The milesones just keep coming, little darling! You took your very first unassisted steps today (September 6 - 16 months and 1 day old) but you didn't stop there. We are here in Rauland and it began with two or three tentative, tottering steps from Mormor to me, and then you turned right around and took six or eight steps right back to Mormor! Mommy and I were thrilled, and you spent the better part of the next hour going back and forth from Mormor to Mommy (something about those women that Morfar and I just can't compete with;-)...
Well, a month has gone by since I wrote that first paragraph, and I think you will agree that it has been the most exciting month of your life. In this short time you've gone from Superwoman-style walking (arms raised high above your head for balance, ear-to-ear smile, fits of laughter as you tumble into our arms after a few steps) to now being able to walk fifty or even a hundred steps at a time before falling over! You no longer need your arms for balance (darn - it was so cute!!) and before long I'm sure you'll be running all over the place like your friend Ida, who comes running to the gate to greet us every morning in the barnehage.
And just how have your walking skills developed so quickly in such short amount of time? Your own eagerness and enthusiasm, that's how! All you've wanted to do is go back and forth from Mommy to Daddy, or the table to the chair, or your rocking horse to your doll stroller, or the vacuum cleaner to the guest room, or even the car to our front door, and for every step you've been simply ecstatic at discovering the new things your body can do and the new ways in which you can now experience the world. Mommy and I have been ecstatic, too, and ever so proud as we sit on the floor and send you back and forth between us; we've spent many a happy afternoon after barnehage 'working out' in this way.
There really are no traces left of the baby you once were - our Tiny Seen. You're such a big girl now, and you've even learned how to say 'Sunniva' instead of 'Dynne.' You can almost count to ten in both Norwegian and English (with a little help from us) as well as being able to recognize just about every letter in the alphabet if we show it to you. You love the alphabet song (ElleMennoPee!) and all the songs you sing in the barnehage. Apparently you even reminded Hilde of a verse that she had forgotten, and this after hearing it only once! Your memory is truly extraordinary, you love to rhyme - 'vanno danno' 'glassy dassy' - and you now prefer short phrases to simple words: 'look at that' 'pusse tenner' 'sitte stol' 'hoppe trappa' 'lille bukken Bruse' 'ride ride ranke' 'tøyse mamma/pappa/dynne' 'lese bok' and any other combination of words that you hear us say. You've also begun to enjoy drawing; colored pencils on paper with Mommy and with your fingers on the inside of the shower door with Daddy.
UPDATE: Only hours after writing this post you shocked us both by bursting into song for longer than ever before - you suddenly sang the whole first verse of 'bake kake søte, dyppe'n fløte, (lala) sukker så i vann, tomme gammel mann, som kake prikke...' And shortly thereafter you decided (out of the blue) to count all the way to ten for the first time in English - with characteristically excellent pronunciation!! Proud parents?!! Are you kidding me?!!
