Catching Up

Finally, I get to try some of the good stuff.

You drink out of the straw and I'll just hang my mouth over the other side of the glass, okay?

Since before she was born, Fiona has been the Hiccup Queen. Lately she's had the hiccups less, but she still gets them frequently (not unlike her father, I might add). Friday (4/21/06) she got a wicked case of them. Usually, I just nurse her if she's hiccuping and it doesn't take long before the sucking overrides the reflexive flexing of her diaphragm (ya gotta hate having a quasi-science geek for a mom), but Friday, she just couldn't stop hiccuping. So when I have the hiccups, I hold my breath and drink a glass of water - sounds very unscientific, but it works for me - every time. I decided to try giving Fiona some water, even though I couldn't tell her to hold her breath while she drank it...well, I could tell her, but, you know kids these days, they never listen. But it worked. By the time Fiona had finished the little bit of water I'd put in the glass for her, the hiccups were gone!

Fiona's getting MUCH better at actually swallowing the water out of the glass instead of just backwashing it into the glass or letting it fall freely out of her mouth and all over her outfit or even spitting it back up moments after she's swallowed, not to mention the choking. She's still far from an expert, but she insists on practicing every day and she's getting better and better.

Sunday was a beautiful day here in Seattle. We went hiking and by the time we returned from the trip at around 6 pm, our Oregon Scientific Thermometer thingy said it was 68.7 degrees - which means from noon to 2:30 pm when we were actually hiking, it must've been quite a bit warmer than that - it was WARM! (especially since I was wearing my flannel lined jeans and wool socks, I mean, c'mon people, it's spring, in Seattle, who expected it to be 75 degrees?!) Fiona actually slept through a lot of the hike (which was awesome, the hike was awesome, not the fact that Fiona slept through a lot of it) and by the time I got home it was apparent that she was actually getting sick. Poor girl all stuffy and coughing, sneezing, runny nose.

By the end of the work day on Monday, I was starting to get sick, too. So Wednesday we spent the day sniffling, napping and whining. She's actually a pretty hearty critter. Despite all the discomfort and snuffling, she still smiles at me and laughs when I do silly things with her, I wish I could capture some of that indomitable spirit.

So yesterday I was drinking some Guava Pineapple juice and I had set Fiona down on the couch next to, but sort of behind me. I wasn't even drinking out of her favorite blue glasses, just a regular mason jar. She started out sitting up against the back of the couch, but she was reaching for my glass. Since that wasn't getting her what she wanted, she started straightening her legs out and pushing her head back into the couch cushions - this effectively scooched her butt closer to the object of her desire, then she started trying to sit up. I was a little oblivious to her intentions, but was curious about what she was doing, so I helped her sit up. She realized that she still wasn't close enough to get the glass, so she did it again - scooching her butt closer to the edge of the couch by pushing against my hand that was supporting her back, then trying to sit up. By now I was on to her, but was pretty fascinated that she had figured out how to scooch closer by actually pushing her torso backwards - you must be some kind of genius to figure out that to go forwards you have to push backwards...hmm. I'm sure it's just all in the experimentation, but I was pretty impressed as she kept scooting closer and closer to the edge of the couch to get to my glass (which, ultimately, after all that work, she was not allowed to have).

And for the record, I started knitting that pair of pants for her yesterday. I realize this is not a Fiona milestone, but I figured I'd mention it here so we can all see just how long it takes me to finish this project.

Her communication skills are pretty amazing. When I am in the room and she wants to be with me, she'll reach for me and as soon as I reach back for her, she throws her body towards me, nothing with her is passive, let me tell you. And if I don't come get her right away, she starts this high-pitched whining, except it's almost the sound a kid would make to imitate another kid crying - it's not actually crying, it's like "if I make a sound like I'm crying, she'll come right over here and get me." Which, of course, is mostly true and as soon as I go to pick her up, she stops her fake crying and beams up at me, then gives the previous holder her "See, that's what I wanted the whole time, next time, be quicker on the uptake, okay?" smile.

In fact, Saturday, Dave's cousin, Peter, was holding Fiona and I was nearby. Fiona started fussing and reaching in my direction. Peter thought that Fiona might have to potty (which he realizes we are doing, but wants no part in helping, can't really blame the guy, can ya?). By this time, Fiona was a little frustrated with Peter's lack of response to her fussing, so she started reaching for Auntie Gae who was closer to her. Peter happily handed Fiona over to Gae, then she started fussing and reaching for me again. So I went over and got her - it was like if she can't walk on over to mom, she'll just people hop until she gets there. Once she was in my arms, she turned her typical "this is what I wanted all along" smile in full force on Peter.

It's so interesting because her world is complex and she's trying to figure it out, using only happy and sad to indicate what she wants. But it's amazing how effective she is at letting us know what she's driving at. (anyone want to suggest some new adjectives for me to use, I think "amazing" is pretty worn out, but it's the only one that comes to mind...so I'm open to suggestions).