Sophie is cautious and careful.  She doesn't go up and down stairs quickly and is still a little traumatized by prickly berry bushes on the way down to the lake ("down koo lake"). She loves peek-a-boo ("where Sophie go?") ("I found her") (parents, now how boring is that after a while?), dancing, spinning with or without a partner, flying, "horsie" which has Daddy either on all fours or giving her a piggy back.

Sophie has thrilled us by beginning to make sentences. The first two we noted were: Trying to find a little plastic duck that goes down a spiral chute: "Where ducky go?" while signing "where". While "helping" mommy vacuum: "Mommy and Sophie do it together" while signing "together". Lots of "Sophie do it by self," like when putting on or taking off clothes or shoes. Or she'll give up and say "Mommy do it." Also lots of "socks off" and "shoes off"--she really likes being barefoot. She has lately been singing in French and Hebrew: Frère Jacques, Na'adned, Shabbat Shalom, Ooga Ooga Ooga (among others). Weird thing about the Frère Jacques--we haven't sung that song to her very much, and she doesn't have it on any of her tapes. She just came out with it one day. She also loves to sing the ABC song and Happy Birthday song.

She had a doctor visit recently where her statistics were: Ht: 34 1/4" (87 cm), Wt: 25.5 lbs (11.6 kg), Head Circumference: 47.6 cm, which puts her in the 90-95th percentile for height, 75th or so for weight, and 50th for head circ., which means she is tall and slim and is growing nicely into her large brainy head!

She is very playful and loves to pretend. She puts her 4 Teletubby dolls to sleep all in a row. And sometimes she pretends that they can't fall asleep and she cries. When taking a bath a few nights ago she kept teasing me (Noel) by drinking bath water. I kept covering my eyes and saying I didn't want to see her drink the water - it was dirty. I am teaching her the Hebrew "yichsah" and she enjoys trying to say it. Two currently popular phrases are "Oh my gosh" and "Oh my goodness", said with emphasized intonation. She asks things like "Where mommy go" (where did mommy go?).  She may ask you "come with me" or "look at me" - sternly and grabbing your chin in her hands, twisting your head if you don't comply.  "Want some?" may sound like an offer to  taste her food, but beware if you refuse, you're likely to have it shoved into your mouth anyway.

Sophie visiting with friends in nearby Continental Village (Sophie is the modest one).