Are we there yet?: Favourite things

I thought a fun way to give you a snapshot of Charlotte would be to fill you in on what some of her favourite things are these days:

At the top of the list would have to be HATS. She loves them: wearing them, cuddling with them, pointing them out in books and on people on the street. Most days when I drop her off at daycare she keeps her hat on until after I've left. She usually spends the first few minutes of the day on Rosa's lap (her favourite worker) sucking her thumb and rubbing her hat with the other hand. And when I pick her up in the afternoon, she gives me a smile but I often don't even get a hug before she's heading straight for her cubby to retrieve her hat. I don't think I've had to buy Charlotte one hat yet - she's gotten some really lovely ones as gifts in a nice range of sizes - so if you're one of our hat-giving friends, you should know that they are loved!

Her BED: Charlotte loves her bed (I take complete credit, justified or not: like mother like daughter). She's a good little sleeper, and when she wakes up in the morning or after a nap she's usually happy to chill out in her bed for awhile. Sometimes she even gets upset when we take her out of her bed. She'll lie there sucking her thumb, playing with a stuffed animal, or cudding with her covers.

WALKING and DOING STAIRS: Charlotte is walking quite comfortably now. She stills falls down regularly, but gets herself back up right away (bum first, by pushing up with her hands and feet on the floor). She seems more independent now that she's walking, and it's also entertaining for her to walk around. She drawn to stairs like a magnet, and loves going up and down. Above all, she loves BEING CHASED, especially by Daddy. When she hears James coming in the door, she immediately starts running away while going "YAHHH!" (her impression of the roaring noise James makes when he chases her).

BOOKS with moveable parts: Charlotte has a couple of books with parts that move or sections of the page that pull up and down. These are her favourites, but they're definitely the worse for wear. One page that's supposed to feature wagging fox tails is completely destroyed, but she'll still turn to that page, point to the torn part and say "wa wa wa" (wag wag wag).

SALMON and RAISIN BRAN (not in combo): Charlotte's a decent eater, but she loves salmon/rainbow trout most of all. She can really put it away. Raisin bran is her breakfast of choice. The last time I tried to do oatmeal for breakfast she was having none of it. She turned down a spoonful with a firm "no", pointed to the kitchen and said "wee" (raisins)? One of several indications we now have a toddler on our hands, not a baby: she knows what she wants! Other favourite foods include sweet potato fries, peas, corn, pineapple, bananas, and Aeroroot biscuits.

CARS or any vehicle with wheels, really: Charlotte calls them "tar", makes a "broom" sound for them, and points out the "wyl". She'll imitate the sound of a car horn or truck backing up when she hears it. Often on our way home from daycare we'll pass a bike locked up in a bike rack and she'll want to stop and inspect it.

Old favourites that Charlotte still loves include her stuffed animals, especially her rabbit, and taking baths.