Lately

I really can't believe how much Elsa is talking these days! She's starting to put together short sentences, such as "put this back," "don't do that," "empty cup," "eat dinner," "drop cup," etc. She also is actually starting to legitimately answer questions, such as, "Would you like a pancake or a waffle for breakfast?" "Pancake!" or, when I asked her what she did while she was at the gym daycare, she said, "Slide!" In addition, she will occasionally say "thank you" without prompting when I give her something, and I taught her to say "bless you" when I sneeze (although she has also said it when I yawn!).

I think it's now safe to say that she knows the entire alphabet, as well as numbers 1-10. When she sees letters, she often points at them and says what they are. She did that at playgroup a few weeks ago, totally astonishing the other mothers (it's mostly boys around age 2 in our playgroup, and a lot of them can't keep up with Elsa in talking, much less in knowing their letters!)

Socially, Elsa seems to have lost most of her shyness recently. She still wouldn't run right up to a total stranger, but if she decides you're even remotely familiar, she'll shower you with all the hugs and kisses you could ever want. : ) Elsa has given spontaneous, unasked-for hugs to her swimming teacher, one of the ladies at the gym daycare, and several of the other moms from playgroup and music class. I can't tell you how glad I am that she's turning into such a loving, affectionate little girl—I hope she can hold onto that as she gets older.

Physically, she can now climb up on the couch in her playroom by herself, but she still can't manage the one in the family room (it's a little higher). A recent trip to an indoor playground reminded me that as far ahead as Elsa is verbally, she's still catching up with her peers physically. Elsa's friend Sophia from playgroup, who's only 2 weeks older than Elsa, was climbing tall ladders and flying down slides by herself, while Elsa still had to have my help even on shallow steps! But I'm confident that she'll get there by the time the weather's warm enough for outdoor playgrounds.

Still, that trip to the indoor playground reminded me of something else: She only took her very first steps 4 months ago, and didn't really start walking until closer to 3 months ago! I could hardly believe it when that thought occurred to me—it seems like she's been fully mobile for ages. And look how far she's come in those three months! It is truly amazing not only how fast they change, but how quickly we as parents get used to those changes. It's hard for me to even remember her as a non-walking baby!