{Warning: This blog post contains a lot of talk about babies, dirty diapers and swooning. Just be prepared.}
My niece is just the cutest 15-month-old you can ever imagine. You probably think I am biased (and maybe you’re right, whatevs!), but Greta could steal anyone’s heart in a heartbeat. I mean, just look at her!
She’s smart and funny and she definitely knows what she wants. If she wants “Kuku” (B*ko – a German brand for cream cheese) on her breakfast roll, she wants “Kuku” and won’t have anything else.
She’s quite determined. I love how clever and quick she is for her age.
My sister tells me that within a week after I left, she had learned so many new words already. You got to be careful what you say, because she definitely understands pretty much everything that you’re saying by now. Children’s brains amaze me. They soak every bit of information up like a sponge.
Since my sister was about to have her second baby, I tried to convince her that it would be a really good idea if Greta would come and stay with me for the next two months, what with all the busyness surrounding the arrival of the new baby.
I promised I would return her in one piece in May, but Nina wanted to hear none of it. Odd, don’t you think?
I haven’t really had the baby fever yet, but being around my niece is definitely “dangerous” territory. It’s exhilarating and exhausting at the same time (I have no idea how Nina will manage with two toddlers), but it’s also the most rewarding experience anyone could have.
Living away from your family does suck on a regular basis, but if children are part of the equation, it makes things so much harder. 6 months seem to fly by for each of us like nothing, but 6 months in the life of a child include huge milestones of development.
Last time I saw Greta, she could barely walk a step on her own, this time she was able to run towards me and (away again) in seconds. It’s so amazing to see how much they learn in such short periods of time.
I wish I could have recorded (or taken pictures) of all her cute little idiosyncrasies… she would grab on to my hair on either side of my face and pull it over her head as if she was trying to hide underneath it and then she would look at me with those big, surprised eyes and say “Huuuuuh” as if she completely scared herself.
She would also state in all ways possible if she was opposed to something… she’d non-stop exclaim “nein”, “nee”, “nö” (all German variations of the word “no”) in rapid succession to get her point across. (Ok, Greta, we got it – you didn’t want that. :))
The best part was when my sister would change her diapers and Greta would pick up the dirty diaper, take a sniff, wrinkle her nose and exclaim “Baaaahhh”, before taking it to the trash can in the bathroom and place it in there, uttering “Müll” (garbage). Heheh.
She totally cracked me up.
See for yourself…
Maribeth
April 6, 2010 at 2:55 pmLOL! Oh yes, your Greta is adorable! I must say, she is far cuter than my Greta! ;)
I know whaqt you mean about kids changing so much. It’s been over a year since I have seen Uschi’s grandson, Anton, and I know he will have changed so much. I can hardly wait for my trip!
.-= Maribeth´s last blog ..Easter Weekend =-.
san
April 12, 2010 at 9:18 pmWhen are you going on your trip, Maribeth? What a nice reunion!
.-= san´s last blog ..Things you wouldn’t know: Long division does not equal long division =-.
Tanja
April 6, 2010 at 7:12 pmOMG – again…she is sooo cute! I really cannot understand why Nina is not willing to give you Greta for 2 month … :)
san
April 12, 2010 at 9:18 pmThis is still a mystery to me ;)
.-= san´s last blog ..Things you wouldn’t know: Long division does not equal long division =-.
Steffi
April 6, 2010 at 11:25 pmHa ha, she is the cutest! :-)
I know what you mean about not in the baby-fever jet but everybody around me (friends, people in the stable, at work, blog-friends,…) seem to get pregnant right now. So the thought crosses your mind automatically.
But I am still not quite willing to give up my freedom. But I am definitely thinking about it. For now, the house has to be finished.
.-= Steffi´s last blog ..07.08.2009: Grand Canyon =-.
kim
April 7, 2010 at 6:06 amshe’s at such a cute age right now. i love just sitting and watching my friends’ munchkins – they are all between two and three years old. it’s the best entertainment ever! :) and great IS adorable!
