Fully Recovered :)

Well, I'm happy to say that it seems that Carolyn has completely recovered from her bout with The Virus... she seems to have come through the experience with even more appetite and energy than she had before! I've had a hard time keeping up with her today! Not interested in naps, and crawling, crawling, crawling, everywhere- into everything! Still not terribly interested in walking- I think she could physically do it, but doesn't want to risk the fall to try until she feels a little steadier on her feet. Every day now, there are moments when I think she's just about to do it, though! So soon, I think.

Since the Illness has caused us all to have very sore throats, I made Jello yesterday for the first time in a long time- and today Carolyn got to enjoy a new tactile experience- I let her make a big mess with the Jello trying to pick it up with her fingers...
She quite enjoyed it, and greatly desired "more" when the Jello started to melt and became harder to pick up...
When "more" isn't delivered quickly enough, the signing gets a little more vicious and starts to be accompanied by some yelling. Carolyn was pleased with the initial results from her "more" sign (we were so excited that she could communicate with us that we instantly provided "more" of whatever she wanted)... and is, I think, disappointed with the way it has worked out now that the thrill of pride in a new skill is over- sometimes, "more" is not what is best for her- so I find myself repeating a new phrase, over and over: "all done!"
Carolyn tried her first "real" tomato today- from Grandma's tomato plant in our backyard (since our yard gets very nice southern exposure, which is apparently good for tomato growth). She made some odd faces, but kept reaching for more, so I think she liked it!
From this face, you'd think we never feed her!!! This child has pretty much eaten me out of house and home today! I've had a tough time getting the food shoveled in fast enough! It's like she's making up for the days this weekend when she didn't eat much of anything at all!
Lately, Carolyn has been very "into" hiding. Usually, she hides someplace where I can find her relatively easily (like behind Mommy's back, behind a door I can see closing, underneath her high chair, etc)... but tonight, I actually "lost" her for a few minutes (seconds)! I had left her in our mud room (adjoining the kitchen) while I was putting dishes in the dishwasher. All of a sudden, it just got so quiet I wondered what was going on... where was Carolyn? A swift glance in the mud room showed no little girl... so I did a quick search of the most likely places- bathroom (no), bedroom (no), closet (no), other bathroom (no)... my heart started to pound, and then I heard this little squawk from the direction of the mudroom (where I'd left her...) and closer inspection revealed a delighted little figure underneath the shelf in the mudroom where we keep all our shoes!! I quickly ran for the camera but the moment was gone- and in this picture, she simply looks deviant. :)
Carolyn uses "more" for almost everything these days... she's gotten to where she likes the water faucet on while she takes a bath- even if she's not playing with it... as soon as I turn it off, she starts ferociously signing "more" until I turn it back on. Then, just for good measure, she signs a few more times, as if to herself, to confirm that she does, indeed, have "more." :)
Hello, cutie!
Finally, for your viewing pleasure- a little snippet of what Bathtime is really like.