idol worship

Cosmo has a new friend. Bee.
Bee is a small cloth rattle than can be worn on his wrist or ankle, but Bee usually lives on one of the clips on his mobile. Cosmo is very taken with Bee. Often he will just lie on his back and gaze at Bee, following it as it rotates around his head. He flaps his arms frantically, kicks and stomps his feet. He coos and squeals with delight, then yells and whimpers in frustration. He has invented new sounds from his vocal cords to express the unique feelings he has for Bee. A few times i have seen him become still, staring, clasping his hands in front of his heart--appearing to pray to Bee.

Cosmo responds more to audio stimulus now than before. He listens to music, and loves the tinkling sound of the Baoding balls, which is not surprising, since Justin and i used to jingle them all around my belly while i was pregnant.

yesterday he started to really reach for and handle objects. i had mentioned this in the last entry, but yesterday seemed different than before. There is more intention. He seems to get it that he can touch the things that he looks at. This cognitive leap seemed to be a bit overwhelming for the boy. He was inexplicably cranky most of the day. I guess it makes sense...as Kate said, "forming new neural pathways must be pretty exhausting...i know trying to re-route them sure is!" of course, i am probably over interpreting...but it really seemed like this was a big deal for him. to suddenly realize that he can possibly "have" the things he has previously only desired from a distance...must be mind blowing.
so far he has not attempted to reach for Bee.

every day

i guess one of the most exciting things about living with a baby is the rapid change. Every day it seems like something new happens in Cosmo's development. today, for instance, he began reaching for his favorite toy, and attempting to hold it (his favorite toy, by the way, is a plastic "flip book" with a yellow smiley face--i like to call it "mr.smiles"). a couple of weeks ago, i was amazed to discover the way he responded to the simple design. he stares at it with great fascination, then begins to smile, giggle, coo and "talk" to the face. nowadays, he will do this to live faces too, like mine or his friends...even new people he meets, especially if they smile at him, or speak in animated tones, directly in his face. today i also discovered that he enjoys it when i make a kissing sound at him. he throws his head back and just laughs and laughs, then he will get still again and study my mouth, as if he is trying to figure out how i do it. so far, he has not done much mimicking, though he will sometimes experiment with his tongue if you stick your tongue out at him.

i was noticing today how we have moved on from various phases already (in his very short life). there were standard responses and practices we had developed, for particular cues and problems...and already they have changed. for instance, holding him up, with his head and arms over one shoulder, facing behind me, used to be his favorite way to be held. holding him this way, and patting his back rather aggressively, was once a sure way to calm him. now, he doesn't even seem to like it for a second. it is also now possible to distract him out of a bad mood with a change of scenery, lights, something bright or a high contrast design. he has recently sat through the reading of 3 books in a row, staring at the pages, responding to the inflections of my voice, and following as i turn the pages. he no longer responds to the shhhushing sound in his ear, something that used to really calm him down if he was crying. i guess he is getting over his attachment to the womb and is now beginning to be more interested in this exciting world.

it seems that he is what some "experts" would categorize as a calm baby. i am surprised and delighted about this. he is curious and alert, but can enjoy simple visual entertainment on his own, and has the ability to self-soothe at times. i really expected to have a demanding, over-active baby...but this does not appear to be the case. cosmo just likes to chill.