General Update

I keep meaning to post our mobility evolution in motion pictures, but keep not having the time to edit the 40+ videos I have taken since my last DVD burn for the fam. In lieu of that fascinating progression, I will have to update you on our most recent developments sans photos and video (most exciting (to me) to least exciting):

1. Gillian is mobile. Not in the traditional sense. Not all cute and up on her knees, palms down crawling, like G's buddy Francie. Not unorthodox and still super efficient like G's buddies Elliot and Annikah, with their "no damage to the knees" crab crawl. She does the Commando slither, like all her buddies have done before getting more mobile, but she also does the Zigzag Scoot. The Zigzag Scoot is one leg out in front, one leg behind, neither of which really get off the ground. The back leg pushes her forward, the front leg grasps the new position and steers her direction. Her arms do most of the work, and although this is not the most expeditious method of getting around, but she can get from point A to point B just fine. Consequently, we are slowly babyproofing. Funny how she makes a beeline for the nearest thing I don't want her to touch, eat, or stick her precious little finger in.
2. Gillian can now drink out of a sippy cup with a plastic straw. This is exciting because the first incarnation of sippy cup she was using had a silicon top a lot like a bottle nipple shaped like a sippy cup lid. It leaked like mad. It had to be tipped almost upside down for the water to come out. Gillian choked on it a lot because the water came out too fast. Now she can hold the cup herself (it doesn't have to be tipped upsidedown for water to come out), can suck as much water as she wants, and never gets too much. This autonomy is just fabulous. Oh, and she prefers a couple of ice cubes in her water (we enabled this preference by giving her strawfuls of ice water when we eat out).
3. Gillian is at the beginning stages of pointing when she sees something of interest. Once this skill is honed, it will be great because it will help us identify what she perceives as awe-inspiring things.
4. Gillian likes to play ball (rolling back and forth). This is tremendously exciting for her, and for us.
5. Gillian has learned how to pet the cat without ripping her hair out. The cat, in return, has become more tolerant of Gillian's affection, and doesn't high tail it to the other end of the house when she sees Gillian's belabored approach. (Yay and Yay, because she loves animals).

Odds and ends: Lots of drooling and a bit of whining these days. No tooth in sight, that I can see. Oh, and she WILL eat three meals a day if she's nursing all day. If she gets bottles, she won't. So, the quandry-how do we get her to take her bottles and eat the solids? Nanny-share starts a week from Tuesday. That is a little scares me a little. It's sad, and freeing. She's growing so fast....