on cue

In yet another example of how Ally understands more than we realize, today she smiled upon request for the first time. When she was younger, I would coax smiles by making funny faces or singing songs or doing other things I am glad no one captured on film. These methods haven't been working for months, though, which is why I don't have many smiley pictures of Ally. Today she began playing with some puzzles she received for Christmas (these are great! Thanks, Katy, Olivia, and Ryan!) and I asked her to smile, and she did. Wow.

So then I said, "Ally, would you like to take your picture in front of the Christmas tree?" And she said, "yes," and went to stand by the tree and then she posed. Doesn't she look proud?