Baby / Motherhood / Primrose

Motherhood Update: Prim at 23 months

Saying: Everything. Ev-er-y-thing. Prim spends the whooole day talking, and has gotten very good at explaining exactly what she wants at any given moment (“Prim do it!” “Mama help!”) She narrates everything (“Larky sleeping!” “Lark awake!”) and speaks to Lark in her little gibberish language, as though they’re sharing secrets or she’s explaining just how all of this “life outside the womb” business works. It’s heart-achingly adorable and I hope these two are always as thick as thieves.

Doing: Prim is absolutely loving our new bakfiets, which she calls “Daddy bike” since KC rides it. I ride behind the bakfiets on my own bike and watch as she hangs one arm over the side, narrating the ride in her own nonsense language and occasionally pointing out “dog!” or “people!”

Reading: Barnyard Dance, Tree, The Night Gardener, King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub, The Napping House, Jamberry, and Peace is an Offering.

Latest trick: With Prim’s expanded mastery of the English language has come the first bedtime and naptime manipulations. Prim is always asking for “more song” before I leave her room at bedtime or naptime. Singing to Prim before putting her down for the night is one of the sweetest parts of the day, so it’s always a struggle balancing the consistency of the bedtime routine with my own wishes to extend the time where she snuggles up to me, laying her head on my chest as I sing her “Edelweiss” or what she calls “movie song,” which is one of the songs from Frozen, Tangled or Moana — the soundtracks we listen to on Spotify on repeat on a daily basis.

Favorite toys: I’ve equipped Prim’s little kitchen with some empty spice jars, as I had emptied them into my own decorative spice jars which sit on the kitchen counter. Prim loves “cooking with spices” and “making coffee” in her kitchen, which involves an unused metal IKEA coffee press and her stacking cups (one of the very best toy purchases from when Prim was a baby!)

Sweetest things: Prim is so, so sweet with Lark. Everyday is full of her giving Lark kisses and hugs and sweetly announcing “Larky sad!” whenever Lark starts crying. She’ll often sidle up to Lark when she’s in the crib or the bouncy seat while I’m busy cooking or doing dishes, and I’ll hear Prim’s high-pitched “Hiiiiii Lark!” followed by a string of gibberish words, complete with accompanying hand gestures.

Favorite thing about this age: Because Prim recently went through the language explosion developmental milestone, she loves pointing out and naming just about everything. If she doesn’t know the word for something she will make it clear that she’s searching for the word until I name it for her, when she will triumphantly repeat it back to me. She loves snuggling up to me while I hold Lark and pointing to and naming body parts (“Larky ear!” “Mama eyebrow!” “Prim neck!”) The most hilarious example of which came while I was getting dressed one day and she walked up behind me and announced, “Mama buns!” and lovingly tapped my behind, just like I will occasionally do to her. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing and scoop her up for a hug.