Jiminy!

A beautiful, 9-word sentence from breakfast today:
"A little cottage cheese fell down on the floor."

Our pack-n-play is broken, and we had it on its side in the living room so we could inspect the damage. I need to remember that simply taking a familiar object and turning it over can be quite interesting. (Mom- I have a clear memory of a black stool that, when up-ended, made a very nice spaceship.) Eve was crawling in and out, and peeking at us through the mesh side. I asked if she was camping, and she replied, "In a tent! In the woods."

Hours later, at bathtime, she said, "I hear crickets outside." Now, it's October. And besides, even on our warmest summer evenings, we NEVER hear crickets here. So I was pretty sure I had misheard her. I asked, "Crickets?" She clarified, "Crickets outside the window. Eve's sleeping in a tent. Stars in the sky." For those of you keeping track- we went camping in AUGUST. We did hear crickets then, and we saw stars. I am absolutely, 100% certain that I have not mentioned crickets since then.

We went shopping yesterday at "the bins"- a big Goodwill depot not far from Eve's daycare. It is scary and filthy, but you can find decent stuff, and it's priced by the pound. We found some nice school clothes for Eve, and a FUNCTIONING Leap Pad. After I wiped it thoroughly with bleach at home, we started playing it. It has a page with a map of the US, and if you touch the pen to a state it will tell you things like the state name, capital, population, etc. Eve is very interested in the states that I have mentioned to her over and over in conversation- Ohio, Kentucky, and Oregon. She'll open the book and start whimpering, "Eve needs Kentucky!"

Speaking of whimpering, Eve has recently begun whining ALL THE TIME. I'm pretty sure she's not even aware of it- she does it even when she doesn't seem to need or want anything. I just keep telling her, "Eve! That noise you're making is whining. Please stop."