Her Own Pace

Olivia has this baby Rapunzel doll that she got for her birthday last year. Maybe it was for Christmas. I don’t remember.

Anyway, this doll…she’s liked it all along. In the beginning (last year in November/December) she’d pick up the doll, hold it for a bit, put it down and go about her day.

These days, though, that doll is a constant. The minute we get home, she goes off in search of Rapunzel. She finds Rappie, grabs a spoon out of the utensil drawer and settles in to watch whatever Alyssa has put on the television, Rapunzel settled comfortably in her lap, Olivia pretending to feed the baby doll with her spoon.

She also has a tiny tea cup she uses to pretend to give Rapunzel drinks.

During meals, Rapunzel lays across Olivia’s lap. After meals, Olivia and Rapunzel race off to the next adventure, always with the tea cup or the spoon at the ready in case Olivia’s baby gets hungry or thirsty.

This is normal play. I know that. It normal play for a typical two year old. And yes, Olivia will be five in a month.

But this is huge for my girl. My child, who had always preferred other people to toys, who would rather dangle from my hands than pretend to be some silly doll’s mommy, is playing. Her imagination is blossoming and I love watching it. I love that she falls asleep with Baby Rapunzel cradled in her arms. I love that the instant she wakes up she wants to know where Rapunzel is.

I don’t care that it’s taken her longer than other children to get to this place where she plays with her doll, mimicking the care she sees people give to babies. I don’t care that she isn’t completely potty trained yet. I’m as proud of her for playing like this as I am of Alyssa for winning that race on Saturday. Both are big deals in our little lives.

She’s getting there. And she’s doing it all at her own pace. Delayed is okay. It lets me baby her just a little longer and it makes me appreciate that much more when she does reach those new milestones. It gives me a whole new outlook on life and the joy of playing with dolls.

My sweet girl is setting her own pace and I couldn’t be prouder of her each and every day that she learns something new or imagines a whole new world for her doll. So she still hates cutting and tracing…she’ll get there. At her own pace, just like she always has.