1. Walking: well, not exactly.  I may have overstated the case the other day.  She is definitely able to take a few steps but walking is still in the realm of “that silly thing that I do between Mama and Baba” and certainly not a preferred mode of transportation.Babies’ first steps are careful and slow.
Like plants in the garden, they take time to grow.*

2.  Communicating her desires:  She’s very good at pointing, vocalizing, and otherwise getting us to do what she wants us to do.  The other day, she pulled Nik across the living room floor by his foot and then put his foot onto the piano pedals.  She wanted him to push them down for him!

3. Climbing:  She particularly loves to climb into our recliner and then ask (see #2) for books to read.  Just before nap time, I came back into our office/playroom to find her like this, clearly communicating to me that it was time for sleep!  She uses the nursing stool to get her high enough to climb onto the chair.

4. Making us laugh:  She keeps us laughing all the time.  For example, Ellie and I always nurse lying down when we’re at home.  She’s heavy and makes my arms ache to nurse sitting up.  So, at home, we nurse lying down – she nurses and I read.  I used to be able to read an extra page or two after she was finished.  She would just climb over and around me while I ignored her.  But yesterday, she started picking up my bookmark, putting it in the book, and then trying to close it.  OK, OK, I get it!  I’ll put the book away!

I love this girl so much!

*from the book In The Garden With Van Gogh