Without any encouragement from me, little EC has decided that it’s time to let go, and let the cards (and her diaper-cushioned buns) fall where they may. She really wants to stand on her own, and not one week after first climbing to a standing position, she’s making the push to the next achievement. She hasn’t figured out the balance thing, but she has learned that if she asks for my hand, I’ll give it, and she can keep herself up as long as she want by holding my fingers. Today, she also learned that it was fun to fall back into a ball pit, which we have in the little communal play room in our complex.

She also performed a new stunt for Empirical Mom tonight. Instead of shoving her face into the blanket to go to sleep, she decided for the first time to pull up to standing position in the crib. Tomorrow morning, I will probably go in to find her bouncing, just like the five little monkeys in the story that we read her every day before putting her down.

It was so hot out today when I took her for a walk, that when we saw some friends in the swimming pool, and they offered a spare swimming diaper to EC, I accepted, put it on her, and we just jumped—me fully clothed—into the pool. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen EC happier. I think I hadn’t realized just how miserable she was in the heat.