Tag Archives: curiosity

The Bo-Bíj

She’s almost one. She’s amazing. She’s a stink-bug. She squeals with pure joy when you return from the outside world. She’s the only silent crier I’ve ever met. She’s not just a leaner but a real cuddler. She’s the sweetest. I’ve said that about all my girls, but really, she’s the sweetest. For reals.

Aliya’s at that stage where she wants to know about everything. She makes a break for that open drawer or that thing you dropped that she’s never gotten to have. If she doesn’t get it, she rarely gets upset…maybe for a second, but there’s so much to learn and explore she just moves on. Aliya gets so excited sometimes, that she has bursts of super-speed in her stink-bug crawling form. Butt up in the air, hands and feet on the ground, she navigates her world. When she’s tired or gets going too fast, she falls flat on her face, literally. It’s heart-breaking. We jump and our insides twist up and I want to just follow her around everywhere she goes to catch her, but I know I can’t. Even as our third child, it’s like she’s our first.

Just a little time with Aliya is like a sip from the fountain of rejuvenation (if there was such a thing). She reminds you what it’s like to be excited in what your body can do. With each tentative stand, she shows how vulnerable we are, but at the same time how capable we are. She squeals when she has somewhere to get to fast. You can lie on the floor and she’ll just crawl all over you, sometimes almost diving over the edge of you to get to the other side. Yes, she’s a diver, a lunger, she goes for it.

Aliya loves sounds. She clicks with her mouth to make a beat to music or just for fun. When she loves a piece of music, she puts both arms up, dancing. When the music’s live, she claps for the performer, no matter what the performance sounds like, because to her, it’s like all sound is some kind of music. Aliya loves call and response. You can say, “Aliiiyaaaaa” and she responds “Babaaaaa”. You can say, “Obawabawaba” and she puts the back of her hand to her mouth and responds, “Obawabawaba”. She is so much fun.

Of course she’s not all about the fun and games. When she’s a little bit upset she has a silent cry. She scrunches her eyes, opens her mouth really wide as if she’s going to belt one out, but it’s completely silent. She follows that up with a pouty lower lip and a scrunched up nose. She can cry out loud of course, but she saves that for when she’s just had a face-plant or she’s been put in her crib for a nap that she doesn’t think she’s ready for.

What can I say? Aliya is just a kid. I mean, she’s just like lots of kids, but actually, she’s not just like lots of kids. She’s our kid. She’s our last child, our third daughter, our baby-baby. She’s the one who made it through some scary odds. She’s the best of both of us with the added benefit of being able to learn from two older sisters. She’s the reminder that we’re all human but we’re all unique. There is no one like any of us in the world, and there is certainly no other girl like Aliya.