Lately when Sam and I are just hanging out with Morgan at home, we look over at each other, smile, and shake our heads. We don't really have to say it anymore, but we are both thinking, "God, she is soooo cute!" (And perhaps we don't want her to hear that too many times or she will start to use that smile to manipulate us ... oh wait, she already does.) I don't know if all parents are this pathetically head over heels for their babies, but I guess I don't care. Morgan is so much fun these days. She's definitely getting to have a few more opinions, but she is a ball to hang out with and we are so lucky to be her parents. Here are a few of her completely adorable moments, including her new toothy grin, graceful napping, supervising us in the garden, and sitting up!
(In case you're wondering what the noise is in the video, it's this lovely motion-activated maraca that Auntie Erica got for Morgan. It does teach her some Spanish and plays cool music, but I think it's main purpose was to drive her parents crazy. Thanks, Erica!)
I think Morgan is starting to come out of her shell a bit lately. Our "calm, mellow" baby is realizing there is a whole world out there for her to explore. Morgan's rolling technique is much sharper now, and includes simultaneous reaching and spiraling motions. Getting an object (remotes and cell phones are preferred over boring plastic toys) has become very important to her. She seems most intent to do this when doing so would cause her grave physical harm (i.e., lunging off the couch for the phone or rolling into the coffee table with momentum). We definitely have to keep our eye on her. As if to compliment this new physical exploration, her voice seems to be equally powerful these days. I guess it's a new form of Morganese, and I filmed a bit of it the other day. Don't let the intense volume and strange pitch of her voice fool you, she is actually quite happy! And her dance moves add to the drama - she reminds me of a matador. It could also be her way of expressing how she feels about getting her first two teeth!
Last weekend we packed up, yet again, for a road trip. Sam was working at a business competition put on by U of O in Portland, so we got to stay downtown as a perk! We went last year at the same time (except I only had a bump, no baby) and were reminded once again how much we love (and miss) Portland. And the weather this year couldn't have been better! I think we have all been needing a sunny weekend