Yes, consider me a broken record. Because it’s time for another update on my granddaughter.

I definitely appreciate those of you out there in our communities that take time to let me know you enjoy hearing about Lorelei. Recently, I ran into a friend at the Oakdale Rodeo and she asked about her; I provided a few tidbits and my friend commented on how much I glow when I talk about her.

Well, have you met her? There’s a lot to glow about.

Now just over 15 months old, her world is expanding rapidly. Lorelei has a voracious appetite for books. One of her favorite things, when she’s not turning the pages and looking at books herself, is to be read to. It is part of her nighttime routine and it’s the first thing she asks for in the morning, pointing to the bookshelf in her room and saying “Dat!”

She loves to run and dance, is fascinated with bubbles, and pretty much understands the concept of sidewalk chalk. Not much artistry yet but at least she spends more time drawing lines on the sidewalk instead of trying to eat the chalk.

We have settled in to a pretty good routine on my babysitting days when my daughter is at work. We have our quiet reading time and our energetic dance time around the living room to her favorite music. Then there’s our outdoor time when we throw the ball in the front yard for Sonny the Corgi (their dog) while Bella the Maltese (my dog) just basks in the early spring sunshine.

And hunting colorful plastic Easter eggs was a success. She quickly figured out the idea of finding them and putting them in her little basket.

Of course, there’s the flip side, too. She can scream at a very high decibel level. Nothing wrong with those lungs. A couple of weeks ago, she discovered her shrieking ability. It came out of nowhere and she did it for no apparent reason. By day two of this new behavior my daughter was about ready to pull her hair out. That particular day when I reported for duty, when Lorelei shrieked, I shrieked right back at her. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of that, but we traded a few shrieks, just for fun. Thankfully it seems to have run its course as she is now more focused on trying to say some new words but I am sure it could reappear at any time.

For now, we will happily work on her words with her. She’s had ‘dada’ down for quite a while and will throw a ‘mama’ out there every once in a while. She says ‘bubble’ perfectly, is working on ‘up’ and ‘on’ and ‘please’ – figuring out how to get her point across.

Sometimes she disappears in to her playroom and I will sneak down the hall to peek in on her; more often than not, she is sitting quietly looking at a book or chattering away to one of her stuffed animals.

Every day is a new adventure with her and I love to watch her explore and start to figure things out.

She also made it through her first professional live sporting event with flying colors. After a long drive to San Jose (she only slept the last 15 minutes of the trip) Lorelei was wide awake and engaged throughout the entire Sharks game in their final home contest of the season. We didn’t get to take a picture with mascot Sharkie like we’d hoped but she did get a souvenir practice puck, tossed over the glass by defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. A career Shark, ‘Pickles’ has always been one of my favorites, even before the puck toss.

And it was a giveaway day, so we all got a souvenir Sharkie bobblehead. A Sharks win would have made it better but … there’s always next season.

Marg Jackson is editor of The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News. She may be reached at mjackson@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.