Vanessa loves to act out different emotions. She mastered "angry" soon before she turned 2. She furrows her brows while she sneers and pounds her fist down on her leg or nearby surface. Once last summer while in Cold Stone Creamery, Vanessa showed two little boys quite bigger than her just how intimidating she can be. They believed in her confidence and looked puzzled as to what they did to make her so angry. She followed with giggles, although they didn't seem to know how to respond and decided to avoid any further eye contact.
Right now she seems very interested in whether or not others are happy or sad. She'll announce when she's sad and crying. And when she works through it, she'll announce that she's happy again. Today she was quite tired from an adventurous morning with Grandpa. She began to melt down and cry a bit as she returned home, but she made every attempt to recover, and while wiping away her tears she said, "I'm happy now."
For a long time, and still every so often, she'll convince herself that she is okay even when she isn't. "I'm okay. I'm better."
She's wonderful at soothing herself and working through her emotions. And she'll tell you when she needs hugs and kisses, especially when it's time for bed. "I need a hug and kiss! I need another one! One more?!"
