Lauren, here you are. These days you have just begun to communicate in earnest, with a very cute and definitive nod when you are in agreement with a question we ask you. At first you nodded your whole body, but now a few days into it, you've figured out you only need to nod your head. You think it is hilarious when mommy jumps on the shovel to dig out the garden. Your favorite pastime is to put toys on the cat or to steal his food bowl. And the most amazing thing about you in your first year is:
You're almost as tall as our apple trees.
Happy First Birthday, Lauren!
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