More Like Crawlingish

I'm pretty sure that every parent thinks their baby is exceptional.  It's human nature to look at your kid and see someone that's smarter or stronger, prettier or more developed than all the other babies in the world.  I'm certainly no different.  Every time Grace learns anything new, I see it as evidence that she's not just an ordinary baby picking up new skills on a normal schedule but instead some kind of superbaby, the next step in human evolution.  This tendency also makes me see things that aren't quite there.

For example, I've been absolutely convinced that Grace has been on the verge of crawling since she was two months old.  With any sort of progress, whether it was reaching out with her arms, kicking her feet, rolling over or just having a particularly determined look in her eye, I was running to set the baby gates up.  However, after months of false starts and unrealistic expectations, it looks like Grace has turned a corner and really is on the verge of crawling.

It's taken a lot of time and effort, a perfectly normal amount of time and effort of course, but Grace has figured out how to get herself up onto her hands and knees in a sort of crawling start position.  The only thing is, she hasn't figured out what to do next.  She wants to move forward but doesn't know which arm or leg to move first so she just sort of rocks until she tips over, hilariously, heartbreakingly close to crawling.  But not quite there yet.  I'd call it crawlingish.

A few of last thoughts on the video.  First, I don't have any idea what we were watching on TV, but the countryfied soundtrack isn't working for me.  I feel like Grace's determined effort should be set to a more epic soundtrack, maybe some Ennio Morricone or something.  Second, do I always sound like Kermit the Frog when I speak?  If so, why hasn't anybody told me?  Last, that's Grace's party outfit, which needs to be noted because it's incredibly adorable.

PPPLLLLLFFFFFFFPPPPTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!

Grace, Carrie and I are all huge fans of funny noises and funny faces.  Mommy and daddy will do just about anything to for a laugh, and baby is always more than happy to oblige

As Grace gets older though, our comic mannerisms are starting to have a side effect.  Namely, mimicry, which our little lady is quickly mastering.  If we stick our tongues out, she sticks her tongue out.  If we make a silly noise, she parrots it back as best she can.  The pinnacle of Grace's pantomiming happened today, right while I was trying to feed her lunch.

Ten minutes of Grace teaching herself how to spit just like mom and pop brought a sudden end to mealtime, leaving daddy covered in peaches and baby thoroughly amused.  It was as scary as it was funny however, as Grace was turning purple from the effort.  No worries though, we're going to spend the rest of the day teaching her how to stop and take a breath.

Next Stop Sea World

Carrie and I taught Grace how to play catch today.  We were at grandma and grandpa's house where there was a beachball lying around.  Since it's colorful and a thing, Grace was immediately fascinated by it, so we let her handle it for a bit.  After a minute or so, she dropped it and we handed it back.  Another minute, another drop and so on for a while.

Eventually Carrie decided to try tossing the ball to Grace instead of handing it to her, and she snatched out of the air on her first try, a pure natural.  Amazed and excited, we kept playing for an hour, taking the ball directly from Grace's hands instead of waiting for her to drop it most of the time.

Toward the end of our catch session, Grace decided to unveil a second skill, not satisfied by just learning how to catch.  We tossed her the ball, which she trapped against the side of her body.  Then, she pushed the ball up over her shoulders and balanced perfectly on the top of her head.  Just like a trained seal.

She stalled it long enough for me to take
out my cell phone and take this picture

Gracie the Giant, The Eighth Wonder of the World

Well, maybe mostly head.

Height runs in my family.  I'm 6'0", my sister is 6'1", my dad is 6'3" and I've got uncles as tall as 6'5".  Not to mention Carrie, who checks in at an above average 5'7".  So we expected to have a tall baby, which was confirmed from her first sonogram pictures showing a baby that was all arms and legs.

That said, we were in a surprise when we took Grace to the pediatrician for her 4-month checkup.  We could tell visually that Gracie got taller since her 3-month visit, but when the nurse put her on the table she measured 26 inches, a shocking 2 1/2" inches longer than the last month.  So shocking in fact that the nurse was compelled to measure her a second time and then the doctor a third time, the both of them believing that such a spurt had to be a mistake.

Demure No More

I've got a confession to make.  I don't know how to make myself burp.  Whether it's because of some odd reflex or an absurd mental block, I've never been able to figure out how to belch on purpose, which has been an endless source of shame for me as a fully-grown man.

One of my less rational fears upon becoming a parent was that Grace was going to inherit this flaw from me.  My fear only grew when she was first born and was struggling to get her gas up, in no small part because I hadn't yet figured out how to burp her either.  She'd wriggle in discomfort.  I'd furiously search for the magic spot to pat on her back.  Eventually, she'd let out a tiny, halfhearted noise and we'd both be eager to just move on.

Like a Record Baby Right Round Round Round

Grace isn't traditionally mobile yet.  She's still a bit too small to crawl, let alone walk, but that doesn't keep her from moving around.  I've already covered how she likes to wiggle around when she's being held, and as cool as her trust falls are, they're not her only peculiar ability.

My little girl is a habitual spinner.  Whenever she lies down, whether awake or asleep, she shifts and shimmys around, which isn't all that strange on its own.  What's bizzare is her spin pattern.

Nom Nom Nom

Over the last week or so, Grace has been cranky more often than usual.  The usual fixes weren't working, and the only comfort she was finding came by trying to chew on her hands.  This led to some inevitable parent panic and the worst-case scenario, WebMD-quality amateur diagnosis that Grace was starting to teethe.  We tried a few remedies, teething toys, OralGel and a frozen waffle (which she loved), with limited success, so after a few days we thought it best to take our little girl to the doctor.

What Baby Knows, What Baby Doesn't Know - Part 2

Grace is nine weeks old now and grows more sophisticated by the day.  I couldn't be prouder watching her discover each new small piece of the world, even if she doesn't get her head around all the details right away.

What Grace Knows - How to Take the Binky Out of Her Mouth

In its most basic form (spitting it out), Grace has known how to expel her binky since the first day we gave it to her.  And while that's still her favorite method of de-binkying, she's added a new wrinkle to her game.  Over the last week she's learned how to grab the edges and handle of the binky with her right thumb and forefinger, hold onto it and take it out of her mouth.

Our Little Zoolander

Even though she's only 2 months old, Grace is starting to master certain skills.  For example, her ability to move from burp position to feeding position has gone from a tentative roll to a full-on daredevil trust fall.

There's only one problem with her technique.  Like Derek Zoolander, she can't turn to the left.

Baby Ninjitsu

As any parent would tell you, newborns have a seemingly infinite capacity to amaze you, and Grace is no exception.  Day after day I watch in wonder as she develops new skills like learning to coo and holding her head up.  Just the other day though, she unveiled a brand new trick that you won't find described in any baby book.

Grace was up for hours, clearly overtired and none too happy about it.  About an hour or so into her raging scream-a-thon, my wife Carrie and I had all but exhausted our arsenal of baby-calming tricks (feed her, change her, swaddle her, rock her, beg her).  Afraid the neighbors were going to call child services on us, we decided to turn to our final option, gripe water.

For the uninitiated, gripe water is a liquid colic remedy for infants made with fennel and ginger.  Since hot ginger tea is my preferred hangover remedy, I had high expectations for its soothing powers going into fatherhood, which were only bolstered when it immediately cured Grace's hiccups the first time we used it.

So with an apoplectic Grace cradled in Carrie's arms, I poured a half teaspoon of the miracle drug and slowly approached.  Now, administering liquid via spoon to an upset, uncooperative baby is no easy task.  You have to negotiate flailing arms and a moving mouth, plus get it in there between cries.  After patiently waiting for my opportunity, I saw an opening and pounced.  That's when Grace unveiled her inner ninja.

Adorable baby or silent assassin?

In the blink of an eye, Grace stopped crying, steadied herself, reached out and grabbed the handle of the spoon - WITHOUT SPILLING ANY OF THE GRIPE WATER.  For comparison, I spill milk all over my face each and every time I eat cereal, but my daughter can snatch a spoon out of midair with perfect precision.

Carrie and I stood frozen in awe as Grace's sharp, purposeful glare said what her voice cannot. "Not today old man.  Try that again and I will kung-fu you butt into oblivion."

Of course, as soon as I could free the spoon I gave her the medicine, icy eyes be damned.  After all, ninja skills or no she's still just a baby and I'm a whole lot bigger than her.

I just hope she's not plotting her vengeance.