47 weeks!

Well... we have lots of pics from this week and even some videos... but it will have to wait until Sunday when I have time and energy to post them! But the good news is that waiting until Sunday means you'll get to see our little monkey in her halloween costume. As those of you who follow me on facebook now, I actually SEWED this week. Nothing too impressive- I just sewed some felt onto the front of a sweat suit to make a monkey belly and some felt ears onto the hood of that sweat suit. And I made a tail out of a stocking knee high, some cotton stuffing, and several pipe cleaners twisted together and then I sewed that shut. Kev cut out the felt and consulted on the tail. It was a collaborative effort for sure. One would think that every time she latches on I would feel a surge of "I'm really a mommy." But I think because she nurses so frequently I don't often have this experience. But setting aside my school work for an hour or so and picking up needle and thread, the awe and wonder of it all swept over me again.

For the first few months Caroline was with us I felt that so often. I feel it less often now, but it is good to know I can still feel it.

We aren't going to a Halloween party or anything and we aren't taking Caroline trick or treating so there was no real reason to make the costume, but we've asked Jenn and Sean if we can come over for a bit tomorrow evening to show our little monkey off. Jenn is happy to oblige.

So, news from this week...

• cutting LOTS of teeth... sleeping little... erratic moods
  
• She has taken to raising her eyebrows at us, especially when seated in her feeding chair and it is hilarious.
  
• She also has become fascinated with the chandelier above our dining room table and the shadows it casts on the ceiling. Well, we're not entirely sure whether it is the chandelier and its light bulbs or the shadows that are more captivating to her. In any case, several times a day while seated in her feeding chair she leans back, looks up, as if enraptured, and reaches for the ceiling. It is as if she is communing with the divine. We have some pics, but haven't captured her full rapture yet.
  
• She was much pickier about food this week, perhaps because of the teeth? Who knows? Kev made her a new dish with cauliflower, carrots, and lentils- a very tasty dish, if you ask me- and she would frequently reject it. But then, if she was sufficiently distracted she would eat it, or sometimes she just wouldn't reject it. Sometimes if we put it on a spoon with something else she likes she'd eat it no problem; sometimes she'd spit out the bites that were combined. So bizarre. She did a lot of turning her head away from us and jerking to the side to escape the spoon. The strange thing is that when she did take it she seemed to like it just fine. Very weird. The only other food she has rejected has been a cauliflower/cheese dish so maybe she just doesn't like cauliflower very much. I never did as a kid.
  
• Kev said she taught herself to open cabinets today. Must put safety latches on.
  
• She's got rhythm... She has been clapping along to rhythms lately and Kev shared that he was listening to some drumming on-line today (he has started African drumming lessons at our church and is doing research on his own time) and started off tapping his foot to the rhythm, but apparently this was distracting her from eating her lunch so he stopped. But then she started knocking her foot into the tray on her feeding chair repeatedly, in sync with the drums.
  
• She's got music... she seems to be singing along to music more and more. Kev plays various c.d.'s when she's in the car and we'll hear her mimicking sounds in the back seat.
  
• She is REALLY into books. I read about five or six with her, and some of those several times, in about a 15 minute period earlier this evening.
  

Daddy K here. A couple other noteworthy items:

1. On Thursday, Caroline was WIRED!!! She was very active during breakfast, and I jokingly asked her, "So you're going to be a lot of fun today, huh?" To which she replied with, I kid you not, a knowing smirk and a bordering-on-evil laugh. This made us laugh, too, but little did we know it was a sign of things to come. Caroline wasn't out of control, but her energy level was cranked to 11. For example, while riding in the car, she took to vehemently practicing kung fu (Bill Cosby yelling and all) on her jangling kitty that hangs over her car seat. She was in constant motion around the house, and she didn't take a nap until the late afternoon. I am happy to report she slept VERY well that night.

2. I got to play The Disciplining Father for the first time today. As Sarah has already mentioned, Caroline is teething hard these days. Today I was holding her on my hip comforting her, and things were going pretty well until she bit down hard on my shoulder. I immediately let loose with my most authoritative "No!" and put her down for the next several minutes. She cried and wailed mightily, but my heart remained hard and my resolve remained firm. After the break I did pick her back up and assured her that I did love her, but that biting was not okay. The rest of the day went well, and Caroline did seem to get the message, and she was very gently affectionate toward me for a good span of time after the episode.