Hands

Obviously I've noticed Elizabeth's hands since the day she was born. I marveled over whose hands they were (they certainly weren't *mine*--right away I could see that she will have long fingers and shapely nails, unlike my own short, stubby ones), and how she could grab my finger without even realizing what she was doing.

It was enthralling to me and Craig when, at about 3 months old, Elizabeth suddenly realized that she HAD hands. Craig put it best when he described her process in learning how to reach out and grab things--he said he could practically see the millions of neurons firing. We delighted over how it was a series of microsteps; how a little bit more each week Elizabeth could coordinate her arms, and eventually her hands, in the direction of something she wanted.

Now, at 5 and a half months old, Elizabeth's hands have developed a personality of their own. They have become her primary method of exploring the world. Textures and objects are what fascinate her right now. A couple weeks ago I noticed that she could finally get a teething toy into her mouth. Now all of a sudden, nothing is safe from Miss Grabby Hands. She grabs my hair. She pulls Craig's glasses off his face and won't let them go. She reaches for my orange juice glass at breakfast and knocks it over. She swipes a cereal bowl of leftover milk off the kitchen counter and onto the floor. Yesterday I suffered my first Elizabeth-inflicted injury when she poked me in the eye and scratched my cornea--ouch!!!

Her hands sometimes calm down from the aggressive grabby-ness, and just take in her surroundings. When we were on our vacation and she slept in her Pack and Play, she put herself to sleep scratching its slippery fabric with her fingernails. She pets terrycloth bibs and washcloths. She delights when I take her to a nearby fir tree or bush, and I tickle the soft scratchy needles across her palm. She even enjoyed taking in textures through her bare feet, when she happily stepped them across a pile of wire hangers as we hung out together on my bed.

So all of a sudden, Craig and I learned we will have to be careful! We need to now become vigilant about eliminating nearby small objects. I figure I won't be able to wear long earrings for the next little while. I can no longer hold her in my lap as I eat, since nothing is safe! She is certainly not going to be near our dog, whose tail or ears she could pull.

Watching this baby take in the world around her through her different senses is such a delight!