There are so many changes these days in A that it is hard to document them for you all. It seems like every five minutes I look at a new little girl. She has gotten so big it is hard to remember that she was ever a tiny newborn. She is really solid though. There is no ballooned out little belly and there is only a little bit of pudge... mostly she is a sturdy little package that just gets bigger before your eyes.

She is now cruising furniture. Which means that there is not a single containment device in the house that does not create a screaming demon... with the one exception of her bouncy horse over at Bupa and Nana's house. When she sits in that she gets rocking and rolling and laughing.... for a while. She is happiest while she is going from one unexplored and prohibited place to the next. My knitting bag recently suffered a grave indignity when she found it. What made it even more demoralizing for the poor bag is that I was just exhausted enough that I let her do it and figured that I would clean it up later. Such choices are becoming more and more popular these days.

The whole family when on an outing to the Rainforest Cafe for our niece's birthday this last weekend. R who turned 3 this weekend was a little afraid of the animatronics but the atmosphere was exciting for her. A was enthralled by the aquarium with the fish, some of which were bigger than her. What made the 2 hour trip entirely worth it though was A's response to the thunderstorm simulation. She looked up when the " lightning " hit and the wide eyes said it all. She looked at me then and squealed with so much excitement that she had the whole table laughing. She loved it. That is not a girl who will be afraid of storms.

She talks like a champ now too. Not that there are many of the words that we all can understand... there are a few though. She clearly says "daddy" ( not dada) and she also says "grandpa" although it sounds more like ( bupa). My little smarty pants also points at something she wants and says " that" as clear as day. When given a choice between several things she will mull it over and then make her choice clear with a point or a reach and " that." She says Mama but still only when she is mad or tired or wants to nurse. The thing that cracks everyone up though is when she looks at the dog and barks. My niece said " meow" at this age and A barks. I guess maybe R will be a cat person and A will be a dog person.

A loves dogs and cats. She has been around them since she came home from the hospital and she notices them right away. She is also a real stuffed animal lover. Well I think what it is actually is the textures. She loves soft stuffed animals and soft blankees that she can rub her face into. She is such a cuddler. When she gets tired she will lean into me and rest her little head on my chest. She gives baby hugs at the drop of a hat. I am loving this side of her. She loves her cuddle time... and she still is so independent. She is so brave, letting go of her brace and reaching for both hands for something. The other day she stood up in the middle of the floor with out anything to pull up with and reached for Bupa to pick her up. She is amazing.

Bupa and Nana got her the first pair of walking shoes a few weeks back. It was hysterical she got them on and it was like she was stuck with glue on the floor. It is taking a little bit of time to get used to the new weight of them. But now she is all over the place shoes on or not.

Ready or not world she is coming.