Dare Devils

big bad wolf says it well: i'm proud of them and happy for them when they are finished and barely breathing during.

It's wonderfully thrilling to watch the girls dare a little more every day.

They are just now mastering the art of walking. Leia is well advanced and can actually run, which is an unfair advantage when racing to snatch Alisa's favorite stuffed toy. For her part, last week Alisa learned that you can easily turn around while standing if you just balance a little better. That totally changed her attitude to walking and she hasn't sat down since.

Today they discovered the balance beam.

Campell's City Hall has an earthen amphitheater in front. The seats are more like narrow (15") concrete sidewalks placed in a low rise of earth. Their play became an exercise in balance as they navigated each bench up the rise. Leia didn't stop there and ended up climbing around the City Hall building. Eventually we had to stop her when she wanted to climb onto a shelf coming out from the structural wall itself. I was nervous at times; but, they escaped with only one of four shins scraped climbing around in the bushes.

On the communication front there's a fair bit of progress as well. They've both been smitten by Winnie the Pooh. This afternoon I mentioned "Pooh Bear" to Alisa in passing. She stopped in her tracks and said "Pooh". Then she turned and went to their sprawling pile of toys. In the middle was a book, upside down with nothing indicating any Disney characters on the back. She unerringly went straight up to the book, turned it over and picked it up for me to read to her.

They first saw Pooh when my parents stayed with us. My mother and I share a love for children's shows, so we had to watch Winnie the Pooh with the girls. The girls have only seen the movie twice; but, they love the character. He hasn't replaced Totoro yet; but, he's starting to be a contender.

Since my parents have left Alisa occasionally sees something that reminds her of them and she says, "Papa, Mo." Today it was the quilt in the guest room that my mother made years ago. Alisa climbed on the bed, pointed to the quilt and said "Papa, Mo". Her vocabulary is growing rapidly. You can tell she's trying to learn a word when she watches you speak very carefully.

Leia's phonics are starting to catch up as well. She clearly tries to speak words; but, she is often frustrated at forming the words in her mouth. Then there are times when she sings nonsense syllables and she can randomly form just about any sound she wants. Her ability to understand and obey us is quite impressive. She's also a little sweetheart.