Things Maria Erini finds fascinating

I saw Maria Erini (the two-year-old I'm helping learn English) twice over the weekend, and I have discovered a number of things that she, in classic two-year-old style, finds amazing or hilarious or otherwise worth her attention.

1. My hair.
One of the first things Maria Erini ever said in my presence (in Greek, translated by her mother) was that I had "painted" my hair. And now, every once in a while, she seems to rediscover this fact with renewed wonder. We'll be playing or looking at a book or drawing a picture and suddenly she'll pause and stare at my bangs with a cheeky little smile on her face. Then she'll slowly reach out her finger and gently poke this strange and fantastic color: "Pink," I tell her. "My hair is pink! Can you say 'pink?'" And if I'm very, very lucky, she'll respond, "Pink!"

2. My Winnie-the-Pooh ladybug keychain.
She discovered my keys quite some time ago. I left them out on a table, and unsurprisingly, Maria Erini was drawn to the big, shiny, jangly, metal object. Her main interest in the keys themselves is just to swing them around and make noise, but the little plastic ladybug with Winnie-the-Pooh inside provides her with limitless occupation. Especially after I showed her how to take Pooh out of the ladybug. She can never accomplish this on her own, of course, so I ended up taking him out and putting him back in probably at least a dozen times. But it wasn't in vain, for when she showed this amazing object to her father, she clearly enunciated, "Ladybahhg."

3. The sound I make when I blow my nose.
Admittedly, I sound like an elephant when I blow my nose. This did not escape the notice of Maria Erini. She stood entranced by this incredible noise and giggled gleefully when it ended. This process was repeated three or four times, and every time she was just as entertained.

4. When I hide behind things and suddenly appear.
I don't think this requires much explanation. Just picture me popping out from behind a wall several times and a curly-haired little girl laughing hysterically every time.

More to come, I'm sure....

P.S. We're going on a class trip to the Peloponnese this week, so I'll be incommunicado until Saturday or so. Will return with pictures!