Purses, Crates, and Carseats

I always assumed that "girlie-girlie" activities performed by little girls, such as trying on make-up, wearing their mom's high heels and needing a purse, was a mimicked behavior... they had to see their mom or older sisters doing these behaviors, and then they would want to do them as well. One morning, about a week ago, I found Em dragging Todd's overnight sundry case around on her arm. It is an old case, and rather grosses me out since I know I haven't cleaned it, so I opened a cupboard where I keep all my messenger bags and backpacks. The one that Em chooses? My small, petite little Vera Bradley purse my husband bought me for our anniversary a few years ago. It was so cute, I let her put her 'keys' and 'lipstick' and such in it. She takes it everywhere, but one morning, she apparently couldn't find it, but rather, found the gym bag we use. So, here she is, in a bag I can still fit her in collecting her "needed purse items" to put into it!


Not long after she started carrying a purse, it became nice enough each afternoon for a few hours for us to be in the backyard. I came to the discovery that we need to get her a slide or sandbox or something because she's totally fascinated by the dog's crate. They spent a good two hours going in together, one would go out and shut the other in, then that would switch, and finally, they would both go in together again. I am completely convinced they have a language none of us know about, as proven by my daughter lowering her head and holding on to a piece of furniture, so that the dog can lick her hair into place each morning... what can you do? They're so cute!
The last new and rather strange realization was that Em, who likes to move and explore, is perfectly happy to play with a car seat for untold hours of time. She's done it to her own infant seat in the past, but I always assumed it was the novelty of being in the seat without being placed there. We just bought another infant car seat (still haven't gotten the original one from the airlines when we moved) and brought it home. That was over a week ago. Em is still playing with it! A friend told us to take a picture the day she came home from the hospital and then again in that same seat when she was a year. Well, we didn't have the same seat, but these are from the same company and the same style... I can't believe how BIG she's gotten!!! I think this week, Mom's learning curve has been slightly steeper than Em's... unbelievable!