Riding the Wave

Esme has not been sleeping great for many weeks now. This, of course, has prompted much discussion as to the cause... growing pains, teething pains, etc. etc. I've been told that babies on the verge of a developmental milestone may experience sleep disruptions. At the rate we've been going I expect to walk into her room any morning now and see her walking, talking, reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee that she's just brewed herself. I realize that I've got to lower the bar, so for this week Esme's great achievement is raising her hands over her head.

Here she is before...



...and after.



What I love most about this new skill is the randomness of it. She doesn't seem to be asking to be picked up. Those little arms just pop up at any given moment, as if she's participating in some great wave game only we can't see the other wavers. She's particularly tickled if you choose to join in and now has even come to expect it. She'll throw her arms up in the air and then stare at you with an air of grave seriousness. She doesn't mess around with the wave.

And speaking of waving, she appears to be doing that now too. Not so much a hand-wagging wave, hers is more a dainty wrist tilt that's somewhere between the Queen and Miss America. Too cute.