Stella is very determined, very sure of what she wants and amazingly good at judging situations and people. In some ways she has been that way since she was born, but more recently it's very noticable, because she is talking in full sentences and is able to be very assertive, when needed (or not needed... depending on one's pint of view, I guess). I remember taking this picture of her... she really wanted to go down by the river and I was afraid to let her go on her own especially because the mud on the bank was thick as sludge and slippery. But she was determined to BE THERE with all the big kids. After accosting me for a number of minutes with her: "I'm a big BOY! I can ply with mud and water! I know I NO slip and fall!" She just slipped quietly from my hand and was down the bank before I could even say: "Stella, no!" Yup... she calls herself a BIG BOY and gets very upset if we try to tell her that she is a big girl. We have had these discussions with her about the differences between a boy and a girl, but there is no way she is going to give in and not keep up with her brother. Unless he agrees to be a big girl, Stella will for now keep being a big boy. :-)