Shenius

Shenius= female genius.

It can be considered both offensive and perfectly suited for Layla. Offensive because having a specific word for a female genius suggests that the word genius is exclusive of the female gender, which we all know is far from the truth. For today's intent and purpose, lets not find it offensive, and instead let's observe Layla's adorable brilliance:

This might not seem like a big deal to everyone. But to those around her, it's a huge step. I asked her to put the laundry into the  basket, and she did it. She understood what I said and then performed a task. I couldn't believe it at first and had to pull out my iPhone to record this mini-major-milestone. Then I promptly texted it to Cary, who promptly showed it to his partner at work. It's been emailed to grandparents and aunts and uncle, so it's probably going viral (in our immediate family) as we speak.

In the last couple of days, Layla has learned new words and tricks that constantly surprise everyone around her. I held out her teddy bear and asked her what it was and she said "bur"(I screamed, "yeeessss!! good girl!!" which she likes to hear).  I asked her what a chicken says (while she was eating chicken for dinner) and she said, "bak bak baaak" as she munched away. We walked into the parking garage, and she pointed at each car and said, "ca! ca! ca!".  Yesterday she fell asleep on my lap without her pacifier, and without any warning. She just put her head down and was out, that has never happened.

Everyday brings new surprises. I mean EVERY-SINGLE-DAY!!  She's so much fun. It makes the fact that she still wakes up in the middle of the night a little easier to deal with. Hopefully when this cough she has passes, that will be the end of that chapter. Fingers crossed, knock on wood.