The Number Field

Jenny had a long list of errands to run yesterday. On her way out the door, while Elena was partway into a good long nap, Jenny gave me a suggestion for a photo session when Elena woke up. Elena has many wonderful hand-me-down toys, and one of the largest is a pink car that's just big enough for her to ride in, and she loves it; the photo shoot featured the car.

With the recent good weather (not too cold, not too hot, a rarity around here), Jenny sometimes leaves the screen door open and Elena goes out to play. We leave the pink car on the patio because of its size, so Elena can only play with it when she's out there. Sometimes she brings her other toys outside; she likes to put them in the car's trunk. She also likes to stand up with the car as support. She's tried to get into it on her own, but so far has only managed to climb over it. Yesterday, she and I pushed it back and forth between us, similar to how we roll a ball back and forth.

The real fun starts when we take it off the patio and out to the parking lot of our apartment complex. She likes it so much more than a stroller. That's where Jenny's suggestion came in. We had good light, so I took a bunch of pictures of Elena's first car. I'll have to remember to pull these out when she turns sixteen.

One final note: these may be Elena's final toothless pictures. After months of waiting we think her teeth are really coming in this time. We see definite redness and swelling in her gums, and I have felt a bump that is more than just the gum line--I think it must be an erupting tooth. Every time she has a fussy day, we blame it on teething, but I have greater confidence than ever before that the teeth will show themselves imminently.