'Cake, Mama!'
Daddy's birthday has left a lasting impression on Boo because she now realises we can have birthday cake - candles and all - at home! Since we had a birthday cake for Alex, our mornings have been like this:

Izzy stirs. Izzy sits up. Toddles unevenly to the bookshelf and takes a big Usborne picture book off the shelf, before toddling unevenly to the bed where she puts it down next to or on my head.
'Book! Read book, Mama!'
'Mmm... Izzy it's too early to get up!'
'Mama, read book!'

Then she turns the pages until she gets to the page laying out different types of food. Including a big cake with cherries and icing. Point, point, points with the finger.

'Buff-day cake! Cake, Mama! I want cake!'

This morning the book wasn't in its usual place on the shelf. So I told her to look around the room for it. She nodded. Then: 'Cake book, where are you?' Alex guffawed in his sleep.

Her vocab is slowly increasing and I'm still surprised every now and then by words I didn't know she knew - like last week when I brought her out to the car and it started drizzling. She looked up in surprise and said 'It's raining!' But it's also good in that she's not afraid to try out new words I tell her anymore. Not that she was ever so afraid, but definitely a bit hesitant. Now she just goes for it or, usually, a rough approximation of it. Eg strawberry is 'awbree' and butterfly is 'u-er-ly'.

Ring, ring
We play this game where she goes 'Ring-ring, ring-ring.'
And I'll say 'Hello, who's that?'
'Dhat's Isbel!'
'Oh, hello Isbel, how are you?'
'Dood! Is Mama!'
'Yes, this is Mama.'
'Bye, Mama!'
And then she'll put down the phone.

PS Hurray she has only thought to ask for M&Ms once since the bags in the car finished. And she didn't kick up any fuss when I pointed out we didn't have any. Just as well as the house-hunting close to work is taking a while. We're holding out for quite an ideal place.