Growly Bear

If you are wondering why I am posting so often all of a sudden, it's for two reasons. First of all, I told you I would. =) Secondly, I've agreed to a Write Fifteen Minutes A Day challenge hosted by Laurie Halse Anderson, and when it's this late by the time I get around to it, I don't really want to work on my WIP. So you, dear readers, get to hear my rants. =)
I thought I would dedicate this post to my beautiful Linnea. Not that I want to exclude Iris, but she maintained control of the blog for a year and a half, so it's time for her to share the spotlight. I may have mentioned before how much more interactive Linnea is becoming. This is most evident in her pre-crawling efforts. That's right, I said pre-crawling. A four-month-old. How is it that I seem to get the strong, active ones? I knew she had begun to move around her crib a lot at night, especially after she learned to roll over. You know how the doctors tell you constantly to put your baby on their back to sleep? I'd like them to come to my house and tell me how it's done. Neither of my children has slept on their back since they were three months old. It doesn't matter how many times I roll her onto her back, Linnea immediately pops around to her more preferred position. And then she crawls. Or scoots. Or whatever you want to call pushing with her back feet and pulling with her arms. She can't get her belly up yet (and with as much milk as she's been drinking lately, it's no wonder!), but she does all she can to move around to whatever she wants. The other day I watched her progress from her playmat to the carpet and back again in a period of about 30 minutes. I'm in for trouble with the two of them!
Linnea has also become quite a chatterbox. Though Iris now talks nonstop, I don't remember her being quite so talkative at this stage. I wonder what that means for my future. Hmmm. But Linnea doesn't only resort to cooing and laughing (she has the most infectious laugh you can imagine!), she now growls. Like a bear. She makes better bear and lion sounds than Iris herself! These aren't angry growls, by any means, but rather happy ones. It is hilarious, though, to be looking into the happy, contented face of my young baby and hearing a low, gutteral growl emerge.
I always worried about having two. I had so many insecurities about loving and enjoying another as much as I love and enjoy Iris. But even though I'm not a baby person, it's somehow different when you have your own. It's crazy, but I'm having the time of my life!