July 10

Daphne has a funny new trick! She wags an index finger from side to side, shakes her head, and says, "no no no" just before we bust her for mischievous activities (e.g., climbing onto the dinner table, banging toys into glass end tables, playing with potting soil, removing random items from the pantry into the middle of our kitchen, etc). It takes a lot of self control not to bust out laughing, but Jennie and I try to give the impression of being in control as serious parental units.

My favorite time of day is the moment I get home from work and open the laundry room door entering our living room. Daphne drops whatever she is doing and screams, "Da" at the top of her little lungs. It truly warms my heart to see my little girl's excitement upon my arrival. After spotting me, Daphne jumps around like a rabid monkey aching for a banana slightly out of reach.

Last week, my older sister gave Daphne a "Tickle Me Elmo" doll. Wow, what a great gift! Daphne absolutely loves Elmo and Grover and Abby Cadabby and Ernie et al. She even tries to feed Elmo juice, but we don't have the heart to tell her that he's not alive or thirsty.

Daphne occasionally shows signs of having a touch of OCD like Jennie. She regularly empties all of the soda pop cans out of a 12-pack and proceeds to place them neatly in a pattern (sometimes two or three rows, but always symmetrical). Toy blocks must be organized properly or she gets frustrated and knocks them all over to start again. Another new behavior I have noticed is Daphne's desire to put her toys away --- unfortunately, she enjoys dumping them all over the floor repeatedly after putting them away.

Here are some new photos of Daphne:








Until tomorrow,
Dave T.