Goose

I had a moment when I found myself being like my mom kind of. It's a good thing. And it happens more and more. But my friend was over and we were watching the kids play when my friend turned to me and said "Why do you call her 'Goose?'" I said "Because she's Lucy" and then I realized that didn't really explain anything unless you were in my head. So I said "I mean, Lucy Goosey rhymes so we just shorten it and call her goose." My mom always calls me Shell because my middle name is Michelle and it's the shortened version of my nickname "Shelly Bell." Funny how those things get started and stick (sorry Bubba).

Goose decided to start talking about a month ago. She went through a growth spurt that took all of her energy and would go for days without hardly saying a work to us--just baby talk and whiny words. I was this close to going gluten free with the whole family (to see if that would effect her for the better) when she pulled out of it on her own. She started jabbering and hasn't really stopped. Today she saw me in the kitchen while she was playing with Dad and Sam. She said "Oh, Mom. There you are. Come here and see Dad now." She led me by the hand to the living room for the party. And recently she'll pop out the question "Mom, are you happy?" And I usually say yes, but once I said "No, because you're not going to sleep." She laid down and feigned sleep. She wants to please. I don't want her to feel like she has to, so I won't abuse that one, but it's sweet to hear my child's concern for her mother. I know none of this sounds spectacular, but for a girl who couldn't seem to put three words together, it's a relief and a bit of a shock whenever she puts more than a sentence together.

Her imagination has blossomed like her vocabulary. She has a tendency to get scared easier than the boys. She doesn't like to be outside alone in case a crow lands in the yard (all birds are crows, and I guess they're all dangerous to her!). The other day she almost went into the backyard alone, but as she opened the door she saw something and slammed it shut and gasped. "There's a monkey in the yard!" She adamantly declared she had seen and could see a monkey swinging in our tree. She tried to point it out to us and I think she even spooked Sam, who refused my suggestion to go monkey-hunting with her. A few hours later she peeked in the backyard and said "Oh, the monkey's all gone now," and stepped outside to play.

Another day we had suited up for a dip in the hot (cold) tub in the backyard. Lucy suddenly looked up and said "Alligator!" I was worried after her monkey sighting that we would have to back inside. But it turns out the cloud looked just like an alligator. She had seen it right off. Sam said, no, it's a jet shooting out in the air. But Lucy knew what it was. She stuck to her guns. She wasn't scared, though.

Likes: Painting and coloring, puzzles, tea parties, being a helper, blankies (forever and always her first love!), catching pill bugs, swinging high, swimming and even putting her face in the water, playing with Afton, taking care of babies.

Dislikes: Bananas--she gags if she can see Ben eating his morning banana so I have to block her view with a cereal box. But sometimes she'll get in the mood and eat one, most fruit and vegies, Ben messing up her beds she makes for dolls, being away from Mom in a new place.