Ellie has been saying "ite, ite" for christmas lights.

She's been pulling herself up on everything (including bathroom drawers which then close on her, trapping her arms). She stands up in her crib when I get her up after her sleeps. It's very adorable-- she seems so much more independent, being able to stand, even though she still has to hang on to something. My little girl is growing up!

She also seems much more connected; it's easy to slip into I'm smiling cause she's smiling, then she's smiling more cause I'm smiling cause she's smiling-- until we're both just laughing with each other. Lovely.

Went for a swim today, which was very nice. I've been putting it off, cause it just seemed like a hassle. But J went with me, so we could split up responsibilities-- which make it all easy. And now I know there's nothing too it, and what to take and what not to take when I go. And I know which pool is which, and how to get into them safely, etc, etc. So we'll go more when J's back at work.

She *loves* listening to music, especially the Wiggles-- and she likes watching the DVDs. She really likes following along with the actions. It surprised me when I was changing her the other day and she started clapping-- "if you're happy and you know it clap your hands" was playing. I'm pretty impressed that she can pick that out of the song-- and it's not isolated, there's another Wiggles song which has "everybody clap"; and she does it to that as well. She does the mashed banana movement for "Hot potato". Her latest is holding her arms in a cradle shape for "Rockabye your bear".