.-= kim´s last blog ..the season of the red is just around the corner =-.
Emily Jane
April 7, 2010 at 6:21 amShe is SO cute!! I’m with you – it does seem like baby-fever is kind of taking over the universe but though I’m quite a bit older than my parents were when they had me and EVERYONE around me seems to be at “that time” – I’m not ready yet. When there’s a screaming toddler next to me on a plane I’m totally frustrated. I still feel like my sleep is very important and still want to go to bed by 10:00 every night. I still want to travel and enjoy time with my boy for a few years after the wedding… we have the rest of our lives to settle down. I also really want to make sure we’re in a good financial place too. Not that I’m waiting til I’m 40… 28-29 would be perfect I think :)
.-= Emily Jane´s last blog ..Lean On Me =-.
Stefanie
April 7, 2010 at 6:22 amGreta is so adorable!!! It truly is amazing how fast kids grow up. We have a high school friend who just moved to Virginia. She has two kids now and I am so excited to see both of them. One I have never met and the other one I met two years ago when she was just 4 months old.
.-= Stefanie´s last blog ..I was never a Mormon but I will always remember living as one. =-.
terra
April 7, 2010 at 7:43 amSo adorable!
.-= terra´s last blog ..Spring Fever, Ch-ch-changes, and FLOWERS! =-.
emmysuh
April 7, 2010 at 7:45 amShe is too cute.
It’s odd — I don’t have baby fever either, but someone close to you has a baby and you get to be a part of it, you can have a new sort of baby fever! That’s how I am with a couple I’m best friends with, yeah, yeah, there are other babies out there, but since I was with them a lot while she was pregnant and am around a lot now that Baby Jack is 4ish months, Baby Jack is all I see!
Tinka
April 7, 2010 at 7:52 amawwww how cute :)
.-= Tinka´s last blog ..Oh Dear Blog Readers =-.
Lisa
April 7, 2010 at 12:17 pmThat’s the cutest thing ever!! I don’t have any kids of my own yet, and none of my siblings (all younger than me) have any kids yet either. There are days when I’m like…umm…really?? Haha…None of us have kids yet? Which I suppose is actually a really good thing, seeing as how I’m not ready for them and I doubt that my brothers are and I KNOW my sister is NOT, haha. But still, there are days when I really look forward to having kids and also neices and nephews, and experiencing that new part of life. It is really exciting and I just loved hearing about your joys as an auntie! Hehe. Awwww so awesome. :D
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Seeing life as a verb, and coming to terms with doing. =-.
katelin
April 7, 2010 at 5:53 pmgah i love that picture! she is all sorts of precious.
.-= katelin´s last blog ..Some Hollywood cuteness. =-.
Karen
April 8, 2010 at 3:31 amShe is so cute! I just found out yesterday that a friend of mine is pregnant, I am hoping she will have her baby before I move away (her due date is a week before I move). It seems like here most people wait till their early 30s (or until age 29 or 30) to have kids, so I don’t really have any friends with kids here yet, but I do hope to have kids of my own in a few years (but first I have to find a man).
.-= Karen´s last blog ..Phototastic =-.
Hannah Katy
April 10, 2010 at 8:25 amThis is absolutely adorable! Ha ha, seeing this just made my Saturday morning. About the cutest bundle of love I have ever seen, beautiful eyes!
Best,
Hannah Katy
san
April 12, 2010 at 9:15 pmThanks for stopping by. I am glad this post made your Saturday morning :)
.-= san´s last blog ..Things you wouldn’t know: Long division does not equal long division =-.
Carolina
April 28, 2010 at 12:22 pmOMG!!!! PRECIOUSNESS!! She is the cutest ever…seriously!!
and if anyone understands the complete love/obsession with this little child, it’s me! I want to eat my nephew everytime I see him, because I just can’t get enough!
:)