First Contact

John is definitely mobile now. He practices crawling in our bed, but nowhere else. If I put him down on the carpet, he just rolls, but won't even attempt to crawl. In bed, he is a mover and a shaker. He moves rather like an inch worm, putting his bottom up in the air and using all points of contact at some point: toes, knees, hands, elbows, and forehead. John can move forward or in a circle, but not backward.

John now moves with purpose and a plan. This is how he made First Contact with one of our cats. It took five and a half months, but John grabbed Oliver the cat twice today. The first time, John was shoveling forward with his forehead when he head-butted right into Oliver. John looked up in delight, then simultaneously grabbed a fistful of Oliver's fur on his back and under his belly. I know how much it hurts me when John grabs my hair at the roots all throughout the day, which is why I was so pleased and impressed that Oliver was utterly tolerant, if slightly alarmed. Later in the day, John spied the cat nearby, laughed at the genius of his own plan, and began crawling. He crept 12 inches toward Oliver, then began grabbing his paws, one by one, and his tail. After Oliver decided that enough was enough, he got up and walked away from the baby.

It won't be long before I need to get the baby gates from our basement!

What's Cookin'? Tonight Chris took me out to dinner at an Indian restaurant we both like. We realized that it was the first time we've taken John out to dinner at a restaurant. It was a very early dinner and he did well!

Tonight I baked my friend Sarah's chocolate chip cookie recipe. I was always irritated as a child by how my mom made me eat healthy . . . and now I'm turning into her. These cookies have ingredients such as whole wheat flour, unprocessed bran, and milled flax. They're the best, most interesting chocolate chip cookies I've ever eaten!