Amazing little E

Some amazing things Elinor has done this week:

* Learned to say "no". She was playing and Pete asked her for a hug and she said no. He said oh really? No, was the response, then a quick exit stage left was heard pitter pattering away. She says no in context and out of it, so I can only know that she knows it's meaning and the power behind it, but is still learning all the appropriate ways to use it.

* Christine and Jacob came over for dinner on Tuesday night, impromptu and Christine made some chocolate mousse for dessert. Elinor wanted to help with either the dessert or dinner. She doesn't quite have knife chopping skills down, so helping with dinner was out. Christine held her on her left hip/arm and used the hand mixer in the right hand. She did great watching. The next morning when she helped me unload the dish washer (she really does), she found the beaters and off she went. Awesome! I can do the top shelf without her help. 

Later, I was on the phone with my mom and she saw the beaters where she had left them, grabbed them and walked away... as she often does. I hear a thud in the kitchen and go to look. I see Elinor has found the cupboard (she isn't supposed to go in) where the hand mixer is kept, has grabbed it out, and has put the beaters into the mixer!

* I snapped a banana in half and started the peel, and then gave it to Elinor, as I normally do. I figure it'll teach her how to do the peels. She takes it, smiles, peels it the rest of the way, sets her banana down, grabs all the peel parts, walks to the garbage door, opens it (I've never shown her this), throws away the banana peel, closes the door and goes back to her banana. wow!

* Pete was going to run outside quick and get something, she quickly grabs her shoes out of the closet, sits in Pete's lap as he's trying to get his shoes on, and in doing so, gets her own shoes put on.

*She has grown to 27 pounds, 32.25 inches.

*Elinor and I went sailing! Our first times together on Thursday the 24th. More on that in another post- when i figure out how to get pictures off my phone-

*Every time we go to the bike shop she looks at product in the store. Depending on how much time we have, we look at the Strider bikes. She's always looked at them, held the grips, etc, but not she's tall enough to stand over the bike! She was doing that last time, and she starts walking away on it!! FIRST BIKING STEPS!! wahoo.