Our Life This Week

One of my favorite new (children's) books is Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney. The first time I read it, I cried. The second time, I cried again. I'm better now. Here is Dessi reading it. She also loves the little stuffed nut brown hare that came with the book, I think mostly because it is small, light and fits easily into her mouth. Our friend Lesley bought this for her. Thanks, Les!



We're still in temporary housing, but it's not so bad because we can walk to a nearby hotel and swim in their pool. Dessi and I go every day -- it has a kid's pool with a little jet stream of water that has kept her fascinated for the last six visits. Here are the three of us there on Sunday. (I am posting this photo as an exercise in Releasing My Ego, by the way.)

In the water, Dessi's belly is of little consequence, so she is starting to TAKE STEPS!!! One foot in front of the other, she'll do six or eight in a row. She's far from being able to walk on land, but she's starting to understand how to move her feet and legs. It's so fun to watch, and when her mamma and dad cheer, she sticks her tongue out -- her new way of showing delight.





She's also learned to clap! No, not really. But when I clap, she laughs a lot, and when I clap her hands together for her, she laughs, too. I'm easy to impress when someone's this cute.

Here we are at the beach. Somehow Eric manages to read and stuff, but if Dessi's around, all I can do is watch her; I don't want to miss anything.