Angels and ministers of grace defend us!

Or is it "preserve us"? Either way, I am praying for grace for our family. But I'm doing it with a grin. This is really such an exciting time - I'm sure these are the days that the old ladies in church were telling me to cherish because "they grow up so fast". And I think they're right.

But poor Brie. It's so hard to grow up, and she wants to so badly. If only she could learn to crawl! I think my life will get crazier when she does, but we'll both be so much happier! Yesterday she didn't want me to put her down to sit, she wanted to stand. And whenever I would put her down to sit, after her initial cries of protest, she went forward on her hands and feet, leaning forward and wanting to go forward. But she couldn't figure out what to do next, and sat up again and cried some more, in frustration.

Last night we had some progress when Adam and I played with her before bedtime. Brie and I have long had a game where she's playing with something, and I steal it from her and then she shrieks and giggles and steals it back, ad infinitum. So we did that with her pacifier, during tummy time. And she actually stopped crying, and enjoyed herself, and figured out that if she reached with her hands, and pushed with her feet, she could move forward and grab her pacifier out of my mouth (she thinks it's really funny when I put her pacifier in my mouth - Brigid's got a great sense of humor). This was great progress! But after everytime she did it, she couldn't seem to remember how to do it again, and it was back to trial and error. Sigh.

Brigid's stubborn, but she's also easily upset when she can't do something she wants to do. Storm und drung! (sp?) Before she's a teenager even! Ah, maybe she'll mellow with age.

Darling girl. She looks like an elf today, with soft, long locks around her face, and her squinted-up eyes and wrinkled-up nose when she plays with something that tickles her fancy. She's so funny!

And she's beginning to communicate on purpose! The coughing is the latest things. Lots of the folks around here have colds right now. And when someone coughs around Brie, she looks up at them and politely coughs back. It's so cute! And makes the coughing person crack up and cough back. Then Brie coughs back. It's great! It's so very obvious that Brie's trying to talk to her companion. I suppose coughs are easier than syllables.

Also, often Brie nurses, she stops after about five gulps, looks up at me and says, "Ma!" and waits for me to say, "Yes, mama milk!", and then smiles and keeps nursing.

She can also manipulate objects excellently well, turning them over, playing with buttons and switches and dials, and is working at picking up Cheerios, a habit she picked up from her cousin. When Elisa was over, I had the Cheerios her mom provided out for her, but when Brie saw them, she had to try them too. So I gave in and bought some Joe's O's, and now our carpet grows o-shaped cereal. Seriously. It blossoms and multiplies overnight.

Elisa, by the way, who came into the world a tiny little wisp of a girl, has blossomed into a properly-pudgy baby with bright, bright, BRIGHT blue eyes and a talent for Indian war-whooping. She is, unfortunately, scared of her cousin (who pulls her pretty hair, who could resist? every chance she gets. It's not an IRRATIONAL fear), which can make babysitting her a little difficult, but like any good baby, her timidness largely disappears as soon as her mom shows up. (Her timidness disappears, and shouts of joy appear actually. It's incredibly sweet. you can't help but smile at the way Elisa greets her mom.)

It's funny becoming an aunt at just about the same time I became a mom. I'm sure I'd pay more attention to my niece if I didn't have my own baby - my observations of my sister's auntly behavior confirms my suspicion. But now that being a mom is not so new, I'm finding myself very curious to know my niece better. I noticed last time she was here that it is true, she is very musical, and paid great attention when I turned the radio to classical KUSC.

The problem is, the natural thing to do is compare her to Brie - and comparision is a valid way to figure someone out (Who's King George? Well, he's a leader, like George Washington. But unlike George Washington . . .), it's maybe not the best. So, "well, she's a lovely baby and I like her, but she's not as interesting as my daughter" feels not quite fair. :D Oh well, I'm sure Jenn feels the same way about Brie, so maybe it's perfectly fair. :D

The other nice thing is that all babies are more interesting as they get older. With older babies, there's more to get to know. Newborns are only interesting for more than five minutes if they're YOURS. Otherwise it's, "well, thank you, he's adorable and tiny, and you may have him back now." With your own it's, "I'm glad you think she's adorable and tiny, but may I have her back now?" :)


I've been sorting baby clothes recently, and discovering that Old Navy sizes very small. 12 mo. Old Navy clothes fit Brie now. Thanks again to Cyndi and to Aunt Jean for passing on their little girls' clothes. It's like Christmas here every few months as I move Brigid into bigger stuff and get to enjoy her in new, cute clothes.

Other fun Old Navy news is that the store near us now has maternity clothes. This makes me want to start on the next one just so I can go shopping. Just kidding . . . btw, my mom is hoping that we only have two sons, because after Samuel Wisdom and Elijah Peter, Adam and I are thinking about a Melchizedek. Mom thinks this is a horrible idea, but I don't know how she can complain when Laurel's name as a boy would have been Jedidiah. :D


Okay, I'm going to stop now, because Brie's nap (yes! she's napping again!) is over, and I need to go play with the pretty girl I love writing about. Right now she's looking at trees out the window and blowing raspberries. Love to you all!