Maggie is growing up fast. I thought I’d jot down some recent observations, just a month shy from her second birthday.

• Pacifier — Neither Griffin nor Maggie was ever much interested in pacifiers until about a month ago. Then, suddenly, Maggie became an addict. She calls it her “fier” (sometimes pronounced more like “fwah”) and demands it at almost all times. I’m sure we’re dooming ourselves to future pain, but so far it has reduced crying and whining, and increased her patience with non-optimal situations (e.g., waiting for dinner).
• Talking — Speech got going in earnest for Maggie in September (≈17 months). She had a few basic nouns prior to that, but this fall she started adding vocabulary rapidly, and she clearly understood almost everything we said. She was able to respond to queries and construct simple sentences. Most of this, of course, was unintelligible outside the family (and often within). Griffin has been a particularly good interpreter. As always, the arrival of language is transformative. The balance begins to shift from interpretation to communication. She can now, pretty regularly, tell us what she wants or why she’s unhappy about a situation. This doesn’t always resolve things to her satisfaction, but it’s worlds better than us trying to guess why she’s crying in her car seat (Diaper? Cold? Hot? Thirsty? Hungry? Itchy? Uncomfortable? Bored? Fire ants?). We still remind her regularly to “Use your words,” but the fact that she can is a gigantic leap.
• “Griffin” — She never had much of a name for Griffin because his name was so hard to say. She could say “Mama” and “Daddy,” but had nothing to say when pointing at Griffin. This changed in February when she finally managed a recognizable version of his name. It’s not 100% consistent, but sounds something like “Guhggin” or “Gohdun.”
• “I choose!” — This usually relates to clothing, when Maggie will demand to choose every article of clothing and gets very peevish about any fashion advice. This is great… most of the time. Can be difficult when we’re in a rush or when the weather dictates warmer options than she’s choosing. I’m getting better at pre-selecting her options, like, “Do you want these long johns or these ones?” She’s usually game for that.
• “I try!” — Maggie wants to do everything herself, and this is her battle cry. It often follows, “I choose!” when getting dressed. She loves to try and dress herself. Again, often fun (and she’s remarkably good at it), but it works best when we have a very leisurely schedule. If we’re in a rush to get her brother to preschool, she will howl like she’s dying as I pull her socks on. She also regularly wants to do scarier things like help us cook at the hot stove, climb playground equipment way beyond her ability, cross streets without holding hands, etc.

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  Eating — Maggie is at an adventurous eating stage. Meals are another time when “I try!” comes out. She sees me pour Sriracha on my soup and suddenly the world will end if she doesn’t have a large dollop of chili sauce on her soup too. But, with that said, she’s quite tolerant of strong flavors and even a bit of heat. She loves dipping things into ketchup, too, including just about anything that she’s eating. She’s remarkably good with silverware, using a regular salad fork and teaspoon for the past few months. She prefers using silverware even when it slows her down. This is in contrast to Griffin who still regularly digs into his bowl of mac-and-cheese with his hand; no joke. See our recent Two Plates post for a fairly typical comparison after an identical meal.

• Climbing — Maggie is getting really into climbing. Recently she began climbing the ladder to Griffin’s loft without assistance. This is terrifying. She climbs into and out of her high chair, usually successfully, and can sometimes manage her car seat. She has no trouble with stairs, but sometimes chooses to sit at one end or the other wailing for a parent to carry her.

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  Playing with Griffin — Maggie and Griffin have become inseparable playmates. Throughout the day we hear Griffin saying things like, “Maggie, do you want to have a dark party?” or “Maggie, do you want to play chase?” or “Maggie, do you want to read some books?” Maggie usually cocks her head quizzically for a moment and then says, “Yeah!” Over spring break I’ve been down with a nasty virus, so it’s been wonderful to see the kids playing so well together. A particular miracle has been their new habit of reading together in Maggie’s crib in the morning (instead of yelling for me at the top of their lungs).

Other recent Maggie pics: