SHE GIVES ME FEVER

One way or another, our little gipperkins has given me a fever. She has one too, but you'd never know it was 102 degrees by the way she was tooling around the house at 10:30 pm, getting into absolutely everything. Vanessa must have her mother's constitution for sickness, i.e., it doesn't show much.



My fever may be due to the same virus Vanners has, but I also have mastitis. It's hard to chase a toddler when you feel achy and electric. I find myself saying to her, "Why can't you be listless, like a normal sick baby?" But, truth be told, it's hard to get cranky at our little tiger kitten. She is such a blessing.

This weekend we expect three VIPs - both grandmothers and Auntie Anne! I know I'd be remiss if I failed to report Van's latest tricks and tales. Here are a few:

- She's been walking on her tiptoes for at least a month.
- She started wearing my shoes around the house.
- She tries to help us dress - she pulls up our pants.
- She climbs up the slide and walks down the jungle gym stairs.


- She had her very first gymnastics class this week and can walk the balance beam (I still can't).
- Lastest favorite word is "rock," only this time it's a verb. (She got the noun version down a few months ago.) Vanny will now sit on Milo and say, Rock?
- Second favorite word is "tail." Poor Milo. I shout, "Gentle!" a lot lately, and catch Milo looking at me with giant golden eyes, as if to say, Help Me.

- Van feeds us, Milo, Max, her baby dolls, and the stuffed animals.
- She can play Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes.

- Two word sentences are happening. "Walk now?" "Park ball." "No shoes!"
- Other vocabulary words: clock, chair, bike, coat, goat, apple. Today she spat out a primitive version of "pancake," which brought a tear to my eye.

- We find she is a very cooperative little patient when it comes to getting her temperature taken by ear, and taking eyedroppers of medicine (Tylenol, Motrin, antacid, vitamins). Not so willing to accept a cold washcloth, however. We get an adamant "NO!" and it's across the room.
- When we read books together Van can point out and say the things in the pictures. She also parrots the words I say.
- My personal favorite game is when we have a book open and she points to every object she sees, to get me to say what it is. She moves fast, and I do feel certain she's quizzing me, as if she's going to catch me if I make a mistake.

- She is predominantly right handed, but is starting to use her left hand again (she used to be ambidexterous, as I bet all babies are at first). She's goofy foot for sure.
- Vanessa is a drummer. She's finding lots of things to use around the house as 2 sticks and a pad.
- Daddio came home from a walk with the comment, "Well, she's mastered everything at the park now."

I'll leave you with a video of Van in the tube, and one of Milo discharging some herding instinct. We call this game Playing Rabies. It can make Vanessa absolutely scream with laughter.