Our Friday morning and update

It is nice to have a morning to play with Esme, do a little laundry and not worry about going to work until the afternoon. We've been playing with letters, counting, blocks, teaset and our kitten PeanutNinja. Esme has to learn PeanutNinja does not like to have things stacked on her - this isn't 'Stuff on my Cats'.com! I am amazed every day at how much more I understand of what Esme is saying - especially when I can slow down and watch without having to be busy myself.

Updates: Some of this has been happening for a while but I don't think I've noted it here. So, this is 'for the record.' I'm hearing sentences like 'my cow, my cup' and 'good cow', 'good kitty'.. also things like 'What is that?' much clearer than before and expecting an answer. She will often repeat the answer or attempt to - which she was reluctant to do a few months ago unless she was really interested.

She asked me 'What you got' or something similar to that in the kitchen today to make sure I had the same pepperoni she had... Her number of things she knows how to say on Starfall is increasing as well and she is participating in the matching and puzzle games by pointing to the squares.. something she would not do a few months ago.

This morning she has been doing the 'shhh' with her finger to her lips. That is cute because she can't keep a straight face even though she tries. I say 'Shhh.. be wery wery quiet, we are hunting wabbits!' and she giggles her tail off. I'm hearing counting sounds when she puts large pegs from one cup to another. She is trying colors too - 'black' and 'green' are easy to understand. The numbers are still hard to understand but she is getting the basic shape of the word right. Hearing her pretend to talk on the phone is hilarious.

Prolonged tantrums

We take a walk down to the lake, Esme nearly falls in - I catch her as she gets water in her bangs! She wasn't scared at all and was happy until we said we wanted to go back home -- and then she cried all the way back up to the house. Then she cried all the way down the stairs.. and in the kitchen. Wow what a memory this kid has... and I asked her if she wanted to go upstairs and go to bed if she was just going to keep crying.. and she grabs her milk cup and goes upstairs! We change clothes.. all the while whining.. and then she picks up her cup again and goes to her bed and puts her arms up. I say 'We need to take off our shoes again if we are really going to bed.' She takes off her shoes. Still whining. Still putting the arms up. I put her in bed. She screams at the tops of her lungs. I go back downstairs to ask Mark if he has everything he needs for dinner and by the time I'm back she is sound asleep.. not a peep. Wow.