Where is the Love?

Here it is! In our house. We are just bursting with it here on Valentine's Day. I was surprised at work with a lunchtime visit from the daddy/daughter duo of Jeff and Cece, complete with purple tulips. Cece, ever thoughtful, even brought a chocolate rose for Mrs. Succi. My mom and Jeff's mom were also treated to V-day visits. For dinner, Jeff and I enjoyed sushi followed by awesome chocolate covered strawberries. I am one lucky lady!

Stage 5 Clinger

Having absolutely nothing to do with the title, this is my 600th post on this blog. Just noticed that on my dashboard. But anywho...

Cecelia has always been quite independent. In the past she would refuse a hand hold shaking you back as if to say, "Mother, I do NOT want everyone knowing you are with me. How embarrassing! Of course I can cross this parking lot/ street by myself.". Don't worry, I still grabbed her sleeve. She would socialize with any/everyone and requested new acquaintances and strangers to pick her up if, for example, she wanted to see something on their level. In the morning when I left for work she would dismiss me with a wave. I knew that it was natural and normal for 18 months to mark a new phase of separation anxiety, but it's funny to watch your child progress through drastically different and distinct phases. But progress she does.

Cecelia's still fine with me leaving altogether, ironically, but if we are in the same place and it is more crowded, new to her, she takes some time to warm up and likes to snuggle or burrow her head into my legs holding on tight. But, ever the flirt, she's still quite happy to peek out and give a huge, squeezy, squinty smile to those nearby. And, quite frankly and a little selfishly, snuggles are always welcome.

The Art of Imitation

We have seen Cecelia pick up on a lot more than you might think over the past few months. When we got our bathrooms redone, she was clearly observing because when the guys finished, she continued to check on and "screw in" the access panel. (There is a cute picture of this. Maybe one day you will see it here. That day is not today.) She also often picked up the flashlight to check on the pipes and water heater as she had seen daddy do. Sometimes it takes a little imagination to figure out what she is doing and why/how she figured out how to do so. This morning was one of those moments. Cecelia was playing with a bottle pretending it was like lotion...or so I thought. Then she seemed to poke herself in the eye. First I told her not to poke herself in the eye. After watching this play out several times, I figured it out. In the mornings, Cece watches me put in my contacts. And that's what she was doing. Putting contact solution in her palms and then putting the "contacts" in her eyes. Over the weekend, she brought my contact case into the bedroom. She had already emptied it of the overnight solution (on the floor...so efficient). When she brought it to me, I exclaimed, "Oh Cece, but those are my eyeballs. She opened the case and took a long, hard look inside. As if keeping all those body parts straight wasn't hard enough, I had to add this concept into the mix!?!