For better or for worse, my daughter and I are a LOT alike! We look like each other. So much so that if you put her two month picture next to my two month picture and print her picture on 1980's paper, you wouldn't be able to tell which kid is which. SERIOUSLY. (But that sounds like a lot of work, I recommend just taking my word.) We have the same hair, eyes, and giant thighs. There's no denying she's my child.
My husband is surprisingly upset that she is so much like me. I've explained that he loves me and found my personality traits endearing. How in the world could he NOT love two of me? This only elicited an eye roll and a grunt. I'm pretty sure that was his way of telling me we need to have another one and hope that the next kid is mellow like him. And honestly, I hope my second child is mellow and as cool as a cucumber, because my daughter is anything but.
I'm a loud, talkative, mile-a-minute kind of Betty. I always got in trouble in school for talking too much. So much so that I never got to be on the safety patrol and wear those awesome bright orange belts. I coveted those belts, but knew it would never happen because I could never keep my mouth shut.
In my adult life, I'm a public affairs specialist, TV and radio show producer, and talker extraordinaire! I literally talk for a living. Take that Mrs. Kish! I've been known to talk louder and louder if I feel someone isn't listening to me. (How else am I supposed to get their attention?) And guess who else does that? Yup, my daughter.
Yes, she's only four months old, so how does she talk? She's already got her baby babble going on. She talks to herself when she's playing and when she wakes up in the morning. No sleeping in for this girl! She needs to be up and at it!!!
But the thing about her talking is, if she's not getting enough attention because mom is off doing something frivolous like going to the bathroom or heating up her bottle, she just starts talking louder, and louder, and louder until it's at the decibel of a dozen shrieking harpies. Once you come to say hello and ask what's wrong, she smiles and continues on with her play. And if you walk away again, the shrieking starts!
If I had to guess, it's more of an attention need rather than a security need. She likes to know she's the center of my attention. And because I give in to her attention needs, she's learning that patience isn't exactly necessary. Again, this sounds a lot like someone else I know. If she's not happy, she'll let you know and she'll make you pay until she is happy. (This might be why my husband rolled his eyes when I said my personality is endearing.)
She's also a mini drama queen. She can start to whimper and again, get your attention. And once she's got it, it's back to all smiles and giggles because it's time to entertain! She's captured you into her audience and she's ready to perform. She is an attention whore, hear her roar!
I'm pretty sure this is God's gift of payback to me for all the craziness I put my own mother through. All I know is, she'll never be on safety patrol and she'll make an amazing living at doing what she was born to do: get your attention and talk!
Until later
~Betty
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