things to remember

When we put Abby in the bumbo to eat (she still doesn't fit in the high chair well) she always kicks her left foot on the counter.  Never the right.  Always the left.   She'll stop while she eats - but in between bites or while I'm prepping her food she just kicks and kicks and kicks her heel on the counter.

She has this one grin she does.  It's like she's trying to smile bigger than she's actually able to smile.  She wrinkles up her nose and her eyes, one side of her lip curls up and she tilts her head back as far as she can.  If she's sitting, sometimes she'll topple herself over when she's grinning that big - which only makes it that much more adorable. 

She has a few favorite games.  One of them is covering her with a blanket and playing peek-a-boo.  She laughs and laughs.  And, if you hide under the blanket with her - she can barely contain herself.  The other is something that has made her smile from the time she was able to smile.  You turn your head away from her and you say "I'm gonna....look at you!" and then you look at her.  No hiding, no blankets, just shifting eye contact.  So simple.  Kyle will often play this "game" with her while he is standing in another room, or down the hall.  I can't tell who is more amused - Abby because her dad is looking at her, or Kyle because Abby can see him and reacts when he can't see her.  :)

The one thing that can always calm her down when she's tired and fussy (besides food) is a book.  She seems to really love looking at books with us.  She can now help turn the pages and I think she's starting to recognize certain pictures in the books she likes.  This all makes me really happy. 

When she's in her carseat in the car, she often jabbers away to her monkey (Monte) that hangs above her.  She has inflections and pauses and we think she is telling him all about her day.  If we take him off and then add him later - she is always happy to see him and starts jabbering right away.  

We've discovered (while house hunting) that Abby thinks stairs are Hilarious!  Every time we would walk up or down a staircase - she would just start squealing and giggling.  It had all of us laughing.  She also loves mirrors and "has" to stop by each one in each house to say hello to that little girl that follows her around.  

The Cheesecake factory brings out a plate of banana and bread slices for babies (and kids)  Today, Abby got to sit in a high chair and eat off of her own plate.  Well, I helped her eat - but it was just another reminder that she's getting so big.  

She is scared of the vacuum.  And she's scared of the noise of public restrooms.  Sometimes the garbage disposal will scare her too.  Oh, and the hairdryer.  I guess we have an issue with loud noises.  Well, some anyway.  Trains, horns, thunder, and blenders are of course fine.  

She's such a good baby.  We've seriously lucked out.