Clean Slate

When a child is born they basically have a clean slate. They know how to do the basic things such as breath, sleep etc. but the other things have to be learned. As I sat next to Kaylie folding clothes I tried to act like I wasn't watching her. If I distract her or catch her attention she wants me to play and at times my greatest joy comes from watching her interact and explore on her own. Today she was happy entertaining herself. It was exciting to see her so excited to play. She went from one toy to another shoving different things in her mouth checking to see which one tasted the best. She talked to her toys, reached for different things that made noise, and smiled when she got things to do what she wanted them to do. At times she would see something off in the distance and attempt to transition from a sitting position to what one day will hopefully be a crawling position to get it. This has been a delayed milestone and in less than a week we have started working on it and seem to be close to mastering it. My little girl knows what she wants. She wants to be mobile and is working very hard to get there. She is constantly working on writing the script to make the things she wants come true. I watch her everyday and constantly see the wheels turning. Since she was born she has been determined to accomplish any and all things that come her way. It is crazy how hard a child works at studying something with the hopes that they can do. If Kaylie wants something and can't do it she cries from frustration and smiles once she has done it. She takes great pride in hearing us clap for her. It is the most innocent time in anyone persons life. A time that most people take for granted. Watching her study and explore her giraffe to try and figure out exactly which color tag would taste the best is so sweet an beautiful. I wish my life could be like that. Everyday I watch her work at new things adding to the script that will help shape her future. Having a baby has made me take many steps back and appreciate God's creations. Babies are definitely a gift from God.

What do you think she is thinking in this picture? Is it not the most innocent look ever?!? At times we will look at her and she will be smiling at something. The first time I ever saw her do it I looked in the direction she was facing and figured out that she was smiling at this music thing that we took to the NICU with us that was blue and had a big yellow star in the middle of it. Everytime she sees it she smiles.

The picture above is one of the milestones she has been missing. From here she is supposed to bring her left leg back and fall into the crawling position. Right now her left leg gets stuck and she ends up just staying like this. We could not do this a week ago. Now it is hard to stop her from trying. Hopefully, this will lead to her crawling or at least being able to stay on her knees long enough to rock back and forth.

The picture below shows how quickly she figured out how to reach for her toys. Two nights ago she got so mad because she did not know how to position her body to reach the toys in the back of the farm. With just a little practice she figured out how to turn her body just enough to get it. She smiles every time she spins the middle yellow thing. She should, she works hard to get to it.

Just to confirm that everything tastes good!