Now it's climbing and jabbering. Kristin has been running all over the place for some time now. Her new physical activity is climbing anything and everything. Coffee tables, beds, couches, chairs are all being conquered by her.

A couple of weeks ago we were in a large hardware store. We turned our attention away from Kristin for a moment and when we turned back she was halfway up a ladder being used to stock shelves. At home, she likes it when I have to bring out the ladder to go into the attic - she gets to climb the top of the ladder. It's an interesting sight to see this 18 pound little girl going up a ladder and then standing at the top trying to peer into the attic.

Kristin seems to have regressed in using her vocabulary. She very seldom uses any word other than Mommy or Da-da (and Da-da much more infrequently - a real shot to my ego). The only new words that she occasionaly uses are ba-ba (bottle), uh-oh, and no-no-no. However, she constantly spews out strings of nonsense syllables in whispers, singing, and piercing yells.

On the other hand, her receptive vocabulary seems incredible. She understands dozens of phrases including close the door, give it to me, go get it, give me a kiss, let's swing, let's go outside, let's eat, go nighty-night, diaper time, touch your nose, brush your teeth, get your toothbrush, go find (a whole array of dolls and toys), take your shirt off, go upstairs.

The real adventure is about to start: It's time for toilet training. More on this exciting event next time.