catch up

The month of March just flew by and August no longer fits in her 18month clothing. Some of her 24 month clothing had to go too. She's grown a lot and is one of the tallest girls in her class. But that might not amount to much. I was one of the tallest girls in my class and that lasted exactly one year when I was 11. She's a very happy and secure little kid. She still approaches absolute strangers and engages them in conversations about shoes, babies, eyes, dogs, and bicycles. She still hasn't had any "stranger anxiety" though she does study some new people for a while if they engage her first. But she never runs off or hides. August is the only one in her class who will play with the class bully, Dahlia. All the other kids avoid Dahlia because she likes to push people until they fall over. But August is so big, she doesn't fall. They roughhouse until both of them are laughing or one of the teachers yells at Dahlia because they're so used to yelling at Dahlia. August has a unique little defensive maneuver that should serve her well for the next 3 years. She announces loudly, "eyes!" and then pokes at her opponent's eyes without actually touching them. Most kids are so uncomfortable they flee. August just learned how to say mango. She's getting a little tired of oranges (but she'll still eat 1.5 oranges per meal and ask for more) and will ask in vain for pears and peaches.