The Number Field

We have noticed that Elena has a penchant for accessories, from head to toe. She loves playing with shoes, both hers and ours, and when it comes time to put them on she's always happy to put out her foot so the task becomes easier. Sometimes she offers to help me put my shoes on too.

Moving on up, purses fascinate her. She frequently gets distracted by Jenny's purse, but we've managed to train her not to dig around in it very often. Her Easter basket doubles as a purse, and it is currently one of the favorite toys in her rotation. Now that she's a walking girl, she likes to practice carrying things. Sometimes she'll load up with as many toys as she can fit in her hands--it's pretty amazing to watch her handle three or more little objects. Other times she'll try to carry as much volume as possible, usually in the form of stuffed animals. As she realizes that a purse can be used to help her carry all of her things, she'll probably come to like them even more.

Her deepest fascination is with necklaces. Since she figured out how to put them on several weeks ago, she's rarely seen without one or two or more around her neck. She got new ones for Easter, in different colors, and we can't be entirely sure, but it seems like she tries to coordinate them.

She's still developing a relationship with headbands. The first time Jenny put one on her, Elena had the biggest smile, and she still likes playing with them. She doesn't yet appreciate their functional value--that if she left one in, it would help keep the hair out of her face. Her hair is still in the intermediate stage where it's long enough to obscure her eyes and even get in her mouth, but too short to tuck behind her ears or pull back in a ponytail. When Jenny puts it up in a top ponytail, Elena's likely to pull out the bow and the rubber band that keep it together. Still, with all of her other accessory-loving tendencies, I'm sure she'll love to have her hair done once she gets the hang of it.