Little wanders... Little Wonders.

As Irini grows, so too does the spectacle of the development of her personality. We spend hours on end watching her as she lies in bed making noises and slowly pushing herself upward with her feet, her muscles not quite under control yet. We spend hours in awe as she learns basic forms of communication: little "huh" sounds and louder "ah" sounds and the, ever-irresistible smile. On occassion we swear she is partaking in the conversation. What was that? What did she say? What did she mean? Yesterday she spent almost 20 minutes just smiling at her mother in response to Natalia's melodic voice. Interaction seems to be something she covets. The same holds true for her parents. How often does one walk little (yet growing) Irini around the apartment, down to the pool, around the neighborhood or to the park singing songs and telling stories? Not often enough. Now she can focus on little toys dangling above her. Now she can focus from one focal point to another with more ease. Her eyes dart this way and that. Her awareness is more acute. We walk her over to trees and flowers and bring the leaves just near enough to brush up against the side of her small hands, to introduce her to nature and to different textures. We sing in Greek, in Spanish, in English. We dance and we enjoy the moments of wonder. She is not old enough to talk, but certainly old enough to embrace what she likes, to communicate with a smile or a tear, and to bring such wonder to the lives of all she touches. She is already a person who seems happy, content and satisfied with her realities. Life moves on. We move on with her.