Apples and Pears

Our little baby is getting big! She certainly feels heavy after jiggling and rocking her to sleep in my arms. She's almost too long for her infant car seat. With a new wardrobe and a space-age high chair she's ready to start the second half of her first year. She certainly looks older now with her features filling out and more hair framing her face, a la Liza Minelli style. Her second tooth made an appearance this past week and she's testing them out on anything she can get her hands on. She left an impressive bite mark on Jon's arm (take that Daddy for trying to make me sleep!). We're more cautious about letting her pull our fingers towards her mouth and those razor sharp two teeth! Thankfully she's been relatively respectful of her main source of food! However the spoon gets it and whatever solid food happens to be on the spoon is sometimes swallowed. Mostly the food concentrates on her chin in big globules. Pear and oats is Lilli's favourite meal so far. Rice was a little too constipating. Sweet potato too weird. Apples too tart. Banana too gloopy.

Lilli's learning to get around .... and around ..... and around. She spins in slow circles on her belly, sometimes inching forwards, sometimes pushing backwards. She loves hanging out on the couch where she sits, lounges and rolls among the cushions. Each cushion feels unique to her constantly exploring fingers and toes. Her wobbly sitting position and her ability to spin or shuffle to desired toys has given her some slight independence and control over play time. And I've discovered a new toy in my cell phone. Lilli spends the final hour of every nap curled up warm and content in my lap while I play the computer game installed on my phone. I've never spent much time playing computer games and consequently I'm terrible. I have an irritating habit of pressing the wrong keys so my little man jumps when I want him to attack or runs in a suicide mission off cliffs when I want him to jump over the pixel ravines. It's taking me a while to progress through the castle levels while my princess, who I must free, languishes in a dungeon. But I have time. I fear the cell phone will die before I complete my quest.

Putting Lilli back to sleep is very similar to playing my cell phone game. It's ridiculously easy to make the wrong move and wake her up. Then the soothing process starts all over again.

Level 1: Rocking Lilli to sleep in arms

This level has few obstacles, but requires constant motion and arm power.

Level 2: The slow descent into the crib

Must gently lower sleeping baby into crib without giving the appearance of moving. Avoid cold and wet drool patches on the sheet at all costs. Crib creaks and a bumpy landing can prove deadly.

Level 3: Removing arms from baby

Tips to completing this level include averting head so your breath doesn't disturb the sleeping princess, ensuring a smooth and slow withdrawal of your arms from under baby's legs and shoulders, taking your time and avoiding those crib creaks. If you fail at this level you return to level 1.

Level 4: Exiting room

Squeaky floor boards and a creaking door make this suspenseful level deceptively challenging.

Level 5: Reward

Varied rewards may include 10 minutes slumped on the couch before returning to level 1, a cup of tea and 15 minutes on the computer or 30 minutes of knitting.