Reaching out...

Arya, you're making so much progress and learning so much so fast! Yesterday was exciting. For the first time, you reached for something. Aunt Liz was holding you and you reached out trying to touch the newspaper. You were looking at the paper and then at your hand, and I think you were trying to figure out how to make your little fingers go where you wanted them to go. Some would say this was just an accident, but Liz was there and she saw it too!

Today you reached out several times to touch your musical pink bunny that sits on your changing table. You were lying on the changing table and I wound up the bunny and was holding it in front of you. You were smiling and you kept reaching out and touching the bunny's foot.

You're "talking" a lot these days, making little noises and learning that you have a voice. It is so cute and I love the little "conversations" that we have back and forth. I wonder what you're thinking when you make all of those little ohs and ahs.

Another new thing that you've been doing is grasping things. I have put a little rattle in your hand a few times and you'll actually hold it for a maybe up to a minute. You used to just drop it almost immediately. Today you grabbed your burp cloth a couple of times and held on to it and even waved it around. And of course you like to grab my hair, but that can be pretty painful. I'm afraid sometimes that you're going to pull your own hair. You did that when you were about a month old. You had been sleeping peacefully and all of the sudden I heard you screaming. I ran to see what was wrong and you had your hair tight in your hand and you were pulling. I think that the more that it hurt the more you pulled, not realizing what was going on.

You're so alert and you are learning to watch things more carefully. Serveral times this week we've put you in your bed and you will lie there and watch the mobile moving around above you. Today you even looked at the pages of the book "God Gave Us You" as I read it to you. I've read to you before, but today was the first time that you paid so much attention to what was on the page.

I know that there are so many more things that I could write, but I'm trying to get down the major ones. It is fascinating to watch you learn and to get to experience each new step that you take. And we have so much ahead of us! We love you, sweet little girl.

Back up to her birth length!

Yes, it is true! Arya is back up to her birth length! Don't you mean birth weight? No. Her weight has been increasing at a good pace. However, as a result of that difficult trip from the womb to the outside world, she was born with a bit of a conehead that made her measure a little longer than she actually was. (Maybe she just wanted to be like her mom, who was born with a conehead of her own!) Arya measured 22.5 inches at birth, but by the next day her head was nice and round and she was down to about 20.5 inches. When we took her for her two week checkup she was up to 20.75 inches and I'm happy to report that on Friday at her 2 month checkup she measured 22.5 inches and weighed 11 lbs., 4 oz. Way to go, Arya!

Meanwhile, she is learning so many new things these days! She loves it when we make clicking sounds with our mouths. She watches so intently when we do it, and often gives us huge smiles because we are able to do such cool things! :) I started making those sounds for her a few weeks ago. She often sticks out her tongue or moves it around trying to figure out how to make the sounds herself. It is adorable! When we were in Toronto visiting Rajeev's family last week, she actually started making clicking sounds herself! Rajeev's sister can even back me up on this report because she witnessed it too! I don't think Arya always knows how she does it, but we still think it is fun to watch her learn this amazing new skill!

Other great accomplishments include sticking out her tongue quite frequently when we stick out our tongues at her. Are we teaching her things we'll regret later? :)

I just have to add one more new thing that she did today. I had put Arya down on the changing table and was unfolding a clean diaper before taking her dirty one off. She was lying there on her back, kicking all around and all of the sudden she put her feet down on the changing table, lifted her bottom up, and scooted herself up the table about 3 or 4 inches with one big push! I couldn't believe it! She did the same thing later when she was lying on the floor. I am starting to think that we may not have as much time to child proof the house as I thought we did!

Well, I need to go. Our little one is practicing using her loud voice to express herself right now. (That is secret code for "she is crying".) More updates to come...