October 7

Today at Sprouts, Audrey discovered that she is now big enough to bounce on this ball all by herself. Last spring she couldn't quite manage it alone, but today she was a bouncing fool. I couldn't get a decent picture as she was constantly bouncing. I do like this one. It's not in very good focus, but you can tell that she is bouncing and you can see that she is smiling.

Audrey actually had fun the whole time at Sprouts today. You wouldn't think that would be surprising, considering that she is in a big play space with lots and lots of cool toys, but she is normally not very happy at Sprouts. She is whiny and clingy and won't go anywhere or play with any toys unless I am in touching distance. And then when another kid comes near here (keep in mind we are sharing this space with 50 other kids!), she screams no and starts to cry. It is usually very stressful for me, especially when I have to help with clean up and snack time.

But something was different today, and Audrey was so happy. She ran off to play with everything, she took turns with the other kids and shared the toys, and she checked in with me every so often by running up and giving me a hug and a kiss and a big smile. It was such a nice morning...exactly what Sprouts is designed to be! I'm hoping she is turning over a new leaf and this happy behavior will continue in the coming weeks/ months!