Heaven must be missing an angel

She doesn't walk yet, but she stands. Here's the proof:

So that's progress. She can stand up without holding on to anything. Walking has to be just around the corner, right?

We've been able to enjoy the weather a bit more recently. We've been to a couple different parks, and though there isn't much for Romelie to do there (no walking = no climbing = she can sit on the swing or the ground and that's about it), at least she's getting fresh air and sunshine.

She also started Waterbabies this morning. It's a 10-week class held on Saturday mornings at the Courage Center, a rehabilitation center in Golden Valley. She gets to take swim lessons (in the loosest definition of the word, of course - mostly we bounce the babies around in the water and sing songs) in a heated pool. She did alright - not as well as most of the other kids, but she was also the only one taking the class for the first time, which I was very surprised about, so she's just not as comfortable in the water as the rest of them. Hopefully she'll have more fun as she gets used to it.

I will say, as sweet and cute and smart as Romelie is...it's hard for me to understand her emotions and behavior sometimes. I mean, I take a toy away from her and she throws the biggest tantrum in the world. Another kid touches her gently and she cries for 5 minutes. Someone she's seen dozens of times says hello to her and she hides her face in my shoulder or even acts afraid. So I was surprised (and a little disappointed) she didn't have more fun today. And when I took her little pool toy away and she screamed for two minutes (the only kid to react that way), I have to admit, it was a little embarrassing. Here's all the other kids, ranging from 6-36 months, having fun, giggling, or just calmly enjoying themselves - and here's my 16 month old throwing a screaming fit because I took away a plastic duck that wasn't hers to begin with. I mean, I know every kid in that pool has done that at some point to their parents, too, and it's not just my kid. But I wish I understood the reasons behind the mood swings.

But not to worry. I may not be able to predict her mood, but I can still enjoy it when she's happy and content. And thanks to this awesome video, so can all of you.

Finally, now that I have so many pictures to post, I've got a couple of funny hair pictures to share. The first (hair on top of the head) I did not do to her. Jen did it while Romelie was at daycare. And even though she looks like a Dr. Seuss character...it's still kind of cute. And it does get her hair out of her eyes, which is becoming something of an issue.

And second, most of you probably don't know this because I don't think I've mentioned it before, but Romelie has curly hair. Within a day of wearing hats and me trying to smooth it off to the side, it becomes straight, and that's how she looks in all her pictures...but right out of a bath, it's really very curly. So I took a few pictures after her bath so you could see it. Gotta love the attitude in the pics, too.