Some milestones

Annalise now smiles hugely at anyone who smiles at her. And often anyone that just looks at her. Unless she's tired. Then she stares right at you as you're grinning wildly and crazily and skeptically raises an eyebrow.

She laughed for the first time! On Friday the 13th, which thus immediately became a very lucky day. My dad was holding her and she was looking at me and he kept lunging her at me and then pulling her back. First she was just smiling really big with every lunge. Then she became so delighted she began sucking in air through her grin each time her face approached mine. Then the laughs erupted! It sounded like the love child of a screech and hiccup. She did it about five times. It was so precious I almost died.

She talks. A lot. She's finally found her voice (the one not associated with screaming that is, as she obviously found and embraced her scream-voice at Genius-not-even-out-of-the-birth-canal-Speed.) And she sings along with me; with a tuneless "ahhhhhhhhh, ahhhhhhhhhhh" she blends her voice with mine during songs. Precious.

She no longer constantly nurses. This started with the advent of Zantac taking effect. Because I am used to her wanting it so frequently though, I often offer it to her before she is ready. I lay her down and show her the feeding receptacle and if that wasn't in her plans she sca-reams. Very mad that I could assume she wants that when so clearly she does not. I stand her back up and she is immediately silent. Point taken.

Sometimes she lets me lay her down for naps. Not often. And not reliably. But sometimes. One of those times is now. I would be celebrating loudly if I didn't have to be so quiet.

She continues to go down delightfully with nary a whimper by 7pm. She awakens for good 12 hours later. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU.

Her nights are slowly increasing in wake-up numbers. Obviously, this is not a positive trend. WHYWHYWHY???

I dumped out Pixie's toy basket and plopped the Bub inside. What a sweetie: