14 months

In the last month, Peeper has gained the gift of gab. I’m astounded by the words she says: In addition to the baby basics like ball, cat and bye-bye, she names moles (her papa and I are marked by a constellation of ‘em) and clocks (despite our not owning one; she learned the word at her grandparents’ house and by looking at books).

Sometimes she gets a bit mixed up by her limited vocabulary. A few weeks ago we went to the farmer’s market, where they were offering free pony rides. When Peeper saw the horses, she shrieked, “Dog!” Um, close enough.

And mysteriously, she calls rabbits apples. “Bunny rabbit,” I’ll correct her. “A-po,” she replies. Ok, apple bunnies it is.

She’s also stringing two words together in sentences. “Dada bye-bye,” she’ll say.

Summer was a great time to be 14 months. Peeper had the opportunity to run outside, play in dirt and occasionally stay up past her bedtime. The days are so long that I couldn’t begrudge her playing in the park or exploring a field a little later than usual.

I’ve been working more as Peeper gets older and more independent (hence posting this 14-month update three weeks late). Peeper will play or read books by herself for a few minutes at a time, but periodically she runs over to my desk (aka the kitchen table) to show me something. “Mama!” she’ll cry, and I swoop her up. She settles on my lap, and we flip through a book or play the grab-everything-off-the-table game.

Working at home with a toddler can be stressful, and it’s not exactly efficient. But I’m grateful that my career is flexible enough to allow me this time with Peeper. She and I are best buds.