I've noticed that you can see Arianna's smile in her eyes just as much as on her lips. I jotted that down the other day in my notes, and looking at it as I began to write this entry, it made me think about the fact that all of her communication now is unspoken. (I had originally written non-verbal, but Ania pointed out that making noises is "verbal", in a sense.) At almost eight months old, she can make noises, but she can't talk, so she has to find other ways to tell us how she feels and what she wants — and she does!
Sometimes it's quite clear, like when she jerks and thrashes — a new way she's found to say "Feed me now!" Other times, it's not so obvious, like her tendency to emit loud, long, high-pitched squeals. We don't know what these mean, but they don't appear to be either happy or unhappy sounds (well, they often seem to be more happy than not, but sometimes they seem downright neutral); maybe she's just seeing what it's like to make noise and hear herself.
We're teaching her unspoken forms communication too, like waving (which she seems to really enjoy) clapping (her newest skill), and some basic baby sign language (milk, water, eat, more, mommy, daddy, all gone) that we've been trying. I've always been in favor of explicit communication, and generally discourage relying on non-verbal cues whenever possible. Being a new parent has caused me to revisit this approach, at least with Arianna.
Before our daughters were born, Jene and I were talking about the Dunstan baby language, featured on Oprah. I watched the show and thought it was incredible, and was sure Ania and I would buy the DVD. Jene pointed out that while she agreed with the general idea that babies cry differently for different reasons, it's something parents can learn on their own, and don't necessarily need a book or DVD to learn.
I've come to agree — it's really true that a baby will give you signs for what she needs, even if she does so unconsciously. Becoming attuned to these signs is part of learning to be a parent. For example, Ari was getting pretty cranky this morning, which is rare unless she's tired. So, I put her down about half an hour early for her nap and she was out almost instantly. This wasn't a case of decoding her cry so much as her behavior, but it was a good reminder of the importance of being aware of and responsive to my daughter's communication, long before she can talk. And no, I didn't buy the DVD.
Ari went to her first birthday party this week! Taylor & Rossy's son, Christian, turned 1 year old, and we went to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco to celebrate. Ari had a great time, and really enjoyed her first ride on a carousel.
Ari spent the rest of the week having a good time looking at books, playing with toys, checking out bubbles, working on waving and clapping, and playing with Grandma Wanda.
Milestones & Metrics
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Really able to wave now
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Learning to clap her hands
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First night without 10pm feeding (22 May)
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Slept on her tummy most of the night (22 May)
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Rolled to the right for the first time this morning! (18 May)
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First eye doctor appointment (22 May)
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Seems to be responding to the camera! Clearly did so when I began to take "Friday pictures" this morning (23 May)
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How Arianna looks this week: