Sep 1st -  Samantha grows more agile and eloquent every day. She loves to roughhouse, bounce on beds and hassocks, and fall into the arms of slightly-panicked parents. Running is another favourite sport. Her speech meanwhile, becomes more complex. She counts, sorts items, and is learning to use inflection to shade meaning, such as asking questions or to emphasize a point. Her mastery of the spoon and cup is nearly complete, and lately she's demanded to be more helpful, whether unloading groceries, or assisting with bringing in the milk, or even shutting the refrigerator. She takes great pride in being part of the team, and is eager to be praised for "taking over" some chores. Even if it now takes twice as long.

Aug 5th -  The daily life of a toddler is very routine, but also full of surprises. Samantha recently had her second train ride, which she enjoyed very much. She's also learned that headphones can play music. It's quite a thrill to watch her hold the earpieces up to either side of her head and smile as she begins the discovery of music. Lately she's also tried a few new foods, and is becoming more adept at communicating objective facts about her day or the shows she watches. But when she tells us the stuffed bunny rabbit is happy or tired, we know who she's really talking about. She still has distressing, loud tantrums, but also says she loves us without any prompting. Using 'please' and 'thank you' also sometimes comes spontaniously as well.