six months on

Busier at work than I've ever been, and at home that goes without saying. Not much time to blog, so I'll share a couple journal excerpts to keep the site lively:

Shepard's dexterity increases. He shows great interest in toys and other objects. There's a girl doll he particularly loves, and books are always facinating. He smiles at faces and grabs anything that passes before his eyes. This includes rattles, mommy hair, blankets, bottles, fingers, tea mugs, eyeglasses, his toes, bourbon and my chin. He's a happy little boy with a nasally frog voice and a soul-searing scream.

Ruby's biggest grins verge on maniacal. Somewhat less intrigued by toys, she loves to interact and cuddle. She doesn't display the same finger agility as Shep, but is more physically adept in other ways. Last Sunday morning, she tugged the laces on her booties til they came untied. She sticks her feet in the air and checks them out. She rolls her head and tracks me around the room quite easily. Her favorite body part is her tongue, which she's always sticking out and testing the feel of. She cries less than Shep, but when she does it's always a fierce and sudden experience. She's sort of a cross between a zen monk and a light switch: serene, fat, and always either on or off.