Miss Gump

Our family nickname for Anya is "gump" or sometimes "Miss Gump."  Imagine our delight when we actually came across a storybook featuring a little girl (Nellie Lou) doing various imaginative hair styles on a customer (Miss Gump) who keeps asking for something different.  There are lots of extraordinary 'dos, such as shaping into an umbrella, a large piece of swiss cheese, an island with a palm tree surrounded by waves...

This week our Miss Gump was pretending to style her grandmother's hair.  She combed it this way and that, and finished by saying, "Now we need to comb your hair down over your ears.  You have big ears, Grandma -- " in a matter-of-fact tone -- "nearly as big as Julia Gillard's."  (Does this count as political awareness?)

Meanwhile, Callum has started to take notice of letters and numbers more.  He was lying next to me in bed, on his side, then arched backward and said, "I'm C!"  This amazed me, as this means that not only does he know the letter, he is actually picturing the shape his body is making, and connecting the two.

Anya and Callum have been playing together more and more, and laughing together which is delightful to eavesdrop on.  When our neighbour's daughter comes over to play their favorite group game is for Callum to roar and chase them while they run around screaming.  But on their own, they usually play elaborate games like being at school, or travelling into outer space.

Best of all, I heard Callum bustling around in their room, then call to Anya, "You can come back now!"  She was drawing something at the table next to me.  I asked Anya what Callum had been working on, and she said, "Cleaning the room."  It seems she directed him to tidy up (he must have strewn toys around as usual), and left the room until he had done it!