Insert Pithy Title Here

Gaz and I are back from another whirlwind visit to Evansville. We got to see many people, but always never as many as I would have liked and never for as long as I wish we had. But you do what you can when you can, especially when working around naps. The trip was largely uneventful, but the visiting was wonderful and Gaz is having a good time with her new birthday presents. I regret that we left some presents at La Casa Rizen, but at least Gaz will have some good toys to play with when we next we visit.

Now for the news:

Vocabulary - I think we can add a few more words, even though they aren't all that well-formed all the time. These are: cat, dog, Proton (often Pohtahn or Tahntahn), car, and the sign for "more" which often ends up being her clapping. She understands an amazing amount of what we say to her, too. You can ask her to do things (bring me your pajamas, or give this to Grandpa) and she goes right to it. When she's not in a mood, that is.

Motor skills - Just today I noticed Gaz working her way around toys on the floor instead of just stomping around getting tripped up by everything. Her hilarious little sideways crabwalk sort of thing is paying off in the obstacle avoidance department. She's figured out how to work the corn popper, too, although she thinks it's also fun to grab the handle and slam the whole thing on the floor a few times. Not in frustration, mind you, it's all for amusement value. We're not encouraging that.

Higher Education - She now brings me books to read to her and if I ask her to bring me a book she'll grab one and climb up on my lap. Right now she's seriously addicted to "But Not the Hippopotamus" and "Opposites" from her Sandra Boynton collection (Thanks Mike and Terry and Dani!) but she's also open to other books from time to time. She's still hell on anything that's not stiff cardboard, so "Just So Stories" and "Knuffle Bunny" are being kept safe for now. I suspect it won't be long before she gets a bit gentler.

And in the annoying baby tricks department:

Gaz long ago figured out how to work the handle on the Diaper Champ, but now she's also figured out that she can put things in the opening. This morning I caught her putting the phone (!) in the top. She hasn't yet combined these two actions, but it can't be long now. If you ever spend any time at our place and suddenly find something of yours missing, it might be in among the used diapers. Wheeeeeee!

She's never been a subtle child, but now we can add something strange and new to her catalog of breastfeeding habits. She's been very acrobatic for at least the past six months, often climbing all over me in the course of a feeding. Lately she's taken to holding onto the other breast with a free hand while she's nursing. I think it's a security thing, as we've been traveling and sleeping in strange beds lately. I understand that she comes by this honestly; I was an acrobatic grabby child, too. My folks shared stories of my own long-ago breastfeeding antics. What goes around . . .

Since our return Gaz has been having more normal bedtimes and I've been completely wiped out so I can't enjoy the not-fighting-with-the-toddler as much as I otherwise would. Speaking of, it's about time to call it a day.