1) Even if she just ate and her tummy is full, whenever I eat something she scurries over and screams, "Ah! Ah! Ah!" until I give her a bite of my food. While endearing (yes) it can also be... a little soul-stirring to never again have a single meal where I can just eat without a tiny seagull claiming my food.




2) Turns on and unlocks my iPhone. Sigh... I knew this day would come but this soon? Really? Watching her slide her tiny, chubby finger across the screen to unlock it is adorable (and makes me kinda proud, I'll admit) but gone are the days where I can give her my phone as a worst case scenario distraction. Sorry if you've been getting blank texts.

3) Grabs her blanket (and whatever stuffed animal is in the crib with her, if there is one) and holds it close to her in the morning so that she doesn't leave it behind when you pick her up. She gives the sweetest smile in the world and then tucks her blanket beneath her chin tightly and coos and points while you walk toward her. Bliss.

4) Plays with anything that is not actually a toy. Some favorites? Her diapers. Wipes. Remote controls. My phone. Video game cases. Xbox controllers. Coasters. Paper towels. Clothing items.

5) Turns the TV/Xbox on & off about 400 times in a row. Haven't found a solution to this one yet, but am impressed with her persistence. Husband is terrified.

6) Stands up in the bathtub, over and over and over and over and over again... and apparently she does not respond to the command, "Sit on your bottom," because no. She will not do it. And the more you tell her to do it, the more she will stand up.

7) Seeks out the dog's water/food bowl like a bat on a grub worm. No matter where I put it, she will find it. Then she will put her hands in the water and slosh it around. Then she will pick the bowl up and turn it over. Then she will scoot her body through the spilled water. If there is food left in the bowl (which I rarely allow there to be these days) then she will stuff it in her cheeks for preserving. Millie has learned to eat her meals fast & messy. I assure her that I completely understand.



8) Points at the ceiling fan and dog when I ask where they are. Everything else is meaningless to her and she will not point at it unless she wants to.

9) Points when she wants to distract us from something. If she's getting sleepy and we go to pick her up and sway her back and forth, she'll start pointing at items in the room as a last attempt at fighting sleep. She gets this from me, no doubt. We don't go down without a fight!

10) Causes actual pain in my heart on a regular basis. I don't know if it's physically becoming larger or what (if it happened to The Grinch it can happen to me), but when I look at her, I love her so much and so intensely that it just hurts. It's a good pain. The pain you get when you have a sore muscle and press deeply on it and think, "Owwwww," but it somehow also feels wonderful? She slays me. I love her, I love her, I love her.