Farrah at 18 Months. So. Much. Fun.
I tried to count the number of words Farrah is saying. I came up with roughly 78, but she is always adding new words and she is starting to repeats words we say. She says silly things, like she changed Dada (pronounced Da-duh) to Da-tah for weeks, and this past weekend she started adding "uh" to the end of most of her words: Mommia, kitty-a, eata, baby-a, Lambia. Some of her most used words are eat, Mama, Daduh, home, hop (help), kitty, and baby.
She loves babies with all her heart, which I did too as a youngin'. She pretend puts her babies to sleep and feeds them in a toy highchair and feeds them a bottle and pats their backs. It's really all very sweet. She likes to find her bootchs (boots) and pretend to go 'side (outside), and does it with a smile on her face knowing that it's too brrrr (cold) outside most of the time. Sometimes when we get in the car, she'll start asking home? and when I tell her we aren't going home yet, she'll keep asking with a smile just to make me laugh.
She follows me around the house, loves to put on makeup with me, hang out in the bathroom with me, and play with me. She still adores animals of all kinds. If she sees any animal at all, in person or on TV, she will point and smile and announce what they say. She knows a lot. Pants for dogs, meows for kitties, baa, moo, neigh, gobble, etc. She was eating a chicken nugget the other day and said "bok."
She refuses to sit in the bath currently (she has some pains and I think she associates bath water with the pain). She loves to play in the water at the kitchen sink, though. Pouring and dumping the water, asking for a new bowl (aka cup) to play with. She loves to color and write (left-handed).
Eighteen months have brought with it the beginning signs of the terrible two's. These tantrums. They usually happen when she's frustrated because she can't get something done she's trying to do, or when she can't express what she's trying to say. We have been placing her into a timeout corner to try to calm down, and hopefully with time we can teach her to control her anger and temper, and direct it positively.
Lately I've had moments or days when I feel the overwhelming feelings of parenthood. One particular day last week, I felt like I lost my shit. She came down with a fever so I kept her home the following day and when she started rubbing her ears (and complaining about her eyes), I made an appointment the following morning to see a new pediatrician. While having to tell my boss I was going to come into work after Farrah's appointment, I finally got her into her appointment after going to the wrong doctor's park to begin with and having to call to get their new location. When we were finally in to see the doctor, Farrah kept pointing to the door and saying "bye bye" practically the whole time, the pediatrician said she had oncoming double ear infections and prescribed her an antibiotic, and a Nystatin cream for what may be a yeast infection that the antibiotic would only exacerbate. We went through the drive-thru pharmacy and was asked to come back in 10-15 minutes so we made a quick stop for Christmas gifts while we waited. When I returned to the line, I noticed I was only provided with the Nystatin. I did a U-turn and went back through the drive-thru to be told that was all that the doctor sent. I found a parking spot and called her doctor's office, and they said they would call the pharmacy and figure out what happened. After waiting a few minutes, Farrah getting practically an entire chocolate cookie on her plain white shirt, my boss texting me about making up work days and asking if I'm at the office yet, and getting back into the drive-thru line, I got the antibiotic and headed to her daycare.
On my way out of town Farrah dropped her paci and Lambie which I couldn't reach, but Farrah was being demanding. I had been fighting back the urge to just say f*** it and call it another sick day and go home and hide away from the world, but I resisted. Instead, I pulled over into the nearest parking lot, let out a hollar, collected Lambie and all paci's I could find, and got back on the road. When Farrah asked for her paci by putting her finger in her mouth (?), I calmly and nicely said, "Oh, your paci? Sure babe! Here's your paci!" with the biggest smile. I'm pretty sure Farrah froze. "Lambie," she asked. "Oh, of course! Here's Lambie, sweetie!" Farrah was confused with my change of attitude. "Mil?" she asked. "You want your milk, honey? Here you go!" Then I hear, "uh oh." I saw her smiling ear to ear, and she had dropped Lambie, her paci, and her sippy cup. She was testing me.
I laughed so hard out loud, and kept laughing, and she started giggling. That was exactly what I had needed at that moment. I was able to appreciate what all I had been doing and for who, and it made the world of a difference. Now, after I got her to daycare late for her lunch and while all the other babies were trying to nap (that is until Farrah cried her normal huge cry as I drop her off) and explained the administering of the Nystatin, I walked out and drove off with the cream, got a call from one of her daycare teachers letting me know I left with the cream and had to turn around and bring it back!
It was exhausting, but as parents we will go to the far ends of the Earth for our babies, and I would do it again and again every day. I hope in time I'll have my shit more together, or at least appear to!
(First snow this year)
(When her baby is *holds her nose* stinky...)
