Blocks!

Lily Ruth has had her own blocks for a while now. In fact, I decided that one set wasn't enough fun, so I bought two. That's right. She has two sets of blocks. That she has mainly ignored for almost a year.

Last week, something about the blocks at the museum caught her eye. She has passed them several times a week for the last few months. They never even got a second glance until now. The last grubby kid to play with them must have left them in a particularly alluring state because she was enthralled. She poked and stacked and pried blocks apart for ages. I crouched anxiously with a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer just waiting for the instant that she set them down.

She's hooked. She babbled about blocks all of the way home, and was thrilled at the reminder that she already has some of her very own. She couldn't wait to give them a go, and even danced excitedly as I unzipped their bag and helped her dump them onto the floor.

Our first order of business was a chair for Lucy:

 Then the chair got taller and a bit more precarious:

Lily Ruth helped me take that last picture. Then she asked to hold the phone. She carefully turned it around and showed the picture to Lucy. 'Is YOU, Lucy!' Sooooo cute!

The tower eventually fell to cries of 'Happened? Happened, Mama?!' She hasn't yet discovered the joy of knocking them down, and it hurt her feelings to watch it crumble.

The next night, it was Daddy's turn to build with Lily Ruth. Once again, a chair for Lucy was first on the agenda. Then Lily started stacking the single blocks two-high and declaring that they were bottles for 'Lucy Milk'. Apparently, Lucy is very thirsty. She required upwards of twenty bottles.

Also, block are hard work. When you are done, it's time a round of pretend napping.

 But don't forget Lucy's bottles. Musn't forget the bottles. Being a good mama is tough.

I'm just excited that her fine motor skills are progressing! Being verbally advanced is all well and good (:-P), but it makes mama happy to see that her mind is opening in other areas as well.

Oh, and I have to throw this one in as a completely gratuitous 'I love my daughter' moment. I'm rarely awake before her in the mornings. These days, she comes in with me around 6 and we doze until 7:30, but she's she one who wakes me up. She tends to sit bolt upright and declare 'Ake up, Mama!' It was good for my heart to be able to watch her sleep :-) 

Dream richly, my lovely one. Mama loves you.