Spring Yet?

Dear blog readers -

It's been a while since our last post. There is much to update - it seems that Iris changes every day. First, there are lots of new photos up on flickr. Photos from our Spring Break trip to Florida are here. We visited friends Amy and Ryan (and their kids Gus and Louisa) in Tampa and then visited Peter and Audrey Denton in Palm Beach. A good time was had by all. There are also new photos of our non-Florida activities here. We continue to struggle with our internet speed, so not many videos, I'm afraid.

Iris picks up new words every day. She speaks in sentences (sometimes), often 4-5 words long. It's pretty amazing to observe her language development. Favorites include "I no want it" "I no like it," "I like that one," . . . you get the idea. She often tags "please" onto the end of these statements, as in "I no want it please," to bolster her case . . . which is cute and refreshingly civilized, but not a particularly successful strategy, especially when it involves the usual dispute about wearing shoes, or a hat, or a diaper.

Iris also has started singing, which is lovely. Her first song that she sang by herself was Happy Birthday. She enjoys singing Happy Birthday to all of her friends. She now does Twinkle Twinkle, Three Blind Mice, the NapTime Song (copyright Mama and Daddy), and a few others. She also likes the alphabet song (especially as sung by Elmo), and can get through to about J on her own. The middle is rather fuzzy, and then she rallies at the end. Iris also enjoys counting a great deal. She can now get up to 20, although 13-16 are often skipped.

Spring is coming slowly here in New Haven. After the mounds of snow finally melted we've been getting outside more, but it is still cold and not feeling much like Spring. We're ready! We're sure you are too!