Nat loves to nurture and love on things. She does this with dolls and stuffed animals, of course, but she has also been known to hug my disposable duster, saying "aw..." while patting it under her cheek (yuck). She also hugs her favorite books in the same way and when it comes to actual human beings...look out! She's an affection monster. Other kids her age usually back away from her fearfully as she toddles toward them with outstretched zombie arms and huge grin on her face, chanting "hug! hug!"
This morning, I was in the (ahem) bathroom with the door closed. Cole was napping after her usual early rising with Nat, and Uncle David was bringing up some (brand new, clearance-priced) kitchen cabinets for his place, while Nat toddled through the "safe" (ish) part of the house alone for a minute.
I thought for sure I heard the freezer door open (we have a bottom freezer) and various plastic bags being shuffled about. I rolled my eyes and prepared to come into a kitchen strewn with frozen veggies and the freezer door flung open.
But when I went into the kitchen, there was no indication she'd done any such thing, so I decided that my ears had fooled me and she must have been in her room doing something else. I went on into her room and came upon this sight:
Nat was sitting on her new dog chair, with her favorite book of the moment open in front of her. She was "reading" aloud to a bag of frozen peas cradled gently in her arms, as she patted it affectionately.
