Colette, you silly thing, how I dote on you. You have just been blossoming lately. You are now almost 16 months, and every day, every moment you are discovering something new. You won a Barbie doll at a "Family Fun Day" and are terrified of it up close. I have never seen you like that with a toy. Yesterday you "fed" her some play chocolate milk, but only from far away. You also "fed" it to you stuffed dog (my old dog Toffie) and your little sister. Today you pronounced clearly your first word that I've seen closely associated with its meaning-"shoe". Your daddy thinks you like the sound of it rolling off your tongue because you say it over and over as you pick up shoes. The sound of it coming out of your mouth varies, and sometimes sounds like you're saying sh*t! This morning your Meema and Beeba joined us at your library program. I take you to three library programs a week, full of songs and games, hoping you'll warm up and participate eventually. But, every time we go you never fail to grip my hand and shrink from the little wild thing you normally are into a clingy stone-faced girl! But this morning they had everyone pretend they were asleep...this afternoon your dad and I observed you pretending the same thing! You pulled your little dog (Toffie) close, lay on the ground, and snored!! We look forward to your little antics daily. You dance to your "how much is that doggie in the window" song over and over, wear your rosary on your neck, and smile sweetly snuggling yourself when we say you're beautiful. And my goodness Colette, you really are.