One Year Old.

My daughter is nearing her second birthday but it feels like we have known each other for so much longer than that.

I often think to myself, "WHY can't she put all her toys away? WHY is she sticking her finger in that sludge over there? WHY is she eating that dog food, knowing full well that it's awful because she just tried to eat it 10 minutes ago? WHY won't she listen to me when I say that I very much prefer for her to sit in a chair rather than on her breakfast plate? WHY?? She's fully capable of acting like a normal human being! Why is she acting like such a little kid.....oh."

Then I remember.

"She's ONE YEAR OLD!"

She does some talking and understands more words than she can say. She's extremely dexterous and clever. She's smart. Why do I always expect her to act as an older child? Perhaps she's just smart enough to know when to ignore me when fun is to be had or kibble is to be eaten. Perhaps it is because she's milestones beyond her fleshy-lump-of-an-infant brother. Perhaps because we overcome the same messy obstacles every day and she should have learned how to behave by now. Perhaps I should have learned to just deal with it by now. Relish in the silliness and have some patience Mama J.

One year old.