Let's Play!

New babies don't really do much. Sure, at a basic level, they do lot's of things (respirate things, circulate things, digest things, etc). But none of that is all that impressive on the surface. What you are really looking for is some interaction. Lily would just as easily stare at me or the ceiling for 5 minutes (in all honesty, she has probaly spent more time starting at the ceiling). Because of this, I have often referred to new babies, as "lump babies". This has not garnered much popularity around my house. Now as a new parent, I find each little movement, each little noise (out of either end) fascinating, but nothing has really made me think that she was aware of what she was doing, and there has been no real 2-way interaction. To date, play time has really been more about me "interacting" with her, even when she didn't want to be "interacted" with, as you can see.

That might have changed this weekend. Everyone was awake and in a good mood, so we decided to break out the play-mat and have a go at it. For those of you not familiar, the play-mat is sort of an activity center, with shiny, plush-y, crinkle-y things that hang down from an overhead support, for babies to play with. Lily had her arms (and legs, as they seem to move together) flaying about and every so often she would make contact, or event better, get a handle on some of the hangy-down things. The significant part is not that this happened, but that it startled her when it did, as if she was aware of what was going on. We enjoyed it, and I think she did too.

While this wasn't quite "interaction", it was a start. I am looking forward to the day when we can team up and "interact" with mommy. Interact on her last nerve!\

Here are some pics from our play time.