We're just starting to thaw today from a blast of snow and cold that arrived on Wednesday evening. My bike was in the shop that day, and I picked it up at 5:30 and rode it home in the height of the snowstorm (it wasn't sticking to the pavement yet). The mile of my ride along West Marginal Way was in a bike lane containing about an inch of slush giving my feet an ice water bath. I had popsicle toes when I got home. I haven't ridden since because the streets are still icy. But today they began to thaw a little and by Tuesday we're supposed to be back to our normal rain. I miss commuting on my bike even after only two days of busing it.
I know I write a lot about what Audrey says. It's because I think the process of language acquisition is fascinating. I love observing how she assembles her mental model of the world. I'll apologize right now to Charlotte for the fact that by the time she is learning these things we might not be as fascinated.
Here are Audrey's latest:
This week Audrey loves to say, "Look what I can do!" Then she'll perform some "feat" such as gulping, winking or flailing her arms wildly. Once in a while it really is a surprising skill, like being able to jump (quite far!) from one rug to another without touching "lava".
Audrey has had a bad-sounding cough for a month now. It's not all the time, but it clearly makes her uncomfortable. At two weeks Carol called the doctor and they said if she doesn't have a fever and the cough is productive it'll just take care of itself. But Carol called again yesterday at four weeks and they said to bring her in. The doctor was a little perplexed and sent us for a chest X-ray. The X-ray was digital, so we could see it right away. I showed it to Audrey and explained about having bones in her body. I guess she wasn't ready for that, because the rest of the day she was complaining, "I don't want bones in my tummy!" Carol would pretend to remove them. Once in a while, Audrey would say, "I want my bones back in my tummy." The X-ray was clear, by the way, so we're back to waiting for the cough to run its course.
Charlotte is also learning new things. She can get herself into and out of her step stool cum picnic table. She'll even stand up on the step (she's only fallen off once). She can lower herself down from the banquette bench in the kitchen on her belly. She'll do it from the (tall) bed in her bedroom, too, but obviously we spot her for that. It's starting to appear as though she might be as fearless as Audrey. Charlotte can also make it up the stairs (also obviously only when being spotted).
Charlotte is also responding more all the time to language. If Carol says, "let's go change your diaper," Charlotte will walk into her bedroom. Same at bath time. And she'll shake her head when offered food she doesn't want. She loves to "deliver" items. She'll find Audrey's Vegas and take it to Audrey. Or she'll find one of our shoes and bring it to Carol or me.
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