Who Will She Be?

I wonder this a lot - who is emerging? Who is she going to be? What will she love to do? How will she live in the world? This is one of the lovely parts of parenting - watching her come into herself. At 7 and a half months, she is still so much a mystery (as I'm sure she will always remain, at least to some extent) but she gives us hints every once in a while.

Like watching her get around, I wonder if she's going to be so physically capable all the time? Is it my own unfulfilled desire for athleticism that is attributing prowess to her young self? She is so good at moving around, but more than that, at solving getting-around problems with her little body. Looking at the available surfaces around her and figuring out how to use them to get to where she wants to go - I think it's amazing.


She also very people-oriented, and seems to love being around faces. Small faces are her favourite but anyone smiling at her will do. She has an easy smile for just about anyone but also has a streak of fickle running through her that is always a surprise and always with surprising people like my dad, or Brian or Terry. Hmm... all men who adore her. Is that a problem?

What else? She is very funny still - you may recall I thought she was funny in utero and darned if she isn't still cracking me up. She gets an impish grin when she thinks she's fooling with me and had great fun psyching out a friend by extending a toy then pulling it away and then laughing and laughing...

She is probably a bit clever too I think. Clever as in, seems to understand that "stop" means... well, stop. She will indeed stop and look over at me and often change paths (like when she's heading for the fireplace, for example). However, she is also clever as in, "I stopped everytime when she was looking at me but now she has turned away so I will quickly climb up the kitchen drawers - she didn't say to stop forever!"

Now of course, I realize that I have yet again exposed my first-time-parentitis, perhaps reading in a tiny bit more into her ways than is reasonable. But I did want to write them down so that I can see how close we are as she emerges more fully over the years ahead.

What is for sure, is that she is lovely, lovely, lovely and everyday we are surprised again that we were given the best one.