TWENTY-EIGHT

Allegra has locked-on to the number 28. We have no worldly idea why. At first, we thought she just said it all the time. Then we recognized a pattern - she associates it with night time. So whenever she realizes it has become dark outside, we'll hear "Huuu! Mommy, 28!!!" and a little finger points out the window into the darkness.

SELLING IT

The latest in Allegra's repertoire of tools for getting whatever she wants, is the pout. This is a professional pout too - none of those amateur tantrum screams or loud carrying on (that only frustrates a parent). The moment I have to raise my voice even the slightest, so that she knows I'm serious when I say she can't stab the wooden kitchen table with a fork (I know, I'm a jerk), this is about how it goes:

Instantly, she drops her head to facing straight down at her belly, and without a peep. She just let's it hang there, silently, in protest. After a few moments, she will very slowly start to wander off - away from the scene of the horrible injustice. Oh, and she sells it too - she keeps a perfectly even gait as she slooooowly exits left.

Should you try to run after her to console and explain the situation, she'll waive a dainty arm in your face and sadly say, "No dad." Nothing but a measured response to tug at your heart-strings (especially when you're the daddy that she has wrapped around her little finger).

If you go the other route, and let her wander off to have her own time for a few moments, and then go in after her a couple minutes later... Yeah, she'll be acting totally normal as you walk into the room she's in - that is, until she sees that you're there, and her head goes straight down again and the whole thing starts over.

This little two and a half year old princess knows what she's doing. I can only imagine how this will be perfected over the next 14 years. I shudder at the thought.

ARGH MATEY!

We're sitting in bed, Allegra between us. She pointed at Kristen's chest and asked, "S'that?"
Kristen said, "That's mommy's chest."
Allegra, cocked her head, scrunched her nose, and asked, "Pirates?"
It took Kristen a moment, before she realized, Allegra thought she was calling it a Pirate's treasure chest. How cute is that?!

EARS

Allegra has this thing where she loves to touch my ears as she's going to sleep. She'll lay there next to me in bed, sucking her thumb on one hand, and the other is reaching for my closest ear. Once she finds one, she'll just run her hand over it, occasionally holding onto the lobe, before moving around again. She does the same thing with our arms, so I guess it's about the softness of that skin.

Sometimes when I lay her down in her bed at night, she'll reach up one last time and say "ear". I'll lean over to give her access - she gets in one last touch of my ear and then rolls over to go to sleep. This is one of those things I hope never to forget. It's so sweet and soothing - for both of us I'm guessing.