Lately (14 Months)

Lately…

Gilly has turned into a sweet little chatterbox, with her vocabulary doubling in the past couple weeks. Her favorite words/phrases are “Mama” (yay!), “Baby” (pronounced “Bay – Beeeee!!!”) and “Me Me Me” (when she wants something). She shouts “Whoa!” when her tower of blocks falls down, “Whee!” when she’s on a swing or ride-on toy, “Pretty” when she spots cute clothes and “Nah nah nah” (translation: “no”) when we try to pull her away from danger.

Lately…
I said goodbye to my last remaining grandparent—my mother’s mother— a strong, salty lady with a two-pack-a-day habit, a flair for storytelling, a legendary sharp tongue and a true blue heart. Gilly was in my arms as Nan took her last breath, which is pretty big stuff for such a little thing. I’m glad these two were able to meet, if only for a short time. It’s good to know that Gilly has someone so loyal looking over her.

Lately…
Gilly is becoming even more of a daredevil, standing on top of end tables, coffee tables, TV stands…basically any dangerous piece of furniture you can think of. Despite diligent baby proofing, we are constantly amazed by how she finds new ways to make our hearts skip a beat with her acrobatic ways. She’s also begun to show a flair for music and loves to sing and dance along with The Fresh Beat Band. Call me crazy, but I swear she repeats notes with surprisingly accurate pitch!

Lately…
Jar ushered in his 40th birthday with friends, family…and karaoke! I surprised him with a poster (signed by all the guests) outlining 40 cool things he’s done in his life thus far, along with pics to match. We realized that night that we’d met *exactly* 10 years before, doing karaoke. How apropos!

Lately…
We’ve started the very exciting yet very stressful process of looking for a house in the burbs, because isn’t that what all urban professional couples do when they have a baby? ;-) Truth be told, I’ve been ready for more green space and a slower pace for the past few years, even before getting pregnant. And Jar is ready to put his handiness—and newfound driving skills—to use. Wish us luck. Change is scary but exhilarating!

Favorite Things

Oprah has a list of favorite things, so why not Gilly? Here’s what Little Miss Thang is currently digging, circa her 13-month birthday:

1. Ride-on toys. Today at Toys R Us she took the above set of wheels for a test drive, and she seemed pretty smitten. At home, she has a pink ride on-bus and a blue mini ride-on car, both of which she loves to share with her friend TZ. Which brings us to #2!


2. Her friend TZ. If it’s possible for a 1-year-old to have a BFF, little blonde-haired, blue-eyed TZ would be it! These two are together 5 days a week ALL DAY since they share a nanny, so it’s a good thing they get along. Born just 4 days apart, Gilly tends to be more physically adventurous and TZ tends to be more verbal, so they complement each other’s skills perfectly. Plus, they squeal when they see each other in the morning, which is pretty freaking adorable.


3. My winter scarf. She likes to wrap it loosely around her neck and twirl around the living room, like some sort of miniature Stevie Nicks. I wish she’d learn “Silver Springs!”


4. Independent eating. If I try to take her toddler fork away, I’m met with a death grip. Enough said.


5. Cell phones. Every time I make a call, there goes that cute little outstretched arm, trying to grab my phone away. And when she doesn’t get it? Whine central. We’ve tried to distract her with a toy phone, but the kid is totally on to us.


6. Books, books and more books. Gilly loves all types of books, but especially ones with fuzzy textures, pull tabs, sounds, or anything interactive. In fact, she’ll often ignore a room full of toys just to thumb through her book collection. She’s now starting to carry books over to me when she wants me to read them, which warms my bookworm heart.


7. Dancing. I’m not sure what the deal is, but at least 75 percent of Gilly’s toys play some sort of musical tune. Not that I’m complaining (ahem), but the upside is that I get to watch her cute little booty bop to the beat. She also likes to groove out to Yo Gabba Gabba, which has to be my least favorite Nick Jr. show, mostly because it’s creepy.


8. Her “G” chair. We sprung for one of those child-size club chairs from Pottery Barn Kids for Gilly’s 1st birthday, complete with embroidered name and cover that matches her nursery décor. While she uses it equally for climbing and sitting, it was definitely a good get and GREAT for watching Nick Jr. with a fuzzy blanket (but preferably not Yo Gabba Gabba. See above.)


9. Mommy. It’s official. This former daddy’s girl is all about mommy these days, literally running to me with open arms and big wide eyes when I walk through the door after work. I walk to the kitchen? Gilly’s there. The bathroom? Right behind me. She still won’t call me mama, though!


10. Saying “pee pee.” It started innocently enough, when we were changing her diaper. “Did you do pee pee?” we asked. Intense stare and furrowed brow. “Pee peeeee,” she says. “Pee pee, pee pee, pee pee.” We laughed, of course, which just encouraged her more. And now it’s her favorite word. Parent of the Year award? Oh yeah, right over here please.