laughter (VIDEO)

I've been trying to get Bitty to laugh for weeks. I can get a chuckle, or a "heh heh" and lots of smiles, but I just have not gotten a good hearty laugh out of her. I really did not expect it after a morning of shots and measurements for both girls, but after a nap marathon (cue angels singing) everyone was in a good mood, and a bit of dancing spurred on by big sis got the reaction I've been waiting for. I will warn you all— it does get a bit loud somewhere in the middle, so you might want to turn your speakers down a touch.

(Yes, that's me dancing with a towel over my shoulder. Cuz you know, be prepared or whatever.)

 How much do you love Piggy's cameo there at the end?

And here are some pics of Lil sitting still, taken right around her birthday. She's wearing a little sweater dress with black bows with matching tights and black Maryjane's which ended up being a size too small, much to Lil's dismay. Last week she got a pair of red Hello Kitty Maryjane's which I hope will fit her for a month or two.

Yup. Them's my girls.

it's a birl... or a goy!

lil, or bill?

For the last few days, there's been a lot of buzz on the message boards surrounding this article on children and gender.  It's about a family that is keeping their baby's gender a secret from family and friends, not just in utero, but long after birth. 

"In fact, in not telling the gender of my precious baby, I am saying to the world, ‘Please can you just let Storm discover for him/herself what s (he) wants to be?!.” Witterick (mother) writes in an email."

I understand bucking social constructs.  Thanks to my Liberal Arts education, I have an understanding of gender as something that is not binary, but spans five or more sexes (I will never forget meeting a lesbian trapped in a man's body).  I am also an aunt who had to wait until birth not once, but twice to find out if I had a niece or a nephew, and I experienced the frustration and excitement that went along with not knowing the baby's gender.  When I was pregnant, I wanted to know if I had a Lil or a Bill, but I didn't want anyone else to know.  It is hard to accept that babies, who have no use for a gender identity, are defined by their gender before being born.  Maybe it sounds hypocritical, but I experience the same curiosity as everyone else.  Besides, she was in my belly.  I think I had the right to know. 

It is not enough just to have girl things or boy things.  It seems like everything is assigned a gender.  The entire animal kingdom is being divided by the manufacturers of baby goods.  Puppies are for boys, kittens are for girls.   Ocean themes are appropriate for boys, but the forest with its bunnies, deer, and squirrels is reserved for girls (except owls, they're one gender-neutral critter).  According to Baby Gap, zebras go to girls, elephants go to boys, and giraffes can be for a boy or a girl, depending on the color (but guess who gets the pink giraffes).  The parents in that article may be striving for genderless children, but the real baby world is over-saturated with gender.  Maybe it's better for children to experience everything, rather than one way or another, or even the Other.  Is there any other way to lose the labels of "girl things" and "boy things"?

harlequin romance

baby won-ton

Since yesterday was all about color, I thought today should feature a monotone style.  This dress is also in Lil's closet in red with pink polka dots, and it's so cute I'd be happy if we had it in any other color.  The black and white reminds me of mimes, and Lil did her best impression.  Her movements still lack precision, but a little wiggle improves her poses, I think.

frozen

grabbing her bows toes

Lil is also working on her contortionist skills.  It's pretty embarrassing to go to mommy and me classes with an infant who is better at yoga than her mama.  Even with all these new skills, Lil still remembers to give face.  I can only imagine what will happen when she can actually sit up.

lil gives baby face a new meaning

black and white and cute all over

 

 

In honor of today's outfit, all of today's photos are in black and white.  This is actually a different black velour romper from one she wore on another rainy day.  This one makes her look like a fuzzy baby ninja. She's wearing black and white Trumpette bow-tie socks for a little added pizazz. 

Today's entry is a bit short because Lil spent the afternoon visiting friends while Mama ran to an appointment down in Park Slope.  To make up for today's brevity, here's a video of Lil cooing:

spoiler alert: kinda nothing happens.