Pictures of me in my harness

Here are a few pictures of me in my harness. I think I can pull it off pretty well.

My spiffy new accessory

I just got back from a doctor's visit (which I am getting quite tired of by the way, as this is a total of 7 visits in my almost 8 weeks of life) and they decided that I get to wear a nifty new fashion accessory for a while. They did an ultrasound a few weeks ago on my hips, and the results told my doctor today that I need to wear a harness to keep them in place (it's called a Pavlik Harness if you are interested). Apparently my hip sockets are too shallow to hold the top of my leg bone in place correctly, and the harness holds my legs at a funny position so that the socket finishes forming correctly (my bones are still soft because I'm so young). Mama says they call it hip dysplasia and I have an extremely mild case of it (www.hip-baby.org has some good information about it). She and Daddy aren't worried about me, but they and the doctors would rather be safe than sorry, so I get to wear the harness for a while. I should only have to wear it for a few weeks, or a few months at the very most. I can still wear all of my pretty dresses over it, and I can take it off to take baths. Most importantly to me I still get to play on my tummy, but I don't think I'll be rolling over again any time soon. I just thought I should tell everyone about it so that you don't wonder why I'm holding my legs a little funny in my upcoming pictures.

I can't believe I did it!

I get the feeling that no one really believes my Mama when she tells them this, so I am here to set the record straight. On Saturday I was playing on my tummy, and I rolled over onto my back all by myself. Apparently I'm not supposed to be able to do this yet, which is probably why no one quite believes my Mama. What can I say? I am Superbaby and I have superhuman powers. Oh, by the way, my new favorite thing is when Mama or Daddy holds me around my chest and I push my legs down onto their laps like I'm standing. It's tiring though so I can only do it for a minute or two, but I love it. I'm also working on learning how to laugh when my Mama tries to grab my tongue, which I stick out constantly.

New and exciting things I have noticed recently

I have had an incredibly big week so far. It all started with Mother's Day, which I almost completely slept through except when I needed either food or a clean diaper (Mama appreciated the extra rest she got!). The next day I spent all day down in Seattle for my Great-Auntie Sue's birthday with Mama, Grandma Diane, Grandma-Great Fiedler, and Great-Aunties Sue and Joan. I tried to be artistic when we went to the sculpture garden, but I was too tired so I just slept the whole time. I showed my extreme lack of understanding of the concept of "stranger danger" when I met all of Great-Auntie Sue's friends, and I really enjoyed the view from her windows. Tuesday was so far the most exciting though. Mama and Grandma Diane spent a long time today showing me a bunch of new things to see if I liked them. I really liked my mobile in my crib (which Daddy won't let me sleep in because it's too far from his bed), and my jiggly poodle from Auntie Renee. I did not like the story that Grandma Diane read to me, and I fell asleep. I liked my swing and my new tummy-time toy with a mirror to show me this other really cute baby that lives on the other side. I didn't really like the vacuum when Mama cleaned, but I really liked the medicine that Mama had to give me (it's really sticky and she says I look like a dog with peanut butter in his mouth when I get it). When we drove down to Grandma and Grandpa Great's house this evening I noticed all of the street lights and started following them with my eyes. It's really nice that I can now show everyone what I do and don't like because I spend so much more time awake and happy. My neck is getting stronger every day, and I also like jumping up when Mama holds me with my legs on her lap. I know I'm not supposed to be this strong yet, but I don't want to listen to what everyone else tells me to do.

By the way, Uncle Ian and Auntie Sara's baby (who I am going to call Chuck because I think it's a funny name for a baby, and will be even funnier if you're a girl) I am getting lonely. Mama and Daddy don't have a lot of friends who they see very often who have babies like me. Hurry up and come join me so I have someone to play with.

A video for you to enjoy

Here's a video of me practicing cobra pose. The first half isn't nearly as exciting as the second half. Hopefully Mama and Daddy will have a video or picture of my beautiful smile soon too.

Happy Girl

Just a few days ago I started working on my smile, and I have officially perfected it. I still don't do it often, and my Mama and Daddy haven't caught it on camera yet, but I promise that I can do it. Also, yesterday at Grandma Mimi's house I tried to laugh, but no sound came out. I'll post a picture when we have one.

I am a yoga prodigy

I told everyone in my last post that I've started liking to spend time hanging out on my tummy, but yesterday I did something new. When my mama put her face in front of me, I propped myself up into cobra pose (up on my forearms with my head lifted up to look mama in the face) and held it for more than a minute. I'm pretty proud of myself. I tried to hold it long enough for mama and daddy to find the camera to video tape it for everyone to see, but they're too slow. I'm sure I'll do it again though. When I do I'll make sure to post the video on my photo website, which is at athenaluccio.myphotoalbum.com in case you forgot or mama forgot to tell you.