Lucy is in-right, outright, upright, downright happy most of the time. Actually, she is most happy when she is able to be in, out, up, and down. She is very energetic. She is not only walking but running and attempting to jump. She knows the word "jump" from bathtime and swimming at the pool, where she has started jumping to me in the water. Her water skills are quickly improving. For a few months, I've supported her with my forearm under her chest and let her kick as I move her around the pool. I think it has helped her learn how to balance herself in the water. Recently, she has been kicking so well that she sometimes swims over my arm. She then promptly goes under and then bobs to the surface by the time I can get my hands on her again. She is surprised but not upset when she goes under. She is also getting used to putting the back of her head in water. I'm hoping that by the end of next semester I can try to get her to float on her back and to dog paddle a bit. She's not ready yet, but she's developing necessary skills to do both. Not all of her time at the pool is spent in the water. She also likes walking around the outside of the pool and exploring. She knows not to touch the drains in the floor. She looks at them as she walks by and shakes her head, remembering that she has been told "no" many times. She also wants to climb onto the starting blocks, but she hasn't tried recently. She's heard "no" to that many times as well. She is allowed to climb on the bleachers. She has to go slow and careful, and I stay nearby, but she loves to climb. And since they're metal bleachers, they make fun sounds when she stomps on them and beats the seats like a drum. She also likes to help the lifeguards sweep water from the decks. She's very friendly and very helpful.
Occasionally, she's hangry, angry because hungry. Matt and I aren't people to readily use newly-minted words, but "hangry" is exactly what Lucy is sometimes. If she is unhappy, feed her and watch her mood change before your eyes. She also fusses when sleepy or hurt, and she's started crying when she dirties a diaper; but for the most part, she's a happy kid. She bounces back very quickly from physical pain. She may be bruised or bleeding, but a hug or a Dum-Dum sucker (after shots at the doctor's office, mostly) will put her to rights in seconds. And I'm thrilled that she realizes that she has a dirty diaper. She has never cared what was in her diaper or how long it had been there. We've never had to do middle-of-the-night diaper changes because wet diapers didn't wake her. I have wondered how we were going to get a kid who never noticed that she had already soiled a diaper to realize she needed to go to the bathroom so that we could potty train her. So her crying when she dirties a diaper is a great step in the right direction.
For the most part Lucy is also a friendly kid. She will talk to nearly anyone. She doesn't want to be touched by everyone, but she'll often talk. She goes through little shy phases, but they pass. She especially likes other kids. She gets very excited, throws her arms up, and squeals. Unfortunately, this scares many kids, and they run from her, which makes Lucy cry. We're practicing waving and saying "hi" instead of screaming and gesturing wildly. She remembers it sometimes, and sometimes she even acts coy while saying "hi." We go to Rhyme Time at the library every Tuesday, and she gets to play with other kids. She always plays well with them. She is occasionally aggressively friendly, but she isn't mean or selfish, and she is fairly careful about not accidentally hurting people. She also plays with a little girl at church. Lucy shares toys and drinks with her (but not cookies) and tries to read her stories. It's pretty cute.
She is also independent and likes playing alone. Sometimes large groups turn her off, and she goes somewhere by herself to play. I think she's a jolly little creature, and I enjoy her immensely most of the time.
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