tallulah is one year old

Tallulah is a delicate child. That is what people say, although I can't tell how they can see it. My Aunts noticed it first, "que delicada, que hermosa." But strangers comment on how petite she is, how sweet she seems. I can't really argue with it. She is sweet, she is content, and if she isn't content, all she needs is a pair of arms to make things right. When Annabelle was her age, if she fell or knocked her head, or any of those small baby calamities that occur in the first year of life, she would just keep on going. Not Tallulah, she cries and scrunches up her little nose and pouches out her little lips. She is scared of big animals, of all animals, really, except the idiot dog, and if you are at the zoo and hold her up to a giraffe, she will clutch onto you in terror, which is so unlike the other child that would reach for them. The comment strangers would make about Annabelle was how feisty she seemed, but with Tallulah, it is her sweetness that is noticed. She is a delicate, sweet child, but how a stranger can tell is beyond me.

But for all her fragility, she is equally tenacious. If she wants something, she will get it. If you try to change her mind, she will literally bulldoze her way to the coveted object, and if you divert her attention for a few minutes until you think she has forgotten, well, she doesn't forget. She goes right back to the remote, cell phone, poisonous object, etc.

Tallulah is freakishly smart. At four months she was craning her neck when she was on the changing table, and calling "annbel, annbel" but it is one of those things that you just assume can't mean what it sounds like, because she was just 4 months old and I was sleep deprived. But I heard it often, when Annabelle was in the other room and Annabelle would say "I'm coming Tallulah," so I know she heard it too. She would also say mama, ama (when around my mom) and "dog bark." Once at the doctor's office, she pushed his hand away while he was examining her and said "no." The doctor looked at me incredulously and said, "did she just say no?" And then he tried to examine her again and she told him no again. She can also say "no dog," and pushes the dog's sniffing nose away-- but this should be no surprise, given how often she hears that phrase. She is a little parrot and can repeat things she hears a lot, like "thank you" and "lemonade" She can figure out toys that took Annabelle weeks to master in 5 minutes. And runs her fingers up and down her ribs when she wants my dad to tickle her, to the amazement and delight of her grandpa.

Tallulah's sister has a keen understanding of her needs and is very protective of her. "Don't do that to my sister's nose! She doesn't like that, you are making her cry and I am mad at you." We heard that tonight when we were bulb siringing the little snotty thing. The other night Tallulah, was banging her head on the high chair and we were perplexed as to why. "She wants a drink," Annabelle said. "you think so?" I said and fixed her one. As soon as she had it, she stopped banging her head and began happily slurping on her sippy cup.

Tallulah loves her papa. When he walks through the door she comes alive with smiles and thrusts her body over to him for him to hold her. She is a daddy's girl and while I think it took him a little bit to really appreciate her, he puts her to bed every night, without fail.

Tallulah is one year old today. Happy birthday, mija.