storbarnsförälder

And a couple of days. And she's magnificent. She has just this past week or so come over all sociable and outward-looking; she goes to other people and climbs on them, asks them for things, makes them read her books. She wants our friends to open her jacket, give her crisps, or dress her dolly. She likes to sit on people's laps and cuddle them.

She kisses, a lot. Her kisses are very accomplished; they are neat, carefully placed, slightly moist, and accompanied by a little crisp "mwah" sound. She likes to put one on one cheek, grab my chin or ear to turn my head HARD, and then kiss the other cheek.

She talks, but other people don't understand her unless they know her. "Ba" means lap. "O" (sometimes "ho") means hot. "Bye-bye" is very clear. "Uz" is other. "Nyang nyang" is milk. "Yay-ya" is Linnea. "A-wa" is Ailbhe. "Eee" is Emer. "Dadada ad adda" and similar is Daddy. "Nana" is Nana, or Lucy or Mary or other adult she knows and wants us to summon. "Dada" is man. "Boo" is book. "Zhezh" is stairs, and "jeh" is chair, and telling the difference is tough. "No" is no. NO. No no no. "Na" is nah, which is a less emphatic no. "Na-na" is banana. "Bow" is bowl, plate, cup. "Ni" is knife. "Fu" is fork and spoon. "Baw" is ball. "Dough" is doll. "Ma" is nappy, or sometimes bottom. "Ba" is bath. "I" is high, or up. "Be" is bed. "Daw" is door and "Behh" is bear, though English people seem to find nothing amiss with her pronunciation of either, so perhaps it's just accent. "Uss" is puss, cat. "Gah" is scarf, and "A" is hat. "Oosh" is shoe(s). There may be others, but I haven't been taking notes this time around and it's hard to remember.

She can walk from our house to the town centre, which is about a mile ish. She can push a chair over and climb onto it and thence somewhere higher. She can almost open doors with a level handle. She likes zips and is frustrated by buttons and poppers. Mirrors are brilliant and she knows it's her in there and likes to make jokes about it. She loves jokes, though so far they're a lot more like practical jokes or cruel pranks, really. She is very gentle with the cats when she remembers.

Books and dolls and buggies are her favourite thing. She loves going out, especially walking. She has about a million favourite people and thinks people are just going to love her because that's what people do, and so far she's right. She likes going to bed for milk, and loves baths, and adores her sisters, who adore her.

We are deliriously happy.