It's Harder to Get a Reaction Out of a 9-month-old

Jack and I finally witnessed what the parents of daughters should not be forced to witness: their oldest daughter on a date with a guy. OK, so it wasn't a real date; more like a meet-a-friend-and-his-mom-at-the-mall-for-a-movie-and-dinner-after-at-Lums kind of thing, with Daddy and little sister Patricia in tow, but still. It's a shadow of things yet to be. Dates. With Boys. This boy, Logan, is a very pleasant and polite sixth-grader who is as nuts for dragons as Margaret is. She has wanted us to figure out a "playdate" for her and Logan since she met the boy at school on one of her first days there. He's new to the district as well and they hit it off. We have just been reinforcing the idea that they are friends. Not boyfriend/girlfriend. His mom seemed to think that was a good idea, too. So, as first non-dates go, this one was a success and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. At least for now.

Meanwhile, Baby Brigid is on the go-go-go. She's standing without holding on to anything for longer periods of time; her furniture cruising is gaining momentum and skill. And her squats are getting more proficient. She's a force to be reckoned with and lets us know when she would rather be down. She has also started some more high-pitched squealing and vocalizations that are so darned cute. She'll say her normal babble words and then add the high-pitched tone to them. She is also starting to say words. We might not know what they are, but she is definitely trying to communicate. One word, which she has consistently uttered for the last two months (I know...the kid is only 9 months) is kitty. I may have already posted this but it's so astonishing that I have to repeat myself. She says, "KeeKee" when the cats come in or walk by. Plain as day. "KeeKee." Of course, I think she also says keekee for dogs, too, but she knows they are different from people. She gets very excited when she sees an animal -- real, stuffed or otherwise animated. It's funny to see. Her eyes light up, her voice gets very excited and she squeals. Keekee is sure to follow, especially if it's feline. And she'll keep at it to make sure you know she's excited.

One thing I'm surprised at is how little attention she's paying to the Christmas tree. It's a pre-lit artifical thing, and the ornaments aren't up yet, but even so, she really hasn't made any kind of move toward it or reaction to it. Maybe when the ornaments are up this weekend (hopefully) she'll be more excited by it. I know the ornaments always put me in the holiday mood, but I'm easy to impress.