Light Bulb Moments

Despite the fact that Kayla is still sick, she has been on a hilarious learning streak the past couple of days. Apparently, having Grams around (Grandma Spatz, that is) makes her want to show-off.

This week she has picked up some adorable new skills:

1. She now tries hard to play Patty Cake along with you. As you sing the song and clap your own hands, she brings hers together, sometimes more effectively than others, and tries to keep up. She also throws her whole body back and up at the end when you exclaim "And put it WAAAAAAAY up in the oven...". Watching her "get it" is so much fun. To know that all of this really is sinking in and to see the little lightbulb inside her head go *ding*...so fun.

2. She now gives kisses. I am not joking. If you now put your face down close to hers and say "Kisses for Mommy (or Grams, or Daddy, or Aunt K, or...)", she'll take your face in her two hands, open her mouth BIG AND WIDE and will plant one on your cheek. It is potentially the cutest thing ever to happen on this planet we call Earth. I could let her goober and slime my cheeks all day long. I love it. LOVE IT.

3. She is starting to get Peek-a-boo. When you place a cloth over her head now, she reaches up and pulls it off and then smiles at you expectantly, waiting for the "PEEK-A-BOO" that necessarily must erupt from adoring adult lips.

4. She is starting to realize that certain things she does get a reaction from the adults around her. The kisses for instance...she definitely knows that her kisses cause adults to giggle and cheer and smile and coo...and so now, after she does it, she pulls away and looks up expectantly, oftentimes initiating the giggling herself. "Hello...did you see what I just did? Love and adore me! I am adorably hilarious!" It is so fun to see her socialization skills coming through. The fact that she now looks for a reaction from you, realizing that she has the power to create a response...it is too cute. This even extends so far as to have her sit and smile across the room at Daddy for minutes on end, patiently waiting for him to turn, see her and smile back. Nothing is better than a reaction from Daddy. And nothing is better than a smiling baby. Seriously, this kid just gets more amazing everyday.

And along those lines...I am realizing more and more every day how lucky I am to be working from home right now. To be able to spend so much time with Kayla, to watch her every little development, every little change...it is getting harder and harder to picture being back in an office every day and to picture not having the ability to share so fully in her life. Part of me knows that it would be fine. I have plenty of friends who are doing it and doing it well. But, when I think of leaving her full-time...my heart contracts a little. This little girl is changing me and changing Chris. She is changing our world in such new and amazing ways. We are still us and we still have our own wants, needs, desires, dreams...and yet we are also so much hers now. It is really an incredible, incredible thing.