As Baby Baby gets older, she is beginning to desire. She is no longer content to be entertained with whatever is placed in front of her. She wants.
This is a good thing because it motivates her. It is motivating her to figure out ways to move her body so that she can get those much longed for objects. She will roll across the room or use her arms to swivel her entire body while she lies on the floor. She grabs at things that she wants and she cries when you take away something that she already had. Elise is interested in more than just eating and sleeping. She is fascinated by the world around her.
In fact, eating often becomes a close second in priority of her interests. Lately, when she eats she will latch and unlatch, latch and unlatch. She hears a noise, she unlatches. She sees a cat, she unlatches. She smells dinner cooking, she unlatches. This happens so often during some feedings that my nipple starts to get sore.
Right now, Elise is tugging desperately at Vincent's fur, trying to pull him closer, and Vincent is looking for a way to escape. Right now she desires the cat. She stopped feeding to turn and grab at him.
Over the next 16 years "oh! a kitty! I want!" will morph into scarier and more complex desires such as "can I borrow the car?" or "will you sign the parental consent form so that I can get a tattoo?" or "now that Bob and I have been dating for 2 months, can you help me get some birth control?" Oh god. Oh god. Deep breaths! Don't think that far ahead.
Yikes! And, BTW Elise, the answer to all of the above is "go ask your father..."
Andy totally does the distracted breastfeeding thing. Take one sip, jerk head away. Turn back, repeat. I also started noticing how he cries if he drops his toy and cannot find it, or we take something away (like a washcloth he is trying to eat, or God forbid, his socks).
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