“Froggy, Daddy. See froggy?” (froggy is a lawn sculpture in the neighborhood)

“Um, I’m not sure, sweetie. Where is the froggy?”

“Might be down the street?”

That, in a nutshell, is how things have changed since one year ago. Jocie is no longer a little mystery. She’s a little girl. She has opinions, preferences, thoughts, and observations. All of which she can communicate. And act on.

Let’s look back over the last year.

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Not a fan of the ocean waves. Big fan of the sand.

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Show ‘em what you got, kiddo. Nothing can stop you.

Just remember, when she comes barreling through your town…

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One year. It’s really not that much, even in one person’s life. There are whole years in my own life from which I probably couldn’t recall one clear moment. And yet, when I look at Blackbird, I am stunned at what one year has brought.

Can it have been so little time? Can that little span of time have been so vast? Has this past year* been a good one? Is she happy? Who is she? Is this her that I’m beginning to see? Am I seeing Blackbird, or am I seeing myself through her?

Am I happy? Would the me of a year ago see this as happiness? Or am I a different person for whom the old definitions no longer apply? Has she changed me or have I changed myself for her?

After one year, I couldn’t say for sure. But this isn’t about me, so let’s look at Blackbird.

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An important date has come and gone: Blackbird has now, officially, spent more time kicking around the outside world, learning and developing, than she did chillin’ in the womb, wedging her little butt into mom’s pelvis.

But another date, a very auspicious date, has also arrived. With little ceremony, but great fanfare, Blackbird crossed the threshold and asserted herself on the world. Her power of self-determination is now manifest. Behold! Blackbird can stand up.

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Blackbird waved yesterday. Three times. She watched us waving hello or goodbye to her, tentatively lifted her arm, then moved it back and forth with a gentle flex of her fingers. Our eighth month has been about these first steps from helpless baby into able and curious child.

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Month seven has been another transition month. Blackbird hasn’t hit any big milestones, but has been tiptoeing right up to the edge of them, getting incrementally closer and closer yet never reaching them (a sort of baby’s first dichotomy paradox).

This past month she’s been almost crawling all the time. Even in her sleep. Her mobility, which is still very limited, is far greater than it was last month. She can freely roll and knows to slow herself to avoid bumping her noggin, she can spin in circles on her tummy (I call it pivoting), and she can get up on all fours and rock forward and backward. However, she can’t get that one final piece: lifting her hands one at a time. This drives her crazy. In fact, she’s better at slowly skooching backward than she is at making forward progress. She occasionally does a face-plant as a result of this little hurdle (which results in virtually no fussing, to my surprise).

However, in spite of this month feeling a bit ‘in between’ more significant advances, it’s been great fun. The contours of her personality are becoming visible and our interactions have become true responsive events involving feedback from both sides affecting the other. I admit, as cute as she’s been since day one, I’ve never had this much fun before. Yesterday, I spent the morning on the floor with Blackbird and our cat, Leto. Blackbird giggled and squealed, rolling around with the cat and trying to get a handful of her tail between bouts of playing with a book. Her sense of joy and wonder at the world is so strong and energizes me every time.

For a variety of reasons, we’re a little thin on photos this month (a new job being a big reason). But worry not! I have an SLR to play with now (sadly, only on loan), so I expect the quality and quantity to spike for next month.

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