Godzilla

I thought I would dedicate a post to giving you an update on Christina, who we affectionately call Godzilla.  I'll start by saying that the whole baby #2 experience has been totally different from baby #1.  I'm not sure if all parents feel something like the way I do, but I think it's been similar for Marcos.  When Dominic arrived, I was totally engrossed, obsessed, awed, etc.  I felt panicky when he was 5 days old, thinking it was going too fast.  Every tiny little milestone was my first as a parent, and many became ingrained in my memory forever.  Within no time at all, I couldn't imaging how I'd go on without my little Dominic.  While expecting baby #2, it was hard to picture how the second baby could possibly equal what I felt for Dominic.  Now that she is past her first year, I can say that my relationship with Christie seems to have blossomed over time, rather than exploding into full bloom at our first meeting.

I can't look at this without remembering how that IV butchered my poor hand - and they made me keep it in another day.

When I first laid eyes on her, I couldn't believe how beautiful she was.  I thought Dominic looked good from day one, but as he got cuter later, I looked back at newborn pictures and realized he did go through an awkward newborn stage.  Christie was one good-looking baby. I remember my Mom saying her face was so clearly that of a little girl. Maybe it was the eye lashes.

Ok, so she's a little puffy.  But I maintain she looks darn good for 2 min old.

Overall, I think that having a toddler at home, with whom we had a 2-year history and a more mature, conversational, two-way relationship, made me aware that Christina was a little person who I didn't really know yet.  I guess I understood how much more to her there would be (exponentially more, even though my experience at that point only covered the first two years of life) and it made me feel like I needed to get to know her in order to have the bond that I had come to share with Dominic.

Dominic owned that hospital.

It has been amazing getting to know her over the past 14.5 months. I feel excited to be her Mom because she's a little firecracker and she brings a totally different dynamic into our family.  When she was almost ten months, I blogged about how she was suddenly starting to make her wants/needs known and stand up for herself.  That has certainly held true.  While Dominic is very concerned about the rules and how things are supposed to be (totally me), I think Christie is a bit more bold and carefree (totally Marcos?).

Probably roaring.

So what is she up to these days?  I was reflecting recently that while I feel we can still get away with calling her a baby, the days are numbered.  Some sure signs of aging are her recent advancements in walking, talking, and hair growth. 

Walking
Christie has been capable of taking 10+ consecutive unsupported steps for well over a month now.  She would do so every now and then, but clearly preferred her lopsided (right leg sticking out) monkey crawl (she looked like a really cute little ape).  If I know my daughter, she considered it faster and more reliable.  Last Sunday she was walking around the living room quite a bit, carrying the Madeline book she got for Christmas from Aunt Emmy, and happily hissing like a snake.  Throughout the day she seemed to go back to holding that book as she wandered around.  She won't tolerate reading it yet, but she clearly has the good sense to know she will enjoy it very much one day soon, just like her Mama did in the distant past.   I went to Albuquerque on Monday morning and returned Friday to a full-fledged walker.  (It's hard to use that term these days with the popularity of The Walking Dead). She only crawls if she's already sitting and needs to reach something a very short distance away.  I'm still getting used to the sight of her toddling around the house.

Talking
At her one year appointment, the nurse asked if she had at least two words other than Mama and Dada. I answered yes, considering them to be "book" and "more."  "More" was a bit questionable at the time, but she had also been meowing like a cat for months, so I didn't feel dishonest.  (Do animal sounds count)?  Since that time, she has added "cacka" (cracker) and sometimes I think she is saying "brubba" for brother, but I haven't confirmed it yet.  She seems to be doing really well with a lot of animal sounds too.  See for yourself:  

Hair Growth
Of course this one varies a lot by kid, but Christie went through quite the bald phase last Spring (appox 5 mos?) and has completely recovered from it.  Her hair is looking pretty shaggy and hangs down quite low on her face.  She will only wear a hair clip when she doesn't know it's there, which is hard to achieve.  What do you think, should we cut bangs?  I'm not very keen on the idea.

I could definitely do tiny pig tails in the back if she'd sit still for 2 seconds.

In other news, she loves to read books even if her attention span stinks.  She gets very excited about switching to a new book half way through the previous one.  She is obsessed with Dominic's room.  Their nap times have not been coordinated lately, and it nearly kills her to be shut out of his room while he's sleeping.  It's a lot of trouble just keeping her away from his door during his nap.  She is still sleeping in the crib, with no signs of climbing out. I think her small stature will keep us safe there for awhile.  She eats well if offered something she loves, like cottage cheese, string cheese, yogurt (notice a pattern?).  She is absolutely crazy about pizza and grunts/points upon seeing it, then proceeds to flip out until it's in her mouth.  She and Dominic were recently served fruit and pizza at a birthday party.  She went for the pizza immediately and never made it to the fruit; he polished off the fruit before touching the pizza.  She loves her kitty and Baby Robin.  When feeling affectionate towards her brother, she pets his hair like he's a cat.  He can usually make her smile by making a loud, silly sound.  They like to imitate each other.  She still loves climbing on his bed and Dominic practically begs her to climb on him. He's ready to roll around and wrestle, which I noticed the boys at school doing starting around age 3.  Lastly, Christie is much more friendly to acquaintances and strangers than her brother ever was.  She waves to almost anyone.  Probably 90% of the time they are walking by and she gets no notice or response.  Dominic was known for his mad dog stare-downs. This is another way he's like me and she's like Marcos. Not that I stare people down, but I'm a confirmed introvert.

This post got a lot longer than I intended.  I mostly wanted to share the video.  I hope you've enjoyed reading about my girl. If you saw her in San Diego last November, you probably got a terrible impression of her.  She was so cranky that trip! She was bad that whole month, I think from not feeling well.  She's been so much better lately.  I want a re-do!