personality

It is so interesting to me to hear from more seasoned mamas that their little ones' personalities were pretty much set from Day One. You think you're going to mold and shape this child into the something specific - maybe a better version of yourself or sans the parts of you that you and the rest of the world could do with out...only to discover that the bun comes out of the oven pretty much done.

The way I've been looking at it is that I'm getting to know her, not making her into something. As I get to know this sweet little creature, I notice little things that make her who she is.

She is strong-willed. With the tiny bit of power she has - her voice and the ability to swat things, turn away from things, grab things, and stiffen her entire body to avoid being put into the car seat - she does with full effort. The look of determination on her face when she tries (often successfully) to put the bink back in her mouth) is so focused and adult-like. She knows what she wants. Now, do WE always know what she wants - no way. But she does.

She lacks patience. Some babies, when you remove the bottle to wipe their mouth or burp them, they whine or make sucking faces or look concerned or disappointed. My kid? She screams. LOUD. And immediately. But as soon as you give her what she wants, she's happy.

She gets bored easily. Mobiles and toys hold her attention for about 30 seconds.

She likes music (usually cries when it stops.)

She amuses herself. Sometimes, I'll find her in her crib or co-sleeper, awake from her last nap and she is just gurgling and laughing. She seriously cracks herself up. And when she sees me coming to get her, she laughs really hard like "Haha, hey, Mom, you've got to hear this joke I just made up."

She enjoys being around people. Unless she is hungry or tired, she is happy to see just about anyone. She is generous with smiles.

She has anger management issues. She has no scale - it's mostly either totally content and happy or full-blown RAGE. This usually only happens when she is very hungry or very tired.

She is a morning person - we can't figure out how that happened but this little peanut is just a barrel full of laughs and smiles in the a.m.

The good news is the more I get to know her, the more I love her.