Gianna: My Bright Light

My precious baby girl turned 18 months last week!  EIGHTEEN!  One and a half!  It's so hard to believe.  Cliche as it sounds, it just goes so quickly. 

 Gianna, you are growing bigger, stronger, smarter, and more opinionated every day!  You love to eat- the messier the better- and insist on avocado sandwiches every day.  You push the little chair over to the counter and watch me make it.  (Are you making sure I do it right?)  I add the salt and garlic, then taste it.  You clap twice and point to the fork, so I let you taste it, too.  We agree it needs more salt (always) and finish making it.  I love our little routine.  

You devour pizza.  I've seen you eat more than me and as much as your Daddy.  It's pretty amazing.  If there is pasta around- you're on it.  You dive into the pasta, then cry if I don't give you more.  I try and try to explain to eat your chicken (or whatever) first, but you begin to fall apart.  Eventually I pick you up and hold you in my lap.  You calm down, and reluctantly eat the chicken, then immediately clap for yourself.  We clap with you- and give you more pasta.  :)

Spaghetti is your new favorite.  I'm going to have to start making two boxes worth of pasta, you eat so much.  You've just discovered the dry pasta in the pantry.  I think I'll have to rearrange the entire pantry just so I can move it to a higher shelf.  You stand at the pantry door grunting and pointing.  I play dumb, but you're no fool.  You get your point across, then cry when I close the pantry door.  

You're such a carb girl.  The minute you see me kneading the bread dough, you start begging for bread.  One day you were begging and begging and begging.  During nap time it had cooled enough so I cut it and spread jam on it.  You woke up first, so I showed you your highly coveted snack.  You refused to eat it and were trying to tell me something.  Finally I realized it was Abigail- so we went and woke her up.  She came, sat down and started eating.  You still weren't satisfied.  You started making the sign of the cross. We prayed.  Satisfied, you ate.   I just adore you, Gianna. 

Banana crepes.  I think you died and went to Heaven the first time I served them.  (2 eggs, 1 ripe banana, some cinnamon and vanilla- thank you Kaitlin and Karen!)  You shove them in your mouth, pick up your plate and RUN to the stove, grunting for more.  I can't cook them fast enough!!

You've just recently turned into a water baby.  This is shocking to me, because you are quite skeptical of bath time.  You tolerate it as long as you can stand and play.  The minute I start the hair routine or get you wet, you come unglued.  But once I started watering the vegetable garden, you became enamored with the hose!  You get drenched and laugh hysterically!  

We set up a baby pool and put the little slide into it.  You LOVE it.  You slide down with gusto, getting completely submerged.  The first few dozen times you'd run over to me to dry off your face, but not anymore!  You blink the water off, run around to do it again.  And again.  And again.  

Speaking of climbing- you do it non-stop!  You climb the sofa, you climb on the bed, you climb on to the rocking chair to dive into your crib.  You're a total rock star at the playground.  We make all the other mothers nervous as they watch me let you do your thing.  You climb up complicated ladders and zoom down the slides. And I can't push you high enough on the swings.  I run under you for an "underdog".  You laugh hysterically!  You're starting to branch out to a big girl swing!  You love being such a big girl.  

You're Mommy's big helper!  You go running when you hear the drier buzz.  You fill up the basket, slam the door shut and try to help Abigail carry it in the game room to fold it.  You insist it goes in the game room- even when it's sheets for my bed or towels that need to be hung back up.  Nope.  The basket goes in the game room.  Clearly.  

When we get home from the grocery store, you love to carry the quarts of goat's milk in the house for me.  Back and forth you go, focused on your task. You also like to unload the dishwasher, handing me plates and standing on your tippy-toes to put the silverware away.  

It's so cute to watch you play!  In your little kitchen, you get right to work.  You put a pot on the table, and intently shake the salt and pepper inside.  Then you stick it in the microwave.  (I groan inwardly and think, "Have I taught you nothing?  Slow food, darling, slow food."  But every time, it goes in the microwave.)

One of your favorite games is "Looby Loo".  You grab a pillow from the sofa, throw it on the floor and look at us expectantly.  "Looby loo?" I ask?  You nod and smile.  We dance around the pillow 'til you're over it.  You also love ring around the rosie, but it's not as cool, 'cause there's no pillow, of course.  

You and Abigail love to dance.  #1 on your favorite CD is "When the Saints go Marching In."  For some reason you both decided the correct way to dance to this song is to grab a book, hold it up over your head, and march around the living room in a circle.  Every time.  I don't get it, but you both love it.  

You're incredibly observant.  I recently noticed you know what each of my make-up items is used for.  You put the brushes on you cheeks, lipstick tube (unopened) on your lips, and mascara (unopened) on your eyes.  You also just started joining us for our family Rosary in the evening.  Within a couple of days, you got the set-up.  I put your pjs on and you take off running to the living room.  You get the rosaries out and assign one to everyone.  Abigail picks her own, you like to change it up, and you give Daddy a different one each night, but mine is always the same, and you make sure I get it, plus my devotional guide.  You know the difference between the Magnificat, which I pray in the morning, and the Rosary guide, which I use in the evening.  They're kept in the same drawer and are the same size, so I'm quite impressed with this.

I began going to MOPS in January and you had a rough transition.  The first several times they had to page me to come get you.  That slowly turned into, I'd hand you off, but you're scream for a few minutes.  Then, one day, you went willingly!  I always check on you- and you seemed to be having fun!  One day, I needed some advil from my bag, but I didn't dare show my face to get some.  The leader from my Bible study volunteered.  She went to the nursery and was digging through my bag when she suddenly froze and looked over.  You were standing there, staring at her, watching her every move.  Very quietly  she abandoned ship and left!  

If anything is out of place- you know it.  You can't stand Sunday evening and all day Monday when the trash cans are out.  It drives you CRAZY!  And if you see any kind of spill, you take off running to the laundry room to get a rag, then clean it up.  It's awesome.

Other loves:

• BUBBLES!!!
• squeaker shoes.  You were QUITE upset when you outgrew them.  If I put any other shoe on you, you'd stand up, stomp a few times, then glare at me, as if to say, "These don't squeak!!!"
• Checking the mail- especially opening the mailbox.
• your Gianna book- a book I made of you week by week.  You LOVE to get it out and see the pictures of you as a baby.  (Note- you never get out the Abigail book- just Gianna.)
• the Disney scrapbook I made on shutterfly.  You turn to the page with your new Pooh doll, and point.  Then to the picture of Daddy.  Then to the picture of the castle all lit up.  
• The Itsy-Bitsy spider followed IMMEDIATELY by 2 little monkeys.  Recently began requesting "She'll be coming round the mountain" thanks to Abigail's obsession with it.  And you can dance to "If you're happy and you know it."

Other "not-so-much's"

• Brushing your teeth- pretty much impossible.
• Putting on your shoes- always a fight.
• Changing your diaper- don't get me started.
• Hair bows- or really getting your hair done at all.

And you LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE your sister!!!  You girls have begun playing together in a whole new way, including getting into TROUBLE!  Your favorite thing to do together is climb into your crib and crack up.  I'm not sure why this is such a great game, but you both do it.  

Your sister, Pooh Bear, and nursing seem to be your 3 favorite things in the world.  I thought we might have to give up nursing for a while, but am glad we can keep going.  It's your greatest comfort in life and I'm content to let you continue.   It's the only time you are still in my eyes.  Your free hand always plays with my bottom lip and I could just fall into your eyes.  I'm so grateful for you, Gianna.  You have stolen my heart and grown my love exponentially.  I'm totally and completely in love with my girl!