10 Months With Molly

Molly has been with us for 10 months. Seems impossible, doesn't it? But it's true. I even counted it on my fingers. I still look at Molly in amazement every single day. I can't believe that she is actually here with us; that she is our daughter.

Molly has certainly changed a lot in the past 10 months. She's no longer that butterball baby, but rather a full-fledged toddler. I don't know what it is exactly that makes a child stop looking like a baby and start looking like a little kid. Maybe it's the longer legs and shorter body or the more coordinated movements. Perhaps it's a more mature face. It could be the longer, fuller hair. It's probably a combination of all of these things. Any way you slice it though, Miss Molly is still the cutest thing on the planet!
Here are some noteworthy things about our gal at 23 months of age and 10 months with us:


Size Wise:
I won't know her exact height and weight until her 2 year check-up, but I can tell you that she fits perfectly into 18 month old clothing. In the past few weeks her feet have grown so much that they are busting out of her footie pajamas. I think that is the harbinger of another growth spurt.

Social Activity Calendar
Molly has something going almost every day of the week. We attend storytime at the library every Monday and Thursday. On Tuesdays we go to an awesome singing and movement class. Wednesdays and Fridays are reserved for language instruction. Saturdays we go to Rock My Bao Bao, a Chinese singing and movement class. Between scheduled events, we still make time for seeing her little friends, going to the park, the indoor pool at the YMCA, the zoo, COSI (Center for Science and Industry), or out to lunch with my friends.

I remember when we were young, we'd wake up, get dressed and play with our toys. On a big day we might go next door and play with the neighbor kids and their toys. Whatever happened to that?

I have always been an advocate of not over-scheduling kids, so how did I get here? It's not really as bad as it sounds. Most things for 2 year olds don't last very long, as I have learned, because of a short attention span (both hers and mine!). Having something to look forward to each day is a good thing for the stay-at-home mom. It helps to maintain the sanity--sort of!

Talent Show
Molly has a myriad of talents which she will display at any given moment of the day.

The first thing is the jump. She bends her knees, throws her hands wildly in the air and laughs a giddy, gleeful laugh. The only problem is that her feet never leave the ground...don't tell her that, though! She can jump off a step and land on both feet, which thrills her to no end, as well.

Next is the song and dance. Molly loves to do motions to songs. She has mastered the Itsy Bitsy Spider, Ring Around the Rosy, Wheels on the Bus, If You're Happy and You Know It, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, The Grand Old Duke of York, Open Shut Them, and a bunch of other songs that we sing at the library storytime. In addition, she now uses her doll act out all the motions. This ranks really high on the cuteness index!

Gross Motor skills are also improving. Molly can finally push her scooter with her feet. She even performed a flying dive over the handle bars, landing on her chin. Yep, that left a mark.

She learned to run and has now formally given up walking. She runs everywhere, even if running isn't required. Her run is a sorta-sideways little shuffle with arms flailing wildly about. It is a sight to behold.

Finally fine motor skills: Molly is master of the puzzle. It is one of the most amazing things that I have ever witnessed. I have worked on puzzles with Molly for months. She never got it. Never came close. One day we were sitting on the floor, Molly was attempting to jam random pieces into random spots. The next day, and I do mean the NEXT day, she sat down by herself and started putting puzzles together independently. Seemingly with very little effort. Yep, I called Harvard.

Amazing Random Factoids:
Molly sat in a high chair at a restaurant for 2 1/2 hours without a complaint. What kid does that? It has to be some kind of record.

Molly's favorite food is still noodles, or as she refers to them, "woo woes." Gladly, she is starting to branch out and try new foods. I was begining to worry that we were going to have to re-name her Top Ramen.

Molly's favorite toy is her baby, who just happens to be named, well, Baby. Just a few days ago she mastered the word "baby," which thrilled her to no end. She used to say "baba," but now clearly pronounces each sound correctly. She beams with pride each time.

Molly is a world class sleeper. Sing her a few songs, kiss her good night and she sleeps for 10 hours straight, every single night. Same routine at naptime yeilds a 3 hour nap. How lucky am I?

Molly is also a great eater. She hapily scoops up all the food on her plate independently, using a spoon and fork to feed herself. She can drink from a cup, but often forgets about that pesky thing we call gravity, so we stay with the sippy cup most of the time.

Molly is neat and clean. She keeps a wipe next to her when she eats so that she can get stray pieces of food off of her face and hands. She thinks cleaning up her toys is the greatest game in the world. She keeps her shoes in a neat row by the back door. She puts her own coat, gloves and hat away. She loves to dust, sweep and vacuum. I know, I know. Freud would have a field day with this. Can you say anal retentive? Given the alternative, I'll take a clean kid now and pay for her therapy later.

Molly is, for lack of a better word, LOUD. She talks loudly, plays loudly, laughs loudly, screams loudly and cries loudly. We were in the grocery store last week. Tony and Molly were at one end, I was at the complete opposite end. I could hear Molly. Yikes! I keep looking for her volume switch, but have yet to find it.

There is so much more that I could write. Molly is a masterpeice (at least in my eyes) and I could talk about her for days and days. Don't believe me? Look at the length of this blog! I will end here though, and hope that you didn't stop reading six paragraphs ago!