Beauty and the Beast.

Well, this is not a commentary on the dichotomy of behavior in my house (although Josephine has had a rough few days, as a compliment to Eleanor's excellent behavior). Actually, over the last few days, we've watched the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast in installments. (YouTube, a toddler, and breastfeeding/pumping are a dynamic combination.) And, while watching that movie, I feel like I noticed some exciting developmental connections made by Miss Eleanor. At one point, I was tending to Josephine and, hence, not watching the screen. It was a scene in the Tavern, and all the doltish men were singing about the worth of "not nice, mean" (as Eleanor calls Gaston). He must have done something noteworthy, because all at once the men on screen and Eleanor cheered simultaneously. It is neat to think that she could be watching and anticipating and noticing an achievement.

Also, while watching the "show" (as she calls anything on TV or the computer), she saw the talking household implements. She told me. "Light no talk." "Clock no talk." "Coff coff no talk."

Finally, she began to notice when the characters were falling in love. She was reading their emotional cues and reacting to them. Each time the characters looked at each other lovingly, she would take my hand, stroke my leg, or look at me saying what I am 99% sure was "I love you."

Finally (AGAIN), she has just been making all sorts of connections. She's always been verbal, and starting saying many words well before a year. But, her sentences have developed in a way I didn't expect. I thought she'd repeat phrases she'd heard. And, she does do that, but mostly she puts long strings of words together. For example, there is a house on our street with dog that is often in the front yard, although he wasn't today. Eleanor looked at the house and said, "House. Dog. Pet. Walk. Daddy. Hi. Bye. Home." So, it is clear what she means. It seems like an unusual way of doing things, but I am glad she's found a way to put her words to use. If all of us are patient enough to hear her out, things go much better around our house (as in WAY fewer fits). And, it's absolutely amazing to see her going from toddler to bright kid right before our eyes. Lucky us. :o)