no longer a baby

Sometimes I notice that Sophie's no longer a baby and is moving full speed into toddlerhood. But in this picture it looks like she totally skipped over being a toddler. Here she looks like she's at least three years old.

carrying her weight

Sophie loves her lunch bag/backpack. Lately she'll carrying it home from day care once it's empty. When it's full, she gets a little top-heavy.

Sophie's first museum

Today as we were walking to the playground, Sophie said “MoMA.” Clearly she was referring to the New York Museum of Modern Art.

Hide and Go Tag

As of yesterday, or perhaps the day before, we have a new game.

She'll hide behind the comfy chair in her room, up against the window, and wait for daddy to come find her.  When she's found, she squeals in delight and watches as I quickly crawl to my hiding place next to the ottoman.

Daddy doesn't hide too well.  My bulk sticks well out from behind the ottoman.  But she's always delighted when she totters over and falls upon me with a squeal.

There follows the ceremonial "I'm a gonna get you!", whereupon she hurries over--all asqueal--and hides herself behind the comfy chair again and the whole process starts over again.

Hungry Helper

Today when her mother put her in her highchair, she grabbed her bib out of her hands and placed it around her neck.

First word?

You'd think we'd be able to tell when/if she said her first word.

Well, as it turns out, not really.

Today she unambiguously signed "Water".  Her "Nyeh!" has morphed into an equally unambiguous "Nuh!"--a short step from the phonologically correct "No!"  And what we had hitherto taken for excited hand waving when the car stopped and it was time to get out--that turns out to have been the sign for "All done!" all along.

Combine that with the somewhat more ambiguous-but-still-compelling "dook!" [dog], "baba" [bubble and balloon], "bah!"/"wah!" [water, bottle, drink], and possible variations on "mama" or "dada" (possibly just the products of our fevered imaginations) and it becomes impossible to say with certainty what her first word is/was.

moment of zen

Now that the weather has finally started getting nicer, we've been going to the park to play before dinner. Yesterday, Sophie discovered pine cones. At first, she noticed one, then another, then she lifted her head and realized she was surrounded by beautiful pine cones just waiting to be plucked off the ground, a lovely metaphor of Sophie's encounter with the world these days. Once she figured out she couldn't actually carry all of them, she'd eagerly bring them to show us and then she started a small pile. Afterwards, she began picking at them and trying to eat little bits of them (not so lovely). Once she tore up her pile, the sun was setting and it was time to go back home.