18 weeks of the little bird.

If you aren't observant, you may miss something. It may be the first time she pulls her pacifier out and then puts it back in. This is a BIG deal in our house right now. Her hands have become a new play toy (not brought to you by Fisher Price). Oh, and the feet. I can't forget to mention the feet. During diaper changes, the feet are in the mouth. They make a great chew toy for teething babies. Eva is holding her toys and shoving them with a fierce jerk into her mouth. She chews on her wooden bird harder than Texas and Tenne chew on their toys. I mean it! She puts force behind her suck!

Talking. Oh yes, she is talking all day long. Before naps and when she wakes up she lies in her bed and talks to herself. Sometimes I wonder what she's conversing about. The color of her room? Why she can't eat turkey yet? When her friend Solo is going to come play? I know she is a super smart baby, so maybe someday she will enlighten me.

The arch. Not the Golden Arches in San Fran (where my friend Yana is going with her honey for a loooong vacation before their baby arrives), but Eva's arch. It is quite hilarious at this point. When I put her in her baby bucket or swing (anything that has a dip in it) she arches her back as much as possible as if to say, "There is no way in h-e-double hockey stick, that I am going in there!" It is so funny. She is starting to convey what she wants in other forms than a cry. Smart kid.

Last, but certainly not least, is the fake cry. Because Eva has been talking so often, she feels confident that her new vocab will keep her from taking naps. Just before she is walked to bed, it starts. A fake, but ever so darling, cry. It starts and then stops. It starts and then there is a little cough. A fake cough. Then a little cry. It's hilarious because she is becoming predictable. I'm trying hard not to laugh at her and reinforce it, but she's so darn cute.

So, there you have it. Those are a couple of the new feats Eva has accomplished. She's lying on her belly like a champ. She's standing and holding her head up. She loves to sit in her Bumbo and lay in her jungle. And of course, she loves to smile and laugh with mama and dad. Sigh. I love that kid.