Ellie's first steps!

Little Miss Eleanor has taken her first tentative steps this morning! She is now fifteen months and three days old. We didn't catch the very first steps on video, but she took two more moments later, so we've got a video to share with you. Enjoy!

Sophie can wink!

She's been practicing all week and is getting pretty good at winking! This was taken on May 17th at my birthday dinner at Cafe Mumbai. Sophie likes to be properly accessorized for any special occasion.

An advancement on par with Gutenberg's invention of the printing press

Sophie surprised us today by writing the start of her name (albeit backwards) without any prompting. Fun times ahead, as we enter the age of writing!

Happy two and a half years, Sophie!

This kiddo just turned two and a half yesterday and she learns more every day! Her language skills amaze us and we're always laughing at her quotes. Here are a few recent ones:

Janet: "It feels like fall, holy cow!"
Sophie: "It doesn't feel like I'm falling!"

Dean: (offering Sophie pasta) "Do you want a spoon or a fork?"
Sophie: "A T-Rex would be fine."



Today, she showed me her new hopscotch skills for the first time and I was amazed at her progress. The last time she tried hopscotch, she sprinted from one end of the court to the other and dubbed the game "runscotch". (Thanks to Grandma Jan for the great photos!)


With a schedule that includes entertaining her grandparents, starting preschool, working on toilet training, and learning dozens of new words a week, being two and a half is an exciting time. We love you, Sophie!

Three small steps for Sophie...

We have an exciting video post for you today. Sophie has taken her first steps! Our thoughtful daughter made sure that Mommy, Daddy and Grandma Star were all present for this momentous event. If she can take three steps at ten and a half months, who knows what she'll be up to at a year!

Standing practice

A couple of nights ago, Sophie really got into practicing her standing up. She was practicing this on the bed, where falling is extra soft, and if you get tired of standing, bouncing is always an option. She was so into it, every time she dropped down, she'd get right back up and try again. And she tried for so long that it became reminiscent of a boxing match - at first, she'd pop up again without hesitation, but towards the end there, she'd fall over, look woozy and disgruntled, struggle to her feet with much grunting and complaining, and then fall over again almost immediately. (Plus, she'd yell "Adrienne!" every couple of minutes... Odd child.)

Rollin', rollin', rollin'

Sophie spent a good part of today trying her best to roll from her back to her front. She succeeded three or four times, but not without a little help from mommy or daddy. She was doing well, turning onto her left side and twisting her hips sideways, but she just couldn't finish the job by herself. I think the fact that her left arm was sticking straight forward on the mattress may have something to do with it. Anyway, this development means we'll have to keep a close eye on our little girl, she's ready to roll!

She's reading already!

We got Sophie a baby book called "Black & White" and she loves reading it! The other night, she was particularly interested in the chair picture. She gets so excited sometimes that she starts eating the book, high praise indeed!

Tummy Time

Sophie's gaining a lot of head control these days and can even hold her head up during tummy time. It's exciting to see how fast she develops!