Reading Rainbow

Anika has discovered her hands.  Not as convenient pacifiers or things that get in the way when nursing or during a change of clothes, but as cool tools attached to appendages that she can wave around and use to grasp things.  This has been in the making for the past week or so, but in the last few days she's really started grabbing things for fun - her shirt, her blanket, me.

At the same time, she's showing more interest in toys unattached to bars, mobiles or her bouncy chair.  I've tried introducing her to baby books (I was raised by two bibliophiles, so it was only a matter of time) and usually she's bored in about three seconds flat.  This morning, however, success:  we made it through five full readings of "Fluffy Chick."  (Side note:  were that not the title of a children's story featuring farm animals, it would probably be the name of some risque establishment in a Family Guy episode.  But I digress).

It's currently a three-way race between cow, pig and rooster as to who is the most interesting.  My money's on the pig.

Also - and this might be a bit of a reach - but over the past two days she has developed a complaint/cry that sounds distinctly like "mom" and at other times like "mama."  It's no wonder that the name for mom is so similar in many different languages.  At any rate, it melts my heart to hear it, and keeps Armando pretty entertained as well (see, babe, she's asking for you!  Guess I'm off the hook for changing her diaper this time!)