milestones

Signing with Penelope

On Saturday, I had a major communication breakthrough with Penelope. Awhile ago, Katie and I decided that we would try to introduce sign language as a bridge to talking.

She's on a roll

Rolling over, that is. Today, Katie went to yoga, and I stayed at home with Penelope. When Katie left, Penelope was enjoying being on her back on the play mat. Since she hadn't had any tummy time today, I flipped her over onto her belly and put her arms under her chest. She started looking around, and I went to put something away. When I came back, she was on her back! Since there was no one else to help her roll, it was clear that she did it herself. So, I put her back onto her chest to see if she could do it again. This time I watched her closely.

Penelope's six-pack abs

Ok, maybe Penelope doesn't have a six-pack, yet. But for the first time, we can now feel her abdominal muscles flexing. Granted, they are covered with a nice layer of fat, but they are definitely there. They are easiest to feel when she is being held in a seated position or when she is lying on her back and lifting her legs. When she flexes her abs, they feel rock hard. It's pretty awesome. I think we're going to start her on crunches soon. And I'm totally getting her a thigh-master for Christmas. Feel the burn, baby.

The first laugh

Penelope laughed today! She was on the changing table, which seems to be one of her favorite places. We were doing the standard smiles and baby flirting that she has gotten so good at, and then she giggled! I called Jason right away but he didn't believe me, but I heard it and I marked Penelope's calender with the first laugh sticker. She hasn't done it again today but maybe she is waiting for Jason to come home.

Buckets o' Smiles

Well, there is no doubt about it now. Penelope is definitely smiling. This has actually been going on for a few weeks now (Katie marked the "official" first smile on Aug. 14th), but now it has gotten to the point where there are frequent smiles every day. Penelope appears to be happiest on the changing table, but we now get smiles throughout the day. That's not to say that there are no more fussy fits, but now they are broken up with a few smile sessions.