Swinger

We took Hope to the swings on Sunday. She may not be much of a sledder yet, but that girl loves her swings.

Photo o' the day

Mo and Hope last weekend at a museum in Detroit.


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Hell on wheels

A few months ago, our friends, Joe and Sheila, gave Hope a hand-me-down push cart their daughter used. Apparently, she loved it so much they had to hide the evidence of their betrayal, sneaking the Winnie the Pooh-themed vehicle into the car while she was unaware, employing the stealth and foresight of high-school sophomores stashing a six-pack of Blatz in the woodshed for Homecoming.

Now we can see why. The cart has given Hope the freedom of a young go-getter's first moped. It took her a while to warm up to its charms and figure out how to maneuver it. But now she's hell on wheels, making the rounds of the house like a milk-man dropping off Half and Half to Aunt Ethel back in the day.

Until a few weeks ago, she would travel in straight lines and cry when she reached the wall. Now, she's figured out routes even more circuitous than Northwest pilots. She rounds corners with ease and aplomb, makes hairpin turns worth of Mario Andretti and generally terrorizes Mo's beloved but otherwise vile tabby, Jack. Lulu has already learned to give Hope a wide birth when she's in the cockpit of the Winnie the Pooh mobile.

Here's our girl in action. And thanks, Joe and Sheila. And sorry to their daughter. Hopefully, she can't read yet. But she is awfully precocious.

Busy Girl

For a toddler who can't walk yet, Hope is one busy little girl these days. She's got places to go and things to do.

She has to explore the kitchen -- and everywhere else, for that matter -- with her push cart.

Along the way, she has to stop at the refrigerator to rearrange the magnets and even sample a few:

Then it's off to the dishwasher to rearrange the cups (and sip out of a few; yes, they're dirty. And yes, I'm a bad mom. But she likes the cups!), bang the door to the garbage and bang whatever cupboard within reach:

Eventually, around noon, it's time for a nap. After 2-3 hours, it's time for more fun: