Rhythm and Lila

Well, Lila continues to be more volatile than she used to be, but we seem to have found a comfortable rhythm that allows us to peacefully coexist. I make sure I take chunks of time to pay attention solely to her - playing with toys, letting her climb all over me like a monkey, or just sitting quietly by her side as she plays. This helps eliminate any guilt I might feel when I want to spend a few minutes cleaning, an activity which often sends her into fits of utter despair.

We also get out of the house more often now. It has always been important for us to get out and do something every day. Now it's important for us to get out and do something more than once per day. Lila LOVES to go places! Anywhere - it doesn't matter! I'll ask her if she is ready to go bye-bye and she starts bouncing up and down in excitement and saying, "Bah bah! Bah bah! Bah bah!"

We still have a lot of lunch dates and once or twice per week I'll take Lila to the gym with me. Now we have also added trips to the library and the park. She might seem too young to appreciate the library, but she really likes it! There are always other kids around to watch with fascination and there is kid-sized furniture to climb on and books to pull from the shelves (yes, i do clean up after her before we leave). And now that it's not 100+ degrees outside, I actually enjoy going to the park as much as she does!

As for why her volatility continues... I don't know. I could still blame it on teething. She hasn't managed to produce any actual teeth yet (other than the two she's had for months), but her gums are clear on top and you can see that one tooth is literally just about to break the surface.

I have found, however, that it's better for my mental stability if I just accept this as another phase in her developing personality. If I expect things to stay this way indefinitely, then I'm able to be more patient with her than if I'm constantly waiting for those !@#$% teeth to come in so she'll go back to being the baby I used to know. And if those teeth come in and she happens to become more mild-mannered again - fabulous! But in the meantime, I have chosen to enjoy my crazy baby!