Then and now, part 1

As Margaret approaches her first birthday, I figured that I'd post some early photos juxtaposed against some more current ones. So here's a couple of her in her stroller. The left one above was taken just before her 6 month, while the right one is recent, just before her birthday.

New tricks are coming fast and furious. In addition to shaking of the head, which has become a favorite gesture in all sorts of settings, Margaret now does the following:

• When sitting in our bed, she'll pat the bed a few times to attract Maddie as I do to get the dog up on the bed. As with most tricks, it wasn't clear what she was doing the first time, but now its clear that she's trying to get the dog to "c'mere."
• She takes a brush, either Mama's or her own, and rubs it on her head. Suggestive of good future grooming (or perhaps a narcissistic streak.)
• She'll say "DOP!" very clearly and emphatically while shaking her head. The ladies at daycare say that she often says it while reprimanding another kid who is trying to take a toy from her. Their theory is that she's trying to say "STOP IT!" They might be right, but she could also be saying "DROP IT!" which is something that we often say to Maddie to get the dog to drop a toy, ball, found garbage, etc.
• One of the dog books gets a "Woof" sort of sound. It's not clear if she's trying to go "Woof," but it's a consistent sound that accompanies that book.
  
• She'll hold a Cheerio or pea for me to eat when she's sitting in her high chair. If I eat it, which I'll do if it hasn't been taken out of her mouth beforehand, it gets peals of laughter. This trick only shows up after she's sated and about ready to finish - there's little time for tricks at the beginning of a meal.
• Margaret has learned to climb the stairs. To be sure, stairs are an interesting device as people appear and disappear using them. Earlier today while Mama was talking to Aunt Eleanor on the phone, Margaret scooted over to the stairs, waved bye-bye at Mama, and headed up. She can manage them ok with someone behind her, but she's inattentive enough that she could easily tumble backwards. We're trying not to encourage stair-climbing, but given my observation of the cousins in Philly along with stories from other parents, I think that the fascination is inevitable.
  

We watched an old piano player at Nordstrom's today while Mama shopped for shoes. Margaret was intrigued by his fingers on the keyboard and seemed to like the music. For at least 10 minutes which is a pretty long time given her current attention span. I think that the piano player really enjoyed his audience too.