Subject: dancing on stage and becitos
September 14, 1999

Dear family and friends,

I am 16 months old and am I ever smart! Mom and Dad took me to an Indian restraunt on Sunday and they had a stage for playing music. I was walking around greeting everyone and made a bee line for the stage. Then when I got up on it I started dancing to the Indian music they were playing. Dad and the waiters laughed, but mom just couldn't believe it and wanted to crawl under the table. Dad said that she didn't learn this from anyone on his side of the family! When some of the diners clapped for me, I clapped back and then danced harder. It was great fun and they had spotlights!

I have been practicing my becitos (kisses). I like to give them and get them. My favorite is to have mom or dad hold me and then put my hand on the back of their heads and make them kiss over and over again. I especially like to kiss goodbye.

I am still gettin my breathing treatments and I like them okay, because I get to watch a Disney video. Today we went to the children's hosptial to get a sweat chloride test for cystic fibrosis. The doctor thinks it is just a formality and they will let mom and dad know tonight. I am sure that you will all hear the results. In the mean time I had to drink lots of fluid and wear Kim's pink bunny suit inside (!!) while I sweated into a little disk of mesh on my arm. They were so pleased with me because I made 143 mg of sweat in 1/2 hour. Everybody agreed that I had been very good!

I have more words, and will say lots of things just once when someone else says them. I say out and off and up and no all the time. I can open bottle caps and child restraint harnesses. I had to practice a long time on the later.

Grandpa and Grandma Halsell are coming to see me on Oct 1 and I am looking forward to dancing for them. Auntie Kim is still traveling, but maybe we can get together?

(I get really scared when I hear plane noises right now. I have night terrors (tantrums while i'm asleep) which mom has found out are pretty common and didn't last long. But they seem to come on when I am really really tired or sometimes if I hear load noises like the vacuum cleaner or toy airplanes. So mom is concerned about flying for alittle while. I am sure I will grow out of it. Any way, the point is maybe we could drive up to Kim's in Sunnyvale for a family holiday get together? What about Nov 5 and 6?)

Tia Joanie and Tio Bill are moving to Austin! Hurrah! I am looking forward to visiting them there when I can. Mommy says I should send a hug and a kiss to Rachel and Jim and Betsy and Laura and Lois and Dick to help make them smile. And Uncle Tom should give a happy birthday hug to cousin Graeme (I'd kiss him too, but Mommy says he's a boy)

Mommy and Daddy are happy. They laugh a lot now that I am sleeping better. They also are getting the house fixed up. They cleaned out all the closets. They say they are thinking about a new sister or brother for me. I don't think I want to share them.

We went to a picnic to celebrate the 10 th anniversary of the launch of daddy's spacecraft. I got to sit up in a tree. Everybody was really nice to daddy because he is so smart. Mommy is working pretty hard but I get to snuggle with her in the morning before she goes off to work. She says she has two water legislation proposals that go to the board before the end of January. All I know is that we play a lot at night, I leap off the edge of the hot tub into her arms and we read lots of books.

Lat night we read "tell me about the night I was born" and the book had a picture of an emily baby and mommy helen and mommy and daddy. I was really excited and made her read it three times.

Our cat Leslie died and I helped bury her in the back yard under a new nectarine tree. It made them sad, but we sang some songs to say goodbye to her and I got to do some of the digging with a little shovel.

Mommy and Daddy bought me a plastic kids slide that I spend all my time going up and down. It takes up most of the living room now. I am very fast on it and like sliding. I also love to watch Bear in the Big Blue House and sing his song. I like Peter Paul and Mary too and they put me to sleep. I also draw on my pad with crayons. Mommy and I drew a moon last night and a picture of daddy and Oscar the cat. I colored in their eyes. I can say eyes too.

My favorite is still the glow in the dark stars on my ceiling. I say bye bye to them when I am ready to go to sleep. If you were here I would smile and hide my head when you said I was cute. ANd if you were really lucky I would hug and hug and hug you.

Love

Emily