Kalina's newest tricks

We've been busy at the Odegaard household. Kalina is hopping her way from milestone to milestone, and her parents are trying to keep up. Here's the rundown:

1. Toenails. Until recently, Kalina's worn down her toenails as fast as they've grown. We don't know why, although we do know it's not because she sits on a rough-surfaced perch like a bird. She would never sit still that long.

2. Standing. A little less than a week ago I pulled Kalina into a standing position and she didn't cry--therefore, I added it to the all-too-short list of activities I can do with Kalina that she won't loudly protest. Personally, I think she likes the fact that when she stands on our laps, she's as tall as we are. She's continued to let us pull her up like this and has never cried, so we'll keep doing it and call it a milestone.

3. Rolling. She rolled over on her own a few weeks ago. It must've been an accident: she looked very startled afterward and she seems to have decided that the whole experience was too scary to repeat. However, she's turning to her side, usually to stare at a ceiling fan or bad cat, and with a little nudge we can get her to flip right over. (She still looks a bit concerned about the ordeal.)

4. Hands to mouth. Kalina will happily gnaw on both hands nowadays, and will even bring a blanket, burp cloth, parent's finger or the occasional toy to her mouth for a good tasting. And can you believe we encourage her? Definitely newbie parents here.

5. Batting. Rather grumpily, Kalina will deign to bat at the toys hanging from her activity gym, but only if no one thinks she likes it. She requires a pacifier for this activity.

6. Not screaming. For the vast majority of her lifespan, Kalina has screamed during every change of clothes and after every bath. Now, we're about 50/50, and we're thrilled about this progress.

7. Recognizing/detesting bedtime. All the baby instruction manuals tell us to set up a bedtime routine so that Baby will know when it's time to go to sleep. We're going to go ahead and ignore this advice, seeing as Kalina can smell bedtime the way dogs can smell fear, and loudly lets us know she's not on board with the idea.

8. Sitting. With a bit of help, she'll sit fairly well. I try to remind her that eventually her choices will be to sit, lay on her back or lay on her tummy, and then she seems to try a little harder.

In case you haven't noticed, we'll accept any little thing as progress and I'm more than happy to celebrate any of them with ice cream. Just say the word.

Photo: Taken today, one of the only times Kalina has not complained about tummy time. Note the look of grim fortitude she wears.