A much better baby

Some hypothesized that Margaret's recent unpleasant behavior stemmed from a pending life event, like the eruption of new teeth or the onset of talking. Both are possible since she certainly has new teeth popping up everywhere - you can really see the molars coming in when she screams. (Incidentally, as we've bid adieu to cute toothless grins, we've also passed another milestone - no more Baby Bjorn. My back could still take it, but I wasn't sure that she was still comfortable. I'm really sad about that for a few reasons. First, it was a great way to move around with a low profile. Second, it really kept her confined in a way that she didn't really seem to mind. And last but not least, we got great looks from people as we walked around. Me and my little mini-me.) Regarding talking, while her "vocabulary" is still pretty limited, she clearly has things on her mind that she wants to communicate. Modulations of tone that accompany exclamations and declarations of all sorts. Admittedly all nonsensical, but she has lots to say.

Whatever the reason for her past misbehavior, Margaret has been much more pleasant recently. Sleep is still a bit of a problem as her alarm clock isn't ideal, but the unexplainable fussing and really, really bad prolonged middle-of-the-night episodes haven't really continued. And this past weekend was great as we spent lots of time messing around the house, park, etc. with lots of grins and few fussy episodes. One of our new favorite games is when I yell "I'm going to get Margaret!" and run up to grab her in the park. She doesn't seem to understand the real goal of the game since she usually "runs" aimlessly (if not at me), but it's fun nonetheless as she giggles uncontrollably when I scoop her up.

It's funny that I don't feel as compelled to post anything when she's being a good kid. I'll have to watch that this blog doesn't become a venue for venting my irritation with Margaret's foibles. While it's helpful to have an outlet when I'm annoyed with her, it can also obscure the majority of the time when she's really a pretty good kid.