Independence

From what we observed of feeding time at the orphanage in February, we expected Phoebe to be somewhat less independent than other children her age. It's obvious now, after a few days, that our expectations were wrong. Phoebe feeds herself (she needs a little help towards the bottom of the yogurt container, when you need to aim the spoon a bit to fill it, but otherwise she's fine). I already mentioned the fact that she doesn't do sippy cups. She's also able to help us dress her, putting her arms through sleeves without coaxing, etc. Not unusual for an 18-month old, but something of a surprise for us.

She's also quite willful: pure apple juice only, please. Try to dilute it, and she'll slap the cup away. Ditto for water and milk. It's a battle of wills she'll lose, of course, but not until we're back on home turf and we get her into a routine. Today she tried to climb out of her crib at nap time (after tossing everything out of it), so she may be in a bed faster than we thought.

All in all she keeps us on our toes, and keeps us laughing, a lot.