For the record.

People constantly ask me what new things Cecily is doing and I'm nearly always caught off guard. I fall back on "climbing like a crazy person," which is a true but abbreviated characterization. Thus this highly scientific record:

She is climbing like a crazy person. We've moved all the kitchen chairs to the living room and the stools to the basement in my continuing efforts to have her never be on the countertops again. It's not a perfect solution, though, and like any adventurous 14-month-old worth her salt, she falls off any given surface nearly every day (frequently many times a day).

Evidence of climbing/extreme grocery shopping.

She also loves to go grocery shopping off the lazy susan. She ferries canned and dry food products on and off the shelves all day every day. Her favorite time to do this is, of course, when I'm cooking, resulting in the fact that, on a regular basis, I nearly fall to my death as I trip over her and her leaning towers of food.

She's a big copycat. If Caleb is running around yelling like a hooligan, she does it, too. I realize this is something that all children do, but this is the first time we have a baby with a sibling to imitate, so we're pretty charmed by it.

She also thinks Caleb's crazy sometimes.

She follows directions (when it suits her). She'll bring me her shoes and socks when I ask--if she doesn't get distracted by something shiny in the meantime ("Squirrel!")--and she'll take things to Paul or Caleb if instructed.

She has several signs. "Please" has overtaken such useful signs as "milk," "food," and "more," unfortunately, but she regularly does less useful signs such as "fish," "bird," and "cracker/quack quack" (same sign--'cause it's the same thing, right?). She also signs "Grandma" and "Grandpa" and "hot."

That's her "fish" sign. At the aquarium.

Paul tells his family that she isn't talking, but that's an ugly lie. Her words include bath (ba), Mama, Dada, Bubub (Caleb), hi, and eye (generally accompanied by a poke in the eye). She has attempted to say "nose" and "ear" as well. Plus she says lots of animal sounds: a growl, baa, moo (really just "mmm" with kissy lips), woof, oo ah (monkey noises), an elephant snort, tweet (in a very high voice), meow.

"Moo." (Really: mmmm.)

I think she got her last tooth about five months ago (it could've been six), so she's had just eight teeth for quite some time. I keep wondering if she's going to get more, and just last night, Paul discovered that she's getting a molar.

Rascal incognito.

She's kind of a rascal. She gets these ideas and then is delighted by herself. She giggled and giggled the other morning as she fed herself with a spoon for the first time. She loves to sneak into Caleb's room and examine all the big-boy, off-limits delights. She always wants me to hold her and put her down to bed, but Paul is the one she's constantly greeting and trying to play with. She said "hi!" to him five times tonight at dinner alone.

"Oh, Daddy, I love you!"