shan & brans: golden's one year

One year!

Miss Golden Reva is one!

She is such a treasure.

[And I have absolutely no idea where all the time is going. Can we press pause!?]

Golden is:

... brilliant. I am constantly amazed at all the things she understands and knows. She catches on quickly to routines and patterns, and she has such a good memory. She knows where certain things are kept in the house [the snacks, her water bottle, her sister's favorite toys, etc.], and makes her way to them on her own quite frequently. She loves to read books, and likes to turn the pages herself, but when she's done, she closes the book regardless of where we might be in the story. She is smart.

... a climber. I'm in real trouble. She climbs on top of the toilet, then squawks for help to get down. She's a wiz at going up and down stairs -- we already took down the baby gate because she is so good at turning around and sliding down, and because her sister liked to lock her out sometimes. She is a busy little bee, but I love watching her explore and figure out how to get up or down on her own.

... fiercely independent. She doesn't want me to feed her with a fork. She wants to use the fork herself. She generally does not appreciate help from Afton, because she wants to do things herself. She has some strong opinions this far and is not afraid to make them known.

... so friendly. She has mastered the "royal princess parade wave" and has started to wave at almost anyone we pass. Strangers in the store, familiar faces, us if we're across the room... It's darling. She waves, blows kisses, smiles and just lights up the world with her little personality. I can already tell that she has a gift for brightening people's days. Waving, smiling, giggling -- she is so fun and people seem to just flock to her.

... hilarious. She loves being silly with her sister and I find them laughing together over nothing quite frequently. Afton has started to learn how to tell knock-knock jokes, and Golds will respond in kind. It usually goes something like this:

A: "Knock knock! ... Golds, say 'Who's there?'"

G: "wah-uh"

A: "Orange because you forgot the banana!"

[Then the giggle and chuckle for a good minute and say it again. So delightful.]

... obsessed with dogs and balls. When she sees a dog, she can hardly contain her excitement. She loves them. She has started to throw a ball, or roll it on the ground. [Have you seen the Disney movie Up? She acts like Dug, the talking dog and his squirrel obsession -- but with balls and dogs. Ha!]