This is a story about kid #3. She’s the littlest of the crew, and not just in age. At fourteen months old she is barely 17 lbs in her heaviest outfit, but since she started at just 5 lbs 8 oz we cut her some slack. Her size makes her a convenient play-thing for her sisters. Kid one likes to cart her around like a toy doll, or pull her up onto the couch to snuggle while she watches tv along with her other snuggle toys. Three doesn’t seem to mind because it saves her the work of climbing.
In other ways she is the biggest of the three. For example, appetite. While the older two are firmly in the picky eating stage, number three is a bottomless pit when it comes to food. We joke that she has the metabolism of a hummingbird to eat so much and stay so small. It’s probably a pretty accurate comparison because she never. stops. moving. Thus earning her the title of biggest flight risk/safety hazard as well.
She is officially walking, and not far off from full blown running. She is also a climber with no concept of gravity. Yesterday she climbed up the two stairs to the landing of the basement steps. I sat back and watched to see how she would handle herself. She promptly turned and walked right off the edge of the steps as if she hadn’t even noticed they were there, despite having just climbed up them moments before. So our next lesson will be developing an awareness of ledges and gravity.
And as with all her lessons, I’m sure it will be an adventure, because she is actively competing for the title of biggest personality of the crew. For those of you that know my children, you will know that this is quite an accomplishment. But three has a real shot at it. She has known exactly what she wants since the day she was born. You might remember a post from
several months ago in which a much more tired version of myself shared the challenges we were facing with sleeping and eating and basically all the biggest parts of the baby stage. I am happy to report that there was a light at the end of that tunnel. And now there are new tunnels, like weaning and learning not to throw food off the high chair and other pre-toddler related life lessons.
Back when we were in the thick of it, I wondered if I would miss the baby stage with my last baby.And sometimes when I look back on pictures of her snuggled into my arms as an itty bitty little thing, my heart twists a little in a way that hurts just a bit. But mostly this stage is so fun and beautiful that I’m too busy laughing to bother with missing things.
And boy can this girl make me laugh. She loves to wear hats, crowns, scarves, necklaces, and pretty much any accessory. It’s not uncommon for me to look up and see her sporting a pair of pajamas from the laundry basket around her shoulders or a toy oven mitt on her hand. She laughs and plays peek-a-boo and does Itsy Bitsy Spider and loves to sneak her sisters’ toys away from them when they aren’t looking. She blows kisses and puts everything she finds in her mouth and loves it when her dada comes home from work. She ADORES dogs of all kinds, but especially our two, and loves to stand in the hallway saying “ooof ooof” (her version of woof) until someone lets a dog in to see her or takes her out to see them. She loves baths and is endlessly fascinated by bubbles. She is super ticklish and her laugh is infectious.
In my new tattoo she is featured as a tiny constellation, my star, my bright little ball of fire who watches over dreams and inspires wishes. She fits right into my sky beside her sisters. She is like them in so many ways, but she is also very much her own little person. She amazes me every day with how quickly she learns and how curious and adventurous and funny and sweet she is. I’m thankful every day that I get to be her mama.
