yesterday sparrow got off the bed w/out any help for the 1st time. thomas has been trying to teach her to go "feet first" (instead of diving with her face) for weeks now. today she started doing "fish face" all by herself, too. i don't know if she saw it anywhere; i think she is just exploring what she can do with her mouth. holly l. came over today with her samuel and baby "hopelino," as i like to call her. it was really funny to watch sparrow being the big bully baby (to hope) instead of the one getting picked on. but i guess samuel was picking on her. she skipped her afternoon nap and was therefore being tired and grumpy for a lot of the day. she was bringing me to my wits' end, so to speak. but i have noticed that i need to watch the way i talk to her/about her, poor thing, she is a baby, and words have such power. she is so sweet, so darling. with a human nature, yes, willful, but a daughter of the King. i want to make sure i imbue her with that identity and don't get frustrated when she needs to be held a little more or doesn't want to sit in her high chair. she has been biting my nipples almost every time she nurses and i don't know how to deal with it, because it's right when she's falling asleep. i can't very well flick her then, unless, i want her to wake up again! but ow, ow, ow, ow.

she is amazing at playing peekaboo now; i might have mentioned that. yesterday she was putting two little tea packs over her eyes and peeking out behind them, while may and i were at the laundromat. i take her "cadillac cruiser" when i go there and she happily toddles to the washers and dryers to look at the spinny clothes, bumping into everyone's feet in the meanwhile.

the night before that, when i put her down to bed, she was coherent enough to say "wu-wu," and 5 mins. later she was crying again. i had tons to finish up in the kitchen and couldn't sit and nurse her forever, so i stuck her on my back in the wrap, and she fell asleep on my back while i was clattering pots and pans and unloading the dishwasher, etc.