Maturity

K-bao has definitely moved up in recent weeks on the Interactivity Scale. She's always had a bright, vigilant and even incisive look about her eyes, and we received more than a few comments from friends and strangers alike on the maturity of her expressions even a couple weeks in. However, we ultimately decided that she was hoodwinking everyone - i.e. she looked a lot smarter than she was.

Which of course raised the unsettling question of where she inherited that from.

Now, however, we have more evidence that the grey matter is building a bit. She whirls around in her little blue saucer like a little Tasmanian devil, flamboyantly punching at the various toys and built-in gadgets. She will look penetratingly at the person holding her or standing close by and howl like an angry baboon if she doesn't recognize the face. She always laughs at the Clown Dance. If K-Mum is singing a pleasing nursery rhyme to her, and she happens to be in a musical mood, she will whine and grouse loudly when the song is over until the next one begins. She is fascinated with her feet and tries to eat them whenever they appear in view.

As a result of this new brain activity, K-Pop and K-Mum have been aggressively and immaturely competing to have "ba-ba" or "mama" be the first intentional words coming out of the little one's mouth. The two grownups will literally hover over the poor kid and take turns shouting "ba-ba" and "mama" at her for long stretches. K-bao will look disinterestedly at us and stick her fist in her mouth, or occasionally favor us with a burp. This morning K-bao awoke from her nap and bellowed for attention. "She said 'ba-ba'" exclaimed K-Pop, running to her room. "No she didn't!" insists K-Mum, jumping up from the couch and elbowing daddy aside at the doorway. K-bao looked at us disgustedly as we leaned over her crib. You two featherbrains!