Warning: Apples Falling Directly Under the Tree

After dinner tonight, I convinced Estelle to sit down and play with puzzles. She sat down but started to cry. She looked straight at me, furrowed her brow and pointed her index finger, jabbing at the rug as if to say, "part of the bargain was you sitting down next to me." I could hardly refuse. This was the first time she's been so forceful in a non-temper tantrum way -- it was quite convincing. I guess it's not a surprise that both verbal and non-verbal communication is developing rapidly right now. What is surprising is the attitude that she gives it. This morning I made her cereal and we sat down to eat. She looked up a me, held out her hands and in an exasperated tone said, "'poon." Not "'poon?" like a request; more like "come on already with the spoon, lady!" I'd better be on my best behavior from here on out.

More fun at the park

Estelle can't get enough of the park. She's worked her way up to the big slide. Today we got her to do "hands up"...






And by the way, teddy goes everywhere with us lately...to the park, in the car, to bed, reading books...shortly after I took this picture, she sat down on the sidewalk and gave teddy a drink of water.

At the park

Estelle is getting braver at the park. She loves to swing and go down the slides. And if there are any other kids there, she'll follow them around like a shadow.

Yay for spring!

We couldn't get Estelle to come inside all weekend -- every time we tried to get her to come in, she cried. I can't wait until we get the backyard landscaped and we can set her free out there on a swingset and in a sandbox.

In this one, she's got something icky on her hands...

So proud

My cousins were so cute with Estelle on Sunday...and particularly laid back about allowing her to go through their purses (one of her favorite activities). So, imagine my surprise when she knew exactly what to do with the cosmetics. My girlfriends will really appreciate these pictures.

Hunting for eggs...with some help

We had a lovely Easter at my mom's -- it was a little cool, but that didn't stop the kids from enjoying the egg hunt. After being shown that she should pick the eggs up instead of just look at them, Estelle got into the spirit of things. She also got quite protective of her stash.