Brought to you by the letter B

It must mean that I have gotten used to having a little baby around because I feel as if our life has been pretty routine lately.   But when I look at the photos, I see a bunch of smiles.     

hot even in the shade

It's been unseasonably hot the past few days!  With the heat, Anjali had her first bathtub bath.  Papi got in first, and Anjali and I sat on the side watching him relax and have fun in the cool water.  It was not long before Anjali wanted to join him.  She seemed to enjoy feeling the water up all around her ~ so deep she even floated, but mainly I think she was tickled to be in the water with Papi.  After I brought her out and toweled her off, we were in front of the sink.  Next thing I knew, she was turning on the faucet for more water!  She fluttered her fingers underneath the trickle and then looked up at me and laughed.  I think she is liking it now that the weather is not so cool.

first bathtub bath

"This week is brought to you by the letter B," because that is the noise Anjali is babbling at the moment.  First it was "Urr-euh," with kind of a French rolling of the R (in Mommy's opinion),some gurgley G noises, then "Mmmammamamama."  Next it was "Waa waa waa waa waa" for a long time.  This week it has changed to "Bah bah bah bah."  She babbles and coos in such a way that you think certainly she is saying something, if only you knew the language.  Today she even threw in an L (utilizing her tongue-chewing skills), and I think a K sound.  But mainly it's "Bah bah bah bah!"  Around her as much as I am, I have also noticed a "Mmmm," that is specific to when she is needing something ~ usually a booby snack.  When you are doing something with an item she would like to have, such as a crinkly plastic bag, she makes a little "Whoooo!  Whooo!" sound kind of like a whimpering puppy.  And the squealing is still in effect when she wants to get someone's attention across the way.  She and Papi have joined forces for another new noise she enjoys.  He jiggles her, and she says, "Ahhhhh!" so that her voice vibrates.  They also get a big kick out of doing this up over Papi's head ~ this usually leads to Anjali squealing and laughing wildly. 

jiggly squealing

Anjali's balancing is getting much stronger in the sitting position.  But she has so much interest in moving around, that she is never sitting for long.  Gramma's calling her "inchworm" was appropriate.  She gets up on all fours and then settles back down onto her tummy.  She does this over and over to get to where she is headed.  She will stay in that push-up position for a long time, and is always practicing, it seems.  Then she will put one leg forward as if to try it out, and then go down onto her tummy.  So close!!  

nakey push-ups

For a few weeks now, she has really enjoyed playing in front of the mirror.  She'll do her inchworm practice there, and look at herself as she's doing it.  She and Mommy also have a game where we say hi to each other in the mirror, and then she'll turn back and smile widely at me.  Every time we pass a mirror, she expects me to say hi to her in it.  If she's having a rough time, stepping in front of the mirror is a fairly reliable remedy.  

When Anjali started exploring her world and putting her tongue on things or putting things in her mouth, I quickly realized that she was not trying to eat them, but using her tongue as one of her senses to learn about things.  That helped me feel a little bit less anxious about her putting everything in her mouth.  Well, now she's attempting to eat things.  Her favorite is toilet paper.  As she is with me in the bathroom, she immediately leans toward the toilet paper roll, pulls some off if she can manage, and stuffs a handful in her mouth!  It dissolves and ends up a little wad that she then chews with her tongue as if it's chewing gum (or her tongue!).  

She has been eating practically a whole egg yolk every day, sometimes at one sitting.  But after her six month birthday (in just a couple days!), the world of real food will open wide for Anjali! Pureed meals, here she comes!  I predict she will love it.     

     

inspecting a button

laughing and silly

Here's a video where Anjali doesn't say much, but is entertained by all that Mommy says to try to get her to say something.  ;-)  She also does a little "inchworming."