Abbie and Julia, a friendship story!

Today Abbie had a welcomed visit. Her friend Julia came over for a bit, and they just loved each other! I wonder if they have any recollection of when they were friends while in the tummy: they spent quite some time together while Julia's mommy and I strutted around together with our 20 or so extra pounds! Julia was born four days after Abigail, and they have a lot in common. Katy and I had a blast watching them sharing courtesies and friendly gestures: they pulled each other's hair, smacked each other around a little bit, all with baby giggles and laughter. I will never understand baby friendship!!! Anyone pulling my hair would never be considered a friend! Babies, strange, wonderful creatures!
Abigail waved Katy and Julia "hello" when she met them, and "bye-bye" when they left. She laughed and ate with Katy and I, while Julia had a well deserved nap in Abigail's crib. I thought that perhaps Abbie would protest seeing another baby in her little bed, but she did not mind it at all. I guess we have not reached the jealousy stage yet!
Abbie gave Julia a big sloppy kiss on the cheek to thank her for coming over to visit while they played. She is just so loving, that little one! I wonder if it is due to the fact that I kiss her all the time... Maybe she finally realizes that is a gesture of affection? Hopefully, they will play together again soon. I realize that Abbie is not used to babies -- peers -- because she does not get much interaction with them... But, boy, does she love them! It was so much fun, I loved every minute of it. Watching Abbie and Julia, such beautiful little girls, totally delighted and amazed me. As it always does.

Clapping and Waving "Bye Bye"

Ever since Abigail learned how to clap (April 22nd) she has been clapping away like there is no tomorrow.  She claps when she wakes up, she claps when she eats, she claps when she bathes, she claps when we read, she claps when she plays.  It's the cutest thing!  From day one of her clapping experience, she has been clapping to the music that we play and dance to almost every day.  She is very rhythmic, too!  Not quite on the dot, but getting there.  She has also started to bounce around to the music -- while clapping, of course.  I sit by her and see her bobbing head, up and down, up and down, and her little body swaying left and right, left and right...  It is so funny!  My little clapper.
Now she has started waving "bye-bye", and "hi", every time she sees someone.  When her daddy gets home (the highlight of her day), she starts waving her arms like a windmill, waving her papa "hello".  When she goes night night (her dad always puts her to bed) she waves to me "bye bye!" She has become so communicative in her little ways: with her hands, with her little exclamations "bah bah guua gugu ta ta", and all the little things that she has been picking up along the way.  Just when I thought she wasn't paying attention, she proves me wrong!

BAM! Abbie and Emeril Lagasse, part deux

Abbie had her first encounter with fame today.  At our local Whole Foods, Emeril Lagasse and his crew were filming a cooking episode for his new show, "Emeril Green".  We happened to go grocery shopping today, and ta-da!!! There he was!  Cooking (yummy).   A few feet away from us, but an encounter nonetheless.  Well, I don't think he even saw us, but we saw him, so that counts, right?  We walked right by the filming cameras (and, no, I had not planned it that way, but the tomatoes I like were there!), we stared for a few seconds, and were motioned to "keep moving".  Jeeezzz. So, Abbie will be airing sometime soon!  We have to find out when.
I don't think this experience shook her to the core or anything like that.  She seemed unmoved by the whole thing, even though I kept telling her: "look, that's Emeril Lagasse over there, he has cooked for the White House!".  God only knows she has had her fair share of listening to the Food Network channel when she was still in the tummy (my masochistic way of eating food, virtually, since I could tolerate very little of the real kind!).  She was more interested in chewing my cell phone.  Speaking of eating...
Lagasse and his team are filming in Fairfax all this week...  I think I forgot to buy some organic apples...  For Abbie, not me!  What a hassle...!  We are just going to have to make another appearance tomorrow!!! Who knows, maybe we will even get to try some of those yummy concoctions!

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Cuddly Abbie

We had a great morning.  Abbie woke up at 6:30 am, and was a delight to be with...  My little, independent girl was so cuddly!  She rolled over to my side of the bed, and just nestled herself by me the whole time she was awake.  She hugged me, and smiled at me so sweetly!  It melted my heart.  She kissed me (well, her slobbery kisses, anyway!) on my cheek and neck a few times.  She blew raspberries on me!!!  That tickled, and made me laugh, and she just thought that was soooo funny.  She did it again, and then again, and giggled like crazy.  I also found out that she likes to be kissed on her back, she laughs at that.  It must be something new for her.
I cannot wait until she becomes more affectionate.  Not that she isn't right now, but she is more into her toys and discovering the world than she is into cuddling with her mom.  I know, I know, that time will come, but it's hard when all I want to do is hug her and kiss her and she just looks at me as if saying: "look, lady, I have better things to do!".
Cuddly, smiling, giggling Abigail.  Just the love of my life.

Gadget Freak!

There is nothing that we can do to distract Abigail from cameras, camcorders or audio recorders... As soon as we whip out one of these gadgets (generally when she is doing something cute that we want to immortalize), wham!, that's it. She stops doing whatever she was doing, and just concentrates on the best way to get to the gadget. Just like that. It's an immediate reaction, and Christopher and I have been trying to devise ways to photograph her, record her, in an unconspicuous way... easier said than done! Nothing goes unnoticed by our little girl... Not a conspiratory look between her father and I, nor the fastest of movements to turn the device on and hide it away!
There have been hundred of instances that I was not able to record for posterity!
... And call me crazy, but I don't want to forget a thing.