Vera's Little Quirks

Vera has certain behaviors that I find both entertaining and profound.  Most babies probably do these, but kindly let me live in blissful ignorance if that's the case :)

She's learned to cough in order to get attention.  At first, we thought she might be developing allergies to the pets.  We took her to the doctor, and they couldn't find inflammation anywhere.  On top of that, no runny nose.  Adult hypothesis: she's faking it.  She likes to do her little hacking dry cough routine whenever she's not the sole focus of attention...like when I'm trying to talk to my friends or when the family is on a topic other than herself.  Our self-centeredness starts young, doesn't it?!

She's also given to fits of anger...long long screaming bouts when she doesn't get what she wants or if what she wants is taken away.   We, like most parents, are shocked that we are having to say no as much as we have at ten months.  We have even pulled out the old time out once or twice - turning our attention from her for a minute in an effort to show her that this behavior results in nothing.  Which makes me think...adults who are still prone to fits of anger really haven't accomplished much in life, have they?  And that it's so interesting that the Bible says that consequence of sin is separation from God, our heavenly Father.  That book is as real as reality gets. 


On the other hand, Vera has become incredibly adept at relying on adult hands.  Literally.  She absolutely refuses to hold her own bottle even though she can grasp many things like her bottle.  She prefers to be fed by her parents.  She will hold her own sippy cup but absolutely not the bottle.  For a long while, she would stuff everything except for food into her mouth with her fingers, preferring that we feed her.  Thankfully, that phase has passed, and she is sitting next to me happily eating her trayful of cheese and crackers.  Then, there's the clapping.  She likes clapping her hands, but LOVES grabbing whatever adult hands are available and clapping them together.  Why settle for the small potatoes when the big ones are right there?  Finally, there's the mid-night waking.  Yes, we all know that by ten months, she should be sleeping through the night.  However, a couple of months ago, she started waking up to "eat."  Does her doctor think she's hungry?  Noooooo.  She is doing what they call "checking."  She so absolutely needs her Momma that when she arouses a little, she needs to reassure herself that Momma is still there.  Not a happy deal for Momma, but I do hope that one day her spiritual behavior will mirror her little quirks now.  I hope she learns to rely on "bigger hands" and have trust in them to meet all her needs.  I hope that she becomes securely attached to her Heavenly Father, so that He can lead her in the way everlasting.