Ember is really starting to show some spunk. She has been a pretty easy going baby thus far, even too much for my liking! But she’s working on some new developments and has worked out some truths about this world.

Such as: mama comes when I cry. I’ll hear the “I’m awake and bored and I think I am maybe a little uncomfortable here” cry, and I’ll start hurrying with whatever I’m doing. But recently instead of just continuing the whines she will suddenly start really really angrily screaming, as if saying WTF mom, where are you?! I’m waiting here!! She gets herself all worked up in a short amount of time and then has to nurse. Even if she’s not hungry. And then her brain resets and she smiles at me and blows bubbles.

Another thing she has figured out: There are fun things that her body can’t do yet. No longer is she content to just lay in the crook of my arm and look around at all the pretty colors. She’s now doing crunches and making “GrrrrRARRRRRRRR!” sounds as she’s trying to pull herself into a sitting position… except, you know, she can’t sit. Today she was getting really frustrated because she didn’t want to be held on my lap, she didn’t want to lay down, but obviously if I sat her up and let go she’d topple over and then that would piss her off too. She also gets really growly when she’s grabbing at things and apparently they aren’t doing what she wants them to do or something – I’m not really sure, I just know she’s grabbing her toy over and over and then out of nowhere she just starts howling.

I’m getting the nagging feeling that I am going to have another early walker on my hands. Just a hunch. Maybe I’m wrong. Actually, scratch that, this is Ember we’re talking about here…. I’m not going to make any guesses about what she will or won’t do!

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I finally caved and bought a double stroller. I got the new Graco Ready2Grow because of the second seat: it faces you instead of facing forward, and it’s removable so the stroller becomes a sit-and-stand. At the very least we can use it at day-long events like air shows, fairs and amusement parks. I think I’m going to end up using it more than that, though, because Ember really seems to like riding in it. This is weird to me because Kate much preferred to be worn close to my body than set in a stroller. Ember is okay with being worn for brief stretches, but for any kind of longer excursion she really wants to be put down. We went to a fair yesterday and Ember was so good! She was happy even when we were ignoring her because Kate was tantruming, she only really cried when she needed to be changed or fed.

So yeah, Kate’s day at the fair was not what I had hoped for. It wasn’t even the fair itself, she woke up in a miserable mood after her nap and it just never got better.

There were two rides that she was tall enough to go on, and I was so excited about it – and nervous. I put her up on a ride-on motorcycle and did up the safety strap. It was pretty loose. We had to sit and wait for other kids to get on the ride and Kate was fidgeting and fussing with the buckle and started saying, “Down! Down!” I was having all these visions of her trying to crawl off the ride while it was moving, or her throwing a fit before it even started, but we managed to keep her sitting there until they started the ride. And then? She had FUN!! She was unsure at first and then she started cracking a smug little smile.

But then… uber meltdown when she was told the ride was over. We let her go on the ride a couple more times later on, and every time she would freak out kicking and sobbing and screaming “MOTORCYCLE!!” While I would have happily stayed and hung out longer at the fair it was ridiculous behavior so we left. But at least we had some fun for a while.