Tremble and crow

Lucy turned eight months old yesterday! We celebrated with sunshine, yogurt, and a game of chase.

I have been looking forward to the eight-month mark because it means she can have more finger foods and variety in her diet. She’s already kind of over being spoon fed, so we are all glad for this new, messy phase. Her current favorite thing to eat is mashed avocado. She grabs fistfuls of it and gets most of it in her mouth, only occasionally stashing chunks under the tray of her high chair or behind her ears.

It’s time to expand her palate. So yesterday we made a special trip to the grocery store to stock up: tofu, chickpeas, ground pork, salmon, cottage cheese, broccoli–all kinds of tasty treats to try over the coming weeks. Lucy rode around in the shopping cart, clutching her polka-dotted giraffe/reindeer/llama friend (we’re not sure what he is, but she loves him), grinning at the lady at the fish counter, and singing in piercing tones at the checkout. I think she sensed the festivity.

For dinner, she tried yogurt for the first time. She puckered at the sourness and then bounced and clapped for more. This morning we both had some, watching each other to see the reaction and enjoying eating breakfast together. These shared experiences, no matter how small, fill me up.

She is becoming more aware of how we interact. Last night, as we played on the floor before bed, I made a game of crawling away from her. She doesn’t crawl yet, and I was really just trying to encourage her. I didn’t expect the joy that emanated from her, the excitement that made her tremble and crow. She came after me, rolling and scooting and stretching out her hands, laughing wildly as I peeked around the corner of the couch. All of a sudden we were actually playing together, a real game that we both understood. It was magic.