Baby Skillz

Did you notice my use of street-talk spelling in the title? It's because I'm trying to speak gangster so that I can fit in with all the gangsters who are infiltrating our neighborhood. "Don't worry," David tells me, "the shootings are a good mile away. You're safe." OK then.

Anyways, onto the real news...

I've officially noticed that Daphne has grown.

For such a long time she seemed to look the same in her newborn pictures and in her current pictures. But just in the past weeks she has turned into an active baby with attitude, and I can finally see all the changes that being almost 5 months old has brought.

Some new skills, I mean skillz, that she has attained include:

~Grabbing her toes while I'm trying to change her diaper. It has made diaper changing very challenging.

~Taking a teething ring out of your hand so she can play with it on her own. Daphne actually gets a little bored just sitting around. She wants something to do.

~She can throw a temper tantrum! I was putting her in her carseat to head to church on Sunday, and she grabbed both sides of the seat as I was laying her in, arched her back and screamed. It was so funny!

~Laying on her activity mat and having a war with the hanging toys. She tugs on them, tries to eat them, and basically does her best to show them who's boss.
















~She can see me over the edge of her bassinet when I'm checking on her to see if she's sleeping. The other day I could hear from the baby monitor during nap time that her breathing had changed, possibly indicating that she had woken up. Wanting to investigate, I snuck to the doorway and peaked in, trying to see if her eyes were open. We keep the room dark so she can sleep, and it takes a bit for my eyes to adjust. I was creeping ever-so-slowly to her bed, being quiet so I wouldn't disturb her...and then I see her, staring at me with her huge eyes, solemn as can be. I can't pull the wool over her eyes anymore.

~Solid foods are just around the corner, as Daphne is starting to meet a few of the needed criteria on being ready for them. For instance, If you happen to be holding her while you're eating, she may watch very closely as you pick food up from your plate and put it to your mouth. She watches every step of the way. She's not grabbing at the food yet, but I'm sure that's coming soon. Time to buy cute baby spoons!

~Another solid food readiness skill is to be able to sit (with help) and hold up one's head fairly well. And Daphne would much rather sit in your lap than be held baby-style. She wants to be up, seeing the world. (David looks weird here. Don't know why.)















~And finally, she thinks I'm cool. One of my favorite things that she does is lean her head back at an unnatural angle so that she can see me and smile at me when I'm holding her in the before mentioned sitting style. Love it!



















P.S. Daphne's baby dedication has been set for September 13. Mark your calendars!