Now that Ruby can sit up on her own--mostly with protective padding surrounding her--playing has become a lot more fun. She loves tipping over her box of blocks and then chewing on each block. She's discovered mirrors and tries to taste her image.

She's also become more attentive to her environment. Whenever the cats, Dreyfus and Two, walk by, she drops everything to watch them carefully. Dreyfus will begrudingly let her grab his fur by the fistful while she shrieks in delight.

And she's recognizing words now, I think. In the morning, while I dress her, I sing french nursery songs and she clearly has some favorites. She'll smile invariably whenever I start singing "au feu les pompiers, v'la la maison qui brule" (fire fire, fire-fighter, the house is burning).

Last Ruby news update: for the last three nights David has been putting Ruby to bed. The first two nights weren't a success; when I came home after having spent a delightfully rare hour to myself in a local coffeeshop I found a tearful Ruby and a tired David and ended up nursing her to sleep as usual. But last night she seemed to realize that this was it: it was papa David or nothing. As I was leaving the apartment she was clearly expressing her heartfelt opinion about this new arrangement, but after some warm milk and a soothing chat with David, she fell asleep in his arms and stayed asleep when he transfered her to the co-sleeper. Way to go Ruby & David, what a team!

-- Marsha