Culley at Thirteen Months

It’s an interesting job…motherhood. I remember Brian and I asking each other the question while Culley was still yet to be born, “what do you think she’ll be like?” Even once she was here…when she was yet to crawl or walk we would ask each other the question, “do you think she’ll be laid back?” And…even when she started crawling at 5 months we began to assess that she was a “go-getter” but we would still ask each other, “will she be funny or serious?” I’m sure that we will be asking this question well into her life. I think the question will change a bit, and instead we may ask, “what kind of woman will God make her?”
Well, regardless of the past and in anticipation of the future, we have stopped asking the questions and rather begun to make observations. This young toddler has begun to sprout a personality at which we could only guess. There are combinations that we see and understand that in the future may prove to be rather complex and difficult…yet currently they provide a small amount of humor. More and more often I find my eyes widening with a smile of unbelief as I am amazed at what she understands and many times at her responses to various situations.
Culley has always been a hard one to crack…even from the beginning she would never laugh or smile when prompted. One day a tickle spot would crack her up…and the next it wouldn’t even phase her. Brian and I would be amazed at a new “trick” she could perform, but when we would ask her, or even bribe her, to show someone else she would look at us as if we were crazy (Brian says that’s a look she learned from me). She is still a hard one to crack…unless she’s the one cracking the joke or trying to be funny…just don’t expect her to perform anything twice.
Lately, we’ve been commenting on how much of a goofball she is. In many cases I think she may thrive on people’s reactions. She’ll start to do things to see if I will react. If not, she’ll quit…if she sees me start to react she will continue with whatever is bringing out the response in me. Often it’s throwing her sippy cup in the trash…or standing too close to the top of the stairs…or even acting like she’s going to throw her sippy on the floor. I have learned that a well-timed look will mostly diffuse the situation better than any other response I can give. Often…with a look that says, I know what you are trying to do…don’t…will often cause her to pull her hand from the trash, back her up from the stairs, or place the sippy on the tray. However, there are always those times when I am too late, or she’s already made the decision to act. Oh boy…can we skip the teenage years?
There’s so much that we have to learn…and there’s still so much she will show us and so much she will develop and become. It’s a blast to imagine how God can use any part of Culley’s personality for His good. I’d love to write more, but right now my daughter is yelling for Dad…which in translation means Mom…and she knows the difference. She just knows that if she calls me Dad it will bring a response.