Inside her head

She’s seven weeks old today.

And growing up fast. Kates and I have mused out loud a few times this week how noticeable her growth has been lately … Watching her hold up her head the last couple weeks has been among the most delightful scenes. At this rate she could be starting to crawl next week … but what do I know about babies?

She’s already got Mom and Dad wrapped around her long, little fingers, too …

We’ve said from the beginning -- when her wide-eyed, pointy little head popped out -- she was alert and intelligent … She’s shown some streaks of baby toughness and independence, but she’s also shown she really likes being in our presence. Which is a good thing, I guess …

So the latest household joke is her knack for drawing Kates and I to her crib when she's supposed to be sleeping … We’ll put her music on, spend some time with her and rock her to contentment before setting her in her crib. And most of the time, that entails smacking her Nuk against her lips like Maggie Simpson. She’s totally fine.

But after a few minutes, Kates and I begin hearing her timid little “Eh!” cries on the monitor. It’s never full-out screaming or crying. But it gets our attention, as if to say “Hey! Pay attention to me!” And if she doesn’t stop after a minute or two, Kates or I are usually on our way to her room …

And this is why we think she’s testing us -- because invariably, her cries stop the moment she hears us coming down the hall, and we find her Nuk lying outside her mouth. Kates and I even have caught her smile when she sees one of us reappear over her crib -- as if she’s thinking, “Aha! I gotcha again!”

Just imagine the conversation in her head …

“Ok, they left me again. And they’re out there watching TV and having fun without me …”

“I’ll just spit my Nuk out again, cry a little, and they’ll come runnin’. I know it.”

Thwup!

“Ok. Nuk’s out. Here we go … Wheh! … Wheh!”

(Silence while she listens for us) … “Nothing yet.”

“Wheh! … Wheh!”

(Listening again) … “Still nothing. Let’s try this again … “Wheh!”

(The floors are creaking with the sounds of foot steps) … “Ah yes! I did it again! … Hey, Dad!”