This crawling thing is very interesting. It's prompted a steep cognitive incline. It's a little weird to have so many changes at once. I wish John were here to help me figure them out, but I'm also glad he's with his family. When he gets back I get a break. Her mobility has opened a whole arena of discontent. (Hmmm, for us too, maybe.)

John and I stopped swaddling iola at 3 months because she had a heat rash, and instead we put her to sleep on her belly, thinking we all survived. Every couple months she goes through a new phase of discoordination and I just want to wrap her up in the swaddle to settle her down. I tried it a couple times at 5 months and it worked a little, but she'd always struggle out of it so I gave up. She needs one again, now. Her naps are only 20 minutes, and she fights sleep with all her might by sitting up and crying. I have to treat her like a tiny baby and bounce her to sleep. I even got out her bouncy chair last night, which has been retired for two months, waiting for the Deuel-McEver baby.

Tonight, just now, she woke and cried while I was working at the computer, and when I went in she was standing up holding onto the bars of the crib, crying mamamama. When did she figure out about pulling herself up to stand? Just now, I guess. She's been saying mama for 1.5 days, but not to me, just as part of her cry. Still, it's nerve-wracking.

She fell off the bed this morning, too, that was scary. No more sitting on beds. Here is a photo of her from this afternoon. She picked up a lime and chewed on it. The other one is from Saturday when we went to the book fair instead of Art Dubai.