Monkey Business of a future Animal Lover

Ella has always liked to look at the animals that share our home. She smiles at them and watches them endlessly. But these last two weeks she has started to reach for them as they walk by or sit next to her on the bed. She pets them softly and then grabs two fists full of fur with all her might. We try to keep her from plucking them bare, but it's hard to keep her from grabbing. Today she found a new joy in our sweet Cobb - she would rub his back and his ears and squeal with delight (and Cobb was enjoying the rub down as well). I think they will be good friends from now on.

Ella has also taken to dangling off our laps like a "little monkey" every chance she can get. She flops herself down on your lap and then pushes against your belly with her feet until her head is hanging upside down. She had actually flipped herself over twice before we could stop her. I started to tickle her feet while she was upside-down and she thought that was so funny . . .