Almost 8 months

I cannot believe how quickly time is dissolving in front of me these days. The climb up to 6 months with Celeste felt like heading up the biggest hill of a roller coaster, where you can hear the clicking of the car on the tracks and you can slowly see the ground below shrinking into a miniature train set village. Now I feel like we are free-falling down the track with everything blurring around us while our stomachs drop and we laugh like simpletons. The months are flying by. I keep picturing those old-fashioned movies where they show calendar pages peeling off and fluttering out of focus.

Clothing is being quickly outgrown. Car seat and stroller straps are constantly needing to be adjusted. Celeste astounds us with new skills and new ways of communicating every day. As I type this entry, Celeste has just rolled from sitting to being on her belly and is reaching for a toy that is on the far corner of the blanket that she was sitting on. She has now flipped herself over and is exploring the pattern of the carpet that the blanket is on. She is smiling at me slyly. I don't think she has moved that far on her own before. Nearly every waking moment brings this sort of adventure.

Since I last wrote many things have happened. Shortly after Valentine's Day we had a sweet visit with my mom and dad. They enjoyed Celeste's new levels of interactivity and interest in making other people smile. We enjoyed their love and interest in tickling her and holding her.

Celeste and Pablo have a blossoming relationship. We are continually amazed at Pablo's quiet sweetness. He has been tolerating much backwards-petting and tail-pulling. His reward for this is that he gets to give Celeste hand and face licks and illicit joyful baby gurgles. She is the only family member who is not repulsed by his trout breathe. They make a good pair.