In motion

Some recent video clips. "In motion" is a good general description of Alice these days. She has become all grab, all wiggle, all twisting and writhing and lunging. She can cross the carpet by throwing her torso forward repeatedly. Oof.

She did pause in her exertions the other day when I tried a board book on her, one of those books with life-sized photos of babies in it. She was so struck by the baby on the cover that she stared, smiled, patted it, and twisted the book back and forth to look at it for a good five minutes. There was no question she was registering the image for what it was and trying to figure it out. I was even more impressed when she spotted the tiny photo of a baby in the publisher's logo in the upper corner of the cover. Her eyes kept darting back and forth from the large baby to the tiny baby, as she touched each one in turn. At one point I tried to turn to the interior pages, but she kept trying to get back to the cover, which it seemed was enough sensory input for one day.

Big sister is in motion much of the time, too...especially in the wee hours when she tries to wedge between me and Tom in bed. Both girls have given up good sleep recently, alas. It's getting old, but Tom and I have yet to figure out a viable solution. The more experienced parents of multiple kids to whom I've talked recently about sleep have opted for the path of least resistance and generally put up with various children in their bed throughout the night.

But the videos are of daytime fun, not nighttime wakefulness. Enjoy.

Fourth of July. Mor-mor recited this poem to Edith a couple of times the night before (I've recited it a few times in the past), and when she popped behind this tree at the Carrboro family parade, she was inspired to recite it, too.

Some of the first syllabic babbling

Wood sprite

Toothy grin

Latebreaking news: We have language/music comprehension! In her most exciting new development, Alice will begin to clap when someone starts singing her the daycare song, "Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands." And sometimes she'll do it if you simply ask her to clap her hands. She looks quite pleased with herself. Of course she has communicated needs, wants, and feelings prior to this, but it's amazing to see her first voluntary compliance with a spoken/sung request: