little baby to little girl

every so often percy will let me hold her in a tight little cradle hold that is completely reminiscent of holding her when she was a newborn. it's heart-wrenching sweet and i love the chances i get; most likely just before i put her to bed in the evening when she is tired and compliant, i can scrunch her up and kiss her little face. her warm, warm weight in my arms is love made solid.

i don't get to do it much because our little baby is very much a little girl now. i miss the tiny baby hugs, the absolute dependancy of her pressed against my heart. there are so many other things to love, of course!
her ready smiles, her attempts at jumping, doing the actions from favourite stories and songs- 'pop!', 'swim', 'kick', 'choo-choo train', her decisions on what to do when! (is that love or frustration?!), her speaking and her big girl hugs all make me smile and ache.

some of percy becoming a little girl has been led by her child care centre. in the past weeks they have advised us that we don't need to bring a sippy cup in anymore as she is drinking from ordinary cups. this was followed by the direction that a milk bottle is not necessary (she has/had a bottle of milk after waking from her day time nap), she takes her milk from a cup too. we have followed along not using sippy cups at home either. i'm starting to pack ordinary water bottles for our trips out too. i'm still giving her a bottle of milk after her nap. perhaps this is a baby thing i can't let go of yet.
also she has moved out a cot, instead sleeping in a low bed at day care. we still have the cot at home. i'm not sure i want to take the side off (it's one of those convertible cots) yet. at day care she also does not always sleep inside her sleeping bag. i'm not convinced we should follow this at home yet either as it is colder during the nites and i often find her in the mornings or thru the nite having kicked off her blanket, meaning it'll just be her 'jamies between her and the cold air. (yes, she remains a poor sleeper, we are often in to see her thru the nite, either to try to soothe her back to sleep in her own bed, or to admit defeat and carry her into our bed.)

her abilities and vocabulary continue to expand. she's great at climbing stairs, can run a few steps without getting ahead of herself and is learning to climb the ladders at the playground so she can get up to the slides. she's very into keys, able to identify the different sets we have at home- "car keys" in particular. feeding herself poses no difficulty anymore. it only becomes an issue if she's tired, grumpy or wants something that is not on offer. then the spoon or sometimes the bowl gets chucked about the room, contents following suit. oh dear.
it's also sweet that she'll have a go at something- opening a box for instance, but if unsuccesful will ask for "hulp." she seems to have an accent on 'help'- bit new zealand, bit south african, i can't place it. for instance she was given a box in the shape of a long bus, inside of which are little books for each letter of the alphabet. the back of the bus box opens so you can pull out the books. she can't quite open the box so carries the heavy thing to you saying "hulp", "hulp". once the back is pried open and a little bit of inside shelf thing that the books rest on is pulled out, you can say to her "pull" and she'll pull the rest out herself. she also understands "push", which is great when you are trying to close the fridge/ dish washer/ clothes washer/ cupboard door, etc. instead of her chucking a fit at being denied entry it can be made into a game or "hulp" for mamma or pappa, asking her to "push" the door closed. she's keen on that!

what a big, little girl she is!