I know, it's been forever since the last post. We've been busy.

Notes on Veronica:

She is a natural born storyteller. She makes up elaborate tales involving her toys, and her dreams, and what's happening in picture books that have not yet been read to her...and even the ones that have. If she doesn't know the reason for something, she tries to come up with one. It's amazing.

Veronica has resumed swim lessons and has now started dance lessons. She enjoys both immensely. I watch her at her dance lessons and can sometimes see the little girl who struggled to walk; just the way she moves, I can tell that her muscle tone is still low, that she's still a little too flexible and yet not as strong as the other children. But why would I point that out to her? She's having a wonderful time, she's learning, and she's doing well. And only as her mother do I notice it.

She is not shy and talks to anybody and everybody. She orders her own beverages at least in restaurants; sometimes she'll order her own meal as well. She's very good at repeating what has happened during her day or her weekend.

And then there's how sweet she can be. Last night I was washing her back in the tub and made some offhand comment about "be nice if someone gave ME a backrub!" Oh, how I forget that there is no such thing as an offhand comment around a four-year-old! Veronica instantly piped up, "I'll rub your back, Mommy!" While we forgot then, she remembered this morning, and even though we were running late, I had to stay seated on the floor while she ran her little hands up and down my back, gently, as if she were petting a kitty cat. She did this a few times and then said "Done! Mommy, was that a good back rub?" I told her it was the best I'd ever had. And it's true. She can be so loving and so sweet that I can't imagine the best masseuse in the world could've made me feel any better. :-)

Here's pictures of Veronica from the past few weeks, vogueing in her dance gear; posing in one of her special lil' self-picked compromise outfits for a school day; and shilling for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, apparently. What a ham. What a doll. I don't know what I'd ever do without her.