More musings

And of a more positive nature. Rereading the earlier post made me think I should at least post some nifty stuff about what Bean is doing these days. For those of you not in the know, "Bean" was the nickname given to our daughter as a fetus, dating from I think the 7th or 8th week of pregnancy when she was size of a lima bean---it stuck, as nicknames will. We also didn't know the sex, so this was a nice, gender neutral little appellation.

So what IS Bean up to now? Well, the last few weeks have been sort of tough with a lot of gritching and misery, but I think it was primarily due to a lack of quality sleep (see previous post), coupled with a growth spurt. She definitely seems heavier now, and everyone thinks she also seems like a long baby---which is pretty funny if you know me and my husband. I don't think she's particularly tall, but her limbs are kind of lanky looking, and of course she has the "piano" hands and the amazingly prehensile toes. She has been figuring out that her hands are connected to her body, and is starting to get at least the left one into her mouth a lot. We think she's favoring the left side because it's the right eye that has the vision. We still don't know how much, but it's pretty clear there's some there; she's far too deliberate about certain things for there not to be. But she also moves her hands more with the fingers open and moving, and when you put a rattle or toy or Mummy's sunglasses in them, she's got a great grip, and only bonks herself on the head occasionally.

What else is she doing? Well, she has a hilarious and very endearing way of lifting her fuzzy blond eyebrows when something interests her, and I can see this tic following her into childhood and beyond. She is also a world-class belcher and it's pretty funny to hear sailor-size burps coming out of this little tiny pink and white critter. The other day she combined both tricks---burped while nursing, and so loudly that it kind of startled her and UP! went that eyebrow. I nearly fell out of the chair, howling. She's also a very intense eater and sleeper, and wiggles constantly. The one thing that she doesn't care for is being on her stomach---because it completely limits her field of vision? Perhaps, but we're getting kind of desperate to get her to start at least tolerating it so that she'll build up those arm and neck muscles. Any ideas? She was doing it quite well at about 2 months, and then just sort of stopped. Maybe she's just being obstinate. With her genetic heritage, this won't come as a surprise. She also makes these contented little cooing sighs while she's asleep that make all the sleepless nights and endless "house tours" worthwhile. I'll stop writing now because my husband is laughing at the epicness of this all...