Have you heard of the “always happy” stage? A friend told me her pediatrician used the term to describe a baby’s fourth through ninth month. This was back in January when Violet was smiling her way past two-months old. “Always happy” was a good description. When I heard the phrase “always happy” and the supposed time frame, the neurotic in me immediately asked, “..but what comes after that?” And now I know. It’s the “not always happy” stage, a description most of us can lay claim to, whatever age we call our own. Violet is, as a friend of mine pointed out somewhat sarcastically, developing a mind of her own. She wants to crawl off the edge of the bed. She wants to throw any and everything off of her high chair tray and onto the floor and then she wants it back. No, not that toy! Something else. Something better. Never mind! She wants to eat my lampshade. To ignore her varied and rapidly changing whims brings displeasure, and she is no longer easily distracted. People who read this blog tell me that she still looks “always happy”, but I have to admit to some false advertising. The pictures I choose to post paint a slighty skewed portrait. She is still a really good baby and much of the time, happiness still lives in her eyes. It danced there tonight – just for me - when I topped the stairs and rounded the corner to see her in her jumperoo on the kitchen floor. Her smile might mean a little more now that “always” is not the adverb that accompanies “happy” when we discuss her mood. We have to work harder for it, but sometimes, she still gives it away for free. She’s getting more complicated, this little person, but more interesting, too.
340 days old
No comments:
Post a Comment