13 months

Now that Peeper is officially a Big Girl, she’s been exploring—and pushing—boundaries.

Walking is second nature by now: There’s no more precariously toddling with outstretched arms for balance. With her two-legged confidence comes running, or at least race walking. Bonks and bruises come with the territory, but her indomitable enthusiasm doesn’t leave a lot of time for fussing and crying after a tumble.

Ten Thousand Hour Mama

We also have a budding monkey on our hands. She has discovered climbing and tries to scale anything with a foothold: chairs, the dishwasher, the open fridge.

With mobility, the entire world is opened up to her, yet she pays attention to the tiniest details. When playing on the lawn, she notices a sugar ant toiling among the green blades of grass. She points at a spider on its web, which must look as if it’s floating in the air. And as she sat in sunlight streaming in through the window, she paused suddenly to stare at dust motes swirling in the light.

Cougar Reservoir - Ten Thousand Hour Mama

We can also see Peeper’s budding imagination and creativity. She sings (should I put quotation marks around that?) her own version of Rock-a-bye Baby and rocks herself in whatever’s handy, anything from an actual rocking chair to her car seat. She talks on Eric’s ancient flip phone or, if that’s not nearby, on the remote control, a calculator or my camera case. She has a particular voice she uses (do I sound like that when I’m on the phone?) and holds the object to her ear. And she asks us to put silly things—socks, slippers, dish gloves—on her hands. She runs around the house like that and thinks she’s hilarious.

We think she’s pretty funny, too. So much of the time we spend together is filled with laughter.

Ten Thousand Hour MamaFlower - Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Every so often—especially when I look through old photos and videos—I miss the days when she was littler. My heart literally feels warmer when I think of Peeper with her open “o” of a mouth as she fell asleep in my arms, of her mesmerized at the toys we dangled overhead, of her swaddled as a bite-sized burrito.

But this stage, as she stutter-steps away from babyhood and into toddlerhood, is fun. I feel so grateful to come to know Peeper’s personality as she develops and discovers it. Even if I could go back in time, I wouldn’t. The present is too full, and the future has too much to offer.

Ten Thousand Hour Mama

0 thoughts on “13 months

  • August 13, 2014 at 1:17 pm
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    The little camping ensemble is too cute! Love her.

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  • August 13, 2014 at 10:25 pm
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    This is so sweet. Babies are amazing and I love the moments when they become people. I also love how they find the smallest things. The tiny ant walking on a leaf. The focus they have!

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  • August 14, 2014 at 7:05 am
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    Amen! What a joy and honor it is to get to see little Peeper grow and become herself! I love it that when I come up, it’s more of a play date. Believe you me, I sleep pretty darn well after a day of chase while wearing socks on my hands and a colander on my head. I love too how she brings out the kid in me! xoxoxo

    Reply
    • August 14, 2014 at 8:26 am
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      Haha! I hope you don’t fall asleep on the car ride home like a lot of other kids do after a play date. 😉

      Reply
  • August 15, 2014 at 9:41 am
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    I loved it when my kids were that age! So much fun!

    Reply

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