If I'm Honest about Moriah...

...I'll say that back in January, she burned her hand on our woodstove.  She's only the second of our children to do so, the first being David many years ago who touched it for a split second because he was running and couldn't stop in time.  In Moriah's case, however, it seems to be a deliberate act.  I didn't see it--we had friends over, and I was busy in the kitchen--but Jeff was in the living room and saw it happen.  I immediately picked her up, took her to the bathroom, and ran cool water over it; and she cried, of course.  The worst part was that it was her left hand, the one whose fingers she sucks, and I didn't want to put any ointment on it because I knew she'd ingest it.  I'm SO glad that it wasn't a bad burn; the top of her palm and the tips of several fingers were reddened and (very) mildly blistered, but that's all, and they healed just fine after a couple of days.  It could have been so much worse.

If I'm honest about Moriah...

...I'll record that her ability to communicate through speaking is still extremely limited.  Despite this video from earlier this year, she just doesn't talk very much.  She continues to parrot what we say, but doesn't take the initiative to come up with words to get her thoughts across.  However, a few months ago, she really got the hang of nodding her head when I asked her a question.  "Moriah, do you want to sit in Shav's chair?"  A vigorous nod.  "Moriah, are you ready to get down?"  Nod, nod.  "Moriah, do you want to hold Piglet?"  Nod again.  It reminds me so much of this video of Tobin (the third video in this post) when he was at that stage; it's amazing how much a child can communicate by nodding, and I'm grateful for even this small(ish) step in Moriah's development!  :)  But as far as her communicating by speaking, she just doesn't.  About all the words that she uses appropriately and of her own initiative are "uh-oh" (especially if someone drops something), "hi" (especially if she's looking outside at someone), and "mama" (especially if she needs me and is running towards me so I can pick her up).  Really, that's it.

I'm having vivid flashbacks about how concerned I was when David was approaching his second birthday and still said very few words.  Seeing how vocal he turned out to be ;-) reassures me that she'll probably be just fine.  But oh, I am so eager for her to begin to talk and express herself in words!

One other thing about her language acquisition: for a long time, she has gotten a kick out of answering our request, "Say Mama," with a big grin and a happy "Dada!"  One Sunday back in January, for the first time, she did the opposite.  I was holding her, and she was stringing along a long string of "mamamamama" syllables.  Jeff called to her, "Moriah, say Dada!"  She smiled, opened her mouth, and said, "Mama!"  :)

If I'm honest about Moriah...

...I'll admit that she can be really choosy about who holds her, and she's not really much of a snuggle bug with anyone but me--and not always with me.  Her goodbye hugs to my parents before they leave our house each evening, although very happily given by Moriah, last all of about a second or two before she squirms to get down.  If she's not feeling well or if she's sleepy, then she might be willing to sit on a lap or lay on Jeff's chest and cuddle for a while; but she definitely likes to be in charge of who holds her and for how long.  Sometimes when her brothers "pursue" her with their affection, she fusses and turns or runs away; it's a better idea for them to offer a hug with outstretched arms and see if she'll come to them.  She likes to take the initiative, as far as snuggling goes.

If I'm honest about Moriah...

...I'll say that I see a lot of David in her character.  She's closest in age to Shav, closest in hair(!) to Tobin, closest in name to Josiah; and of course, she shares many other similarities with each of them.  But she reminds me so much of David in two particular ways: the way she loves physical activity (she almost always prefers having fun by moving her body in some way--i.e. climbing on the desk to jump onto the couch, going up and down the steps, spinning in circles in the living room until she's dizzy, etc.--rather than sitting and looking at/playing with objects), and the way she loves to be with people.  She is absolutely crazy about her big brothers and is delighted when she gets to be with them and when they play with her.  If people are around, she wants to be a part (although she shows some natural timidity around new people), rather than being off by herself playing with toys.

As with all of our children, it's fascinating to watch their personalities emerge; and I'm certain that as time goes by, I'll notice new things about who Moriah is.  So I don't want to put her into any boxes by writing about personality traits I see in her now.  That's really all it is: personality traits I see now.  But it might be interesting in the future to look back and see how God was already shaping her into the vibrant young lady that He wants her to be.  :)

If I'm honest about myself...

...I'll admit that I nearly was brought to tears last evening as I held Moriah before I put her in bed.  She is such a gift.  The reality of her worth and significance became clear to me again, and I was nearly undone as I thought of how undeserving, yet how grateful, I am to have been chosen to be the mother of this dear, little, precious, loved girl!!  :)