I'd like to say a word in her behalf - Abigail makes me laugh
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| October 2012 |
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find the word that means Abigail?
A flibbertigibbet, a willow the wisp, a clown
Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her
Many a thing she ought to understand
But how do you make her stay and listen to all you say
How do you keep a wave upon the sand?
Oh, how do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?
When I'm with her I'm confused, out of focus and bemused
And I never know exactly where I am
Unpredictable as weather, she's as flighty as a feather.
She's a darling, she's a demon, she's a lamb
She'll out pester any pest, drive a hornet from it's nest.
She could throw a whirling dervish out of whirl.
She is gentle, she is wild, she's a riddle, she's a child.
She's a headache, she's an angel, she's a girl
She was 14 months when I first met her and the lyrics to the song from Sound Of Music above, with her name inserted, pretty much sum up this little girls affect on me..
For the first few months I described her as such: "She cries almost all the time...with moments of happiness". She had sign language for "please" "all done" "milk" and "eat". Her only words were Mama, Dadda and Yeah.
By now, I would describe her as "A happy, silly, sweet baby with moments of sad, mad or that she hurt herself." She has gained a broader spectrum of communication. signing for: "thank you", "juice" and "I'm sorry" and she made up her own sign for "snack"! Her words: Brother (braada) Elijah (Yijah) Cow (moo) Cheese (chssss) Boat (boat!) Baby (describing her dollies or most often herself) and Scrubs (Baba). There is also Nooooo!
Oh how she loves her brothers, mommy and daddy! Her main word and woman is Mama. When her daddy pulls in each night, she runs for the door, yelling, Dadda!! Last night, John was walking upstairs with her, "How did I get so lucky to get you as my girl?" She responded with a very matter of fact, "Mama"
She greets me every single day as if she's been just waiting to see me, with an "Ooooooooh" or an "Awwwwww" as she is running to hug me. Sporadically throughout each day, she'll come running into my legs, bury her head, and wrap her arms around them with a smiling, "Aaaaaaah". She loves to engage and be tickled, thrown over my shoulder, carried w/bouncing involved, held upside down. She has a hilarious fake laugh. She likes to growl w/you and then just cracks up. And when asked, you pick her up and she, @ the very least rubs or pats your back - pretty sure it's sign for "I love you", but mostly will just burst out with a big hug around the neck. Just recently she went from pushing her cheek into your face when you ask for a kiss, to smooshing the front of her face into the front of ours and she rarely says no.
Often, Tuesday nights, the family would go to Awana's on base. It took a couple of weeks, but rather than bellow with cries of protest, she would wave bye-bye and then we would eat dinner. When she was done, she would run to the cabinet that held her little pink bowl and upstairs we'd go for her bath. She would set her now filled with mini-marshmallows pink bowl on the window sill, then fresh from her bath, in her jammies, she'd grab the bowl, scramble onto the big living room chair and pat her hand next to her for me to sit. Then she'd point to the big screen TV and say, "no" as I channel surfed until we got to the National Geographic Channel, say "yeah" - then excitedly put her hands into her lap and look up @ me with the sweetest smile - it was time to open the pink bowl for marshmallows. If John or Wendi decided to stay home on a Tuesday night, I would authentically be close to upset with disappointment, but just pretend I was relieved and until they read this, not sure they ever caught on to the truth.
We may be kindred spirits in that when we're feeling a little moody, it's hard to hide; as well as our healthy appetite for life and food and willingness to try anything - with a great appreciation for John's magnificent meals!
I leave her now, when she is 23 months - she will be 2!!! (on 7/16). I think this might be my new favorite picture of her:
Goodbye for now little lady - Ridiculous how much I love you.
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