The child is two years old now.
Two years, going on fourteen. It’s hard to believe she used to be a tiny pink blob who couldn’t walk or talk, let alone have the mental capacity to laugh at daddy’s hilarious jokes.
In truth, things changed the day Penny turned one, and you can see it in the video captured that very day, of the pampered young lady grown tired of the chauffeur driven lifestyle. She is bored beyond belief, longing to escape the monotony and achieve a little… independence.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuQvgqslWId/?igshid=oamnnigfyqhe
Not that she was completely naive. Even in those early days, when she’d still barely mastered the art of standing on her own two feet, Penny knew the weight of responsibility that came with extra independence. She understood that maintaining an aura of innocence would be key to ensuring that independence.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvHb4hOj7ci/?igshid=17ef9bc9gy2ez
Once she nailed standing though, once Pandora’s box was opened, there was no putting her back in. She was off, and soon enough she was walking. Like the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, when the electricity fails and she breaks free of her cage, Penny raised her head and roared at those first few steps.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxWqJiAhpve/?igshid=10oblcx29wi8l
That was just the beginning of her exploration. Finally free, she dived into the world, living life with the kind of reckless abandon only the very young can achieve. Stairs and heights have become wonderful play things, electrical sockets easy prey to the talons of her stubby fingers, her mouth a giant chasm into which she must cram as many things as possible, water a gift to be shared.
Nursery has introduced her to the arts, and now every pen is a paintbrush, every surface a canvas. I introduced her to music. While not quite as good as she thought she was, there was something there…
https://www.instagram.com/p/BznJabsAOtl/?igshid=1wl6u4kzzwlcf
And then she found it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1o6ECtgBoz/?igshid=13gkactootftc
She’s been to Greece. Which is more than I can say for my first sixteen years. She went fearing the water, then conquered it as only the fearless can. She has grabbed a handful of poo from her own nappy and lifted it in triumph. (I only share this one with you because a day will come when she regrets it… and then my revenge will be complete.)
Penny has grown, and learned, and flourished. Her heart is a deep well of love, fed by the love of those who surround her, even if she has developed a little sass these last few months…
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7_0k_NgC1x/?igshid=a6e56kxbtdw0
She’s been in this world for twenty four months and she’s already the coolest person I know. I can’t wait to see all the other things she’s going to show us.
Tony
24th February 2020
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