Our Daredevil Child

I'm the first to admit that certain qualities that Elie possesses are entirely her own. She was born with them, and they continue to manifest in interesting ways.

She's quirky. She does things for no apparent reason... like her behavior in the grocery store, ha ha. Who knows why she does this when she rides in the carts with the child seats.

This is how we realized we needed gates

She's a daring explorer. As soon as she could walk, she was climbing up the stairs and trying to climb up onto boxes, stacks of books, anything to get herself up higher.

Climbing up the end table to see Jimothy

This was before she could actually walk, 3rd floor window

She's pretty fearless when it comes to climbing, heights, etc. Her dad is a little afraid of heights. Her mom is not, but I don't think I was climbing anything when I was her size! Who knows, though. My mom doesn't really remember those kinds of details about me. I was climbing trees and fences around 6-7 years old, though. That I DO remember. I climbed a 50 foot rock face at about 9 years old, with my friend and her rock-climbing father. We were harnessed, and all that, and I had a BLAST. Sooo... maybe she gets it from me? Is that trait genetic?

Trying cottage cheese mixed w/flaxseed oil & cayenne pepper, and liking it.

She's an adventurous eater. She didn't get this from me... As a child, I wouldn't eat much. The list was short. I remember hiding cauliflower in my dinner napkin until I could dump it into the toilet. I remember bartering off my meals with my mom & sister. Or trying to, anyway! Elie wants to try everything on my plate, and Keith's. She pretty much decides on her own what she likes or doesn't like. We now have to be careful what we eat in front of her... no potato chips, highly processed foods, or alcoholic beverages! She wants to try it ALL.

She's also a sweetheart, though! She's not ALL intensity and terror-inducing (for us, her parents.) She loves her pets, who are more like big brothers... and Jimothy, at least, loves her back! Beckham is still holding his reservations. 

Jimothy getting a bite of E's cucumber

Jimothy enjoying a belly rub from E

Going down for a kiss

Blissed out next to Jimothy

I know that these two will be close for years... Jimothy Boo has always been so patient and loving with E. She refrains from screeching at him, though she lets loose around Beckham. (Probably one reason he doesn't hang out when she's up and about!) 

This is Elie sliding off our tall bed, all by herself. 

When she gets off our bed, by the way, she has to drop blindly to the floor, as you can maybe tell from the photos... and sometimes she loses her balance and falls onto her butt. But she does it again and again, just the same!

It's amazing watching her grow and make connections... the changes are happening so quickly every day. It's hard to even mentally catalog all the new things she figures out every day, or says, or seems to understand. This blog definitely helps me to share those things, though! (Right at this moment, she is standing on the other end table, by the sofa, no, she's now next to me, pulling my arm to go with her somewhere... better go! She's hard to resist...