EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Today was Madeline's longest day in daycare so far -- about seven hours. This morning she was very energetic.

When we picked her up, she'd been napping for about half an hour and was out cold. But back at home she perked right up again and wanted to get moving.

She was especially interested in the cats again, and both of them flirted with her mercilessly. First Nory'd wander by just out of her reach.

Then, later, Petey'd plop himself a few feet away. I'd help Madeline step-stumble-step over to him, she'd get one pet, and he'd hasten away.

Unlike Petey, Madeline seemed not to be bothered by the thunder and lightning that have appeared intermittently over the last day or so. Nor has she seemed to be bothered by the cough and reddish eye that showed up today. Her first daycare sickness, perhaps? We're keeping our own eyes, which will hopefully remain not-reddish, on her and her symptoms.

Daycare's also been expanding her vocabulary. (Either that or it just comes with the age territory, but there seems to be a marked difference after only a week.) She's developed a much broader variety of pitches, and her babbling syllabary* seems to be broadening as well. (*Syllabary's not quite the right word, as it seems to refer only to written sets of syllables; does anyone know a word for a pronounced set of syllables?) So now in addition to "agoo" and "gooah" and "hgbbbbbbppppph" we have "EEEEEEEEEEEEE" and "waaAEAEAEAE-aahhhhh" and others I'm overlooking as the high-pitched sounds dominate my recall. Oddly, "hi" and the wave (and for that matter the brass instrument sound), which she was so enthusiastic about, have been suppressed as Madeline explores her upper register.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.