Elle's got some new tricks!

So alot has happened to our once very quiet and slower moving household since just before the new year. Our little baby has turned into a very quick and clever monkey. I guess we have been able to tell she was a monkey since the beginning, but now we really know it without a doubt. Among Elle's favorite new tricks is to sneak off to the stairs when Mommy and Daddy are occupied with something important and climb up all the way to the top... or wait on about the fourth step up and look back waiting for us to notice her, so she can give us that cheeky little grin that says... "look at me i am climbing the stairs and I know you will give me a good reaction". That reaction is running to the stairs before any accidents happen when Elle laughingly climbs up as many more steps as she can get up before we catch her. Instead of being stern or saying no we are broken down by her laughs and giggles because she is so excited about her little game. It is Sooo hard being angry when she thinks its so funny and is so proud of herself. Needless to say we are now outfitted with baby gates at the Dry household. Other pastimes Elle now enjoys are helping Mommy with the dishwasher. Let's just say this is more a hindrance than a help. She especially likes the knives and dirty spoons. We also have alot of fun playing music on Mommy's piano. Mommy cannot play a single song without her accompanist Elle! For Christmas she got her two front teeth and boy are they big and sharp she uses them to bite mommy, chew on her crib( I think she is going to chew off all the stain) and chew on pretty much anything else she can get her hands on. You know when you say "Oh, I just can't wait for them to start crawling and walking"..... Well you never quite know what your missing out on until it hits and then you can't even remember the days when you plopped them on the floor and gave them some toys and they were content to just sit there and play. Gone are those days! Elle is well on her way to walking. She stood on her own the other day for a good 40 seconds or so and we keep catching her testing herself to see how far she can reach to get somewhere standing up. She is trying to talk as well. Curtis or I will say something and then we will hear it being repeated and we will look at each other and try for 10 minutes to get her to say it again but she won't of course. We heard her say burp clear as a bell the other day. She also loves to say Dadda and will only say Mommy if she really wants to, or really wants my attention. If i try to get her to say Mommy she usually just smiles and says Dadda. She also uses sign language to communicate. She signs for milk or a drink, and signs for more when we are eating and signs for all done when we are eating. She loves music and will move to music if it is on. If i start to sing " If your happy and you know it" she claps her hands right away and gets all excited. She loves bath time and has also discovered how to flush the toilet all on her own. It just reminds me that they are always watching no matter how little! Stay tuned for more new developments