A two-handed wave and other achievements

We kind of took a vacation from our vacation today. It seems like we've been traveling and touring nonstop, so we decided the rest of our trip would truly be time off. We watched soccer, listened to music and spent time together as a family. I made ham potato soup for supper. It was absolutely awesome.

Mia has really grown so much since we've been here. It's kind of weird to think that because it's only been 3 1/2 weeks, but she really has changed a lot. Some new things:

* After learning to wave shortly before we left, she's now into waving with both hands. She wants to say hi AND hello. She also uses the two-handed wave for other purposes, such as communicating excitement, frustration and exhaustion.

* Mia has found her tongue. It makes regular appearances on purpose now, particularly out of the right side of her mouth. Leigh always teases me for sticking my tongue out while concentrating. Apparently this is genetic.

* Mia is an expert raspberry blower. She's discovered if she puts her lips together and blows, her lips vibrate and make a fun sound. She'll go for several minutes at a time, and somehow her entire face is covered in spit at the end. It's so hilarious.

* Things don't just disappear. Mia has figured this out, and it's been pretty frustrating for her. For example, she wants to grab the lids of her baby food jars, so Leigh and I have to swipe them before she creates an even bigger mess. She's figured out that the lids don't just vanish for no reason, and she usually expresses this frustration.

* Mia can stand for a second or two at a time. She'll topple over right away, but she is really excited to stand up again. It's so fun to watch her!

* Now that she can pull herself up at will, Mia prefers to eat standing. When she has a bottle, she looks like a cow. When she eats solid foods from a spoon, she looks like a mess. Dinner has become target practice. She can't hold herself completely still, so a lot more food ends up on her face, her bib and the floor than in her mouth. I'm looking forward to using her highchair at home. I can strap her into that.