Amazing Feats

Aydin has been doing some amazing things! Today she smiled when she saw a picture of a cat in one of her books -- she recognized it from seeing Kitty. She really looked at the animals in the book and smiled when I made the appropriate noises: baa for a sheep, woof for a dog, etc.

She's going through a little separation anxiety (from her mom), which apparently is pretty normal behavior leading up to the next developmental phase, the "world of categories." (The last one was the "world of relationships.") Aydin seems to be advancing quickly in terms of mental development, as the "world of categories" isn't supposed to kick in until the 36-37th week. This has been in keeping with our Observational One from the beginning. She is far more interested in observing the world around her, investigating the minute detail of a zipper, button, earring, or her fingers (she loves turning her hands around, inspecting those digits!) than exploring her own body as it moves through physical space. Thus far, she exerts herself mainly when attempting to accomplish her mental goals: reaching for Kitty. Likewise, she is much more interested in manipulating her feeding spoon than in eating — or being fed! The bright side is that we're still in the "sweet spot," before she starts crawling (or even creeping, for that matter). It looks as though she may just skip right past the whole rolling over phase and go right to walking. Don't be fooled, though: this little thinker has a rock-solid body, too! Her legs are very strong. She can stand supported for a good five minutes, sometimes longer. Sitting up is now the preferred position. Sometimes she reaches for a toy and tumbles forward. She is good at correcting herself, pulling her arms out and lifting her head right up!

Our big accomplishment lately is the extension of sleep. Our little one has been sleeping 100% through the night (down at 6:30pm, up at 6am) for over a week now. We are ecstatic! Naps have gotten better, too. Her morning nap now lasts about an hour and a half. It has been life-altering, being able to take a shower in the morning AND have time for breakfast AND maybe check my email, read, etc... Afternoons have gotten better, too. The mid-afternoon nap totals almost two hours, although she's still waking up 40 minutes into the nap and requires extra TLC to get back down for the next hour or so. (Today I have decided not to feed her mid-nap, so she has been entertaining herself in her crib alone for about thirty minutes!)