Bathing Beauty

I blew up Lily's baby pool this week...who makes these things without a pump attachment anymore-I almost passed out! Anyway, Lily had a ball splashing and playing. I have a feeling this is going to be a very popular toy this summer.

MORE!

I have been slowly adding some sign language into my communication with Lily. Today was the first day that I could see the sign for "more" really click. Of course, she does the baby version-banging her hands together in a clapping motion-but she knows how to use it! I usually put a few pieces of cheese or cheerios on her high chair tray and when she finishes, I ask her if she wants "more" while signing. Today, I was across the kitchen when she finished and when I turned around to look at her, she was banging her hands together and slapping them on her tray. When I asked her if she wanted more, she just lit up and started banging her hands together again. She was so excited that I understood what she wanted.

Right now, the "more" sign is connected tightly to food. I'm trying to use it with other things like music, toys and playtime. But, I'll take this as a very strong start!

A whole new world

Forget the short bursts of crawling-Lily is a pro now! My parents always told me what a fast crawler I was as a baby...I think Lily may have inherited that trait. I treat my house like the Panama Canal when she's on the floor-I make sure that all exits are blocked before we enter a room and then shut the entrance door behind us. Originally, we put up a few baby gates to contain our dog, but they are now being used for their intended purpose-baby containment.

Her favorite thing to do in her room right now is to crawl to the window and look out. Of course, she kind of forgets that it is there until I push back the two layers of black-out curtains and raise the blinds...but once I do, it's on! She will sit up on her knees and talk to everything she sees outside-trees, birds, cars, and daddy working on the lawn! Ah, cheap entertainment!

Problem solving

Lily has mastered crawling, although she still prefers to do it in short burst of a foot or two at a time. This new skill has, of course, opened up a whole new world to her. This evening, as I was getting her ready for bed, she squirmed away from the pajamas I was trying to wrestle onto her and crawled happily away in her diaper. She made her first stop at the humidifier where I have a DVD case leaning against the front to block the light from the power switch. She picked it up, put in her mouth, gnawed briefly on the corner before spying something across the room more fascinating-a toy, a book, a shadow, I'm not sure what it was that engaged her so much. So, she dropped the DVD case and began her trek across her bedroom to the bookshelf. I sat very still out of her direct line of sight so that I could watch her explore.
She pulled up short in front of her little red bucket, which is full of wooden blocks, a rattle and whatever random bath toy makes it in her room that day. She happily dumped the rattle and bath toy to the ground and proceeded to take out each block and stare at it as if it were a new creation. With her purple block in one hand, she kept bringing her other hand to it in order to make that banging noise she loves so well when BOTH hands hold blocks. Her face held this quizzical expression as if she was trying to figure out the scientific reason why her hand and the block were not making a loud noise. She noticed the other blocks in the bucket and pulled out the orange one. Now, we're in business!
Nope. Instead of banging the blocks together she looked back and forth between the two bright toys, dropped the purple one and stuck the orange one in her mouth, cooing happily as if it were her plan all along.
Teehee.