A year ago she wasn’t even born.

Adam Deitsch

Summary

A parent reflects on their daughter's rapid development over the past year, from infancy to a stage where she is crawling, making sounds, and even saying a few words.

Abstract

The author describes the remarkable progress of their one-year-old daughter, detailing her transition from a newborn to an active, communicative toddler. The child has begun to crawl, vocalize, and articulate simple words like "mama," "abba," and phrases such as "bye-bye" and "hi." Although her speech isn't fully articulated, her intentions are clear, and she expresses joy when her attempts at communication are understood. The author marvels at the transformation of their daughter from a helpless infant into a determined and joyful child, likening her development to that of a "little unicorn." They suggest that the experience of watching a child grow and learn is ineffable and recommend it to those who have never witnessed such a process.

Opinions

The author finds the child's

A year ago she wasn’t even born.

Now she’s crawling, squawking, and even talking. Okay, not sentences, but she says a few words like mama and abba, and she’s very familiar with bye-bye and hi! Sure, it’s not all articulated, but it’s clear enough for her to get her point across. Boy does she love getting her point across. You should see her excitement when we repeat the word she tried to say. With just a chunky grin and a haphazard applause, she can say, “You knew what I said!?”

All I’m saying, if I’m saying anything at all, is that it’s absolutely fascinating and incredible to watch her grow and develop from a helpless, little alien into a determined, joyful, little unicorn. If you don’t have a child, or have never watched a child learn the world from scratch, it’s something words simply cannot explain with enough detail.

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