update

Several neat things have started happening now that we're past the holiday stress. For one, Audrey has become a bit more mobile. She can now roll over to her tummy and then keep rolling over to her back. In this manner she can move a few feet if she's determined enough. I left her on the blanket in the living room to go do some laundry or something. When I came back, she had moved over to the bookshelf, and was pulling books off onto herself. There's a powerstrip right there, so I thought, well that's not a good idea... so I picked her up and moved her about six feet away. Went into the kitchen for a bit. Came back, you guessed it, she's right over there at the bookshelf again, chewing on the powerstrip. So we've got to watch her a bit more carefully now eh?

Aria's vocabulary is still growing. She's learned some big words, although she does get them confused sometimes. e.g.: Me and the girls were driving around a few days ago so Audrey could get a nap. (Yes, it was a desperate "the baby won't sleep so we're going for a drive" manuever - desperate parents everywhere will relate I hope?) Audrey did fall asleep, and Aria and I were just chatting. She saw a bird or something and started talking about owls. Then she said "We're diagonal. But owls are nocturnal." It took me a minute to realize she meant we are diurnal. She had just learned both di- words.

On the not-so-exciting front, Aria is in a stage where she absolutely refuses to get dressed under any circumstance. So anytime we've got to go out somewhere there's a fierce battle to get her clothes involving her shrieking, kicking and crying. Um, yeah.

Oh, and speaking of shrieking, Audrey has a new high-pitched glass-breaking one if you leave her sitting alone for too long, or if she doesn't like the clothes you are putting on her, or if she's tired, or if she just feels like shrieking. On one hand, it's amazing that a kid so small can make that inhuman noise. On the other hand, I'm not going to say I hate it, because I don't hate anything about my children, but I really fucking hate it and I hope she stops soon.

Obligatory video: In a rare moment of sisterly love, Aria reads "Hello bee, Hello me" to Audrey. ("Hello bee, hello me! Hello frog, hello dog!" etc.) Note that Aria is now pronouncing her Ls - until a couple weeks ago, she was saying them like Ws.