The twenty-fourth week

This week seemed to pass quickly and unremarkably. Madeline and I visited my injured brother almost every day this week since he's mostly confined to the couch. I like to think that a happily babbling baby helps lift his spirits as he works through his recovery from a motorcycle wreck a couple weeks ago. It also gives us a chance to get out of the house and gives Madeline some new scenery for a couple hours a day. Once settled on her blanket on the floor, she's happy to put on a show - talking and laughing, playing and rolling over.

We're also giving Madeline plenty of practice at sitting unassisted. She does pretty well but still needs someone close by to catch her if she starts to list. But she's improving at righting herself when she leans and using her hands to catch herself. Today she sat for several minutes without any support while she played with the dangly objects on her jungle adventure mat.

It may be just me, but I think her speech is evolving as well. She's getting in more hard consonants - the b's and d's and g's - instead of relying solely on the long vowels. (Above, she's pictured talking to the purple toucan). There just seems to be a little more variety to her sounds. But there's still the occasional, well, whatever you call this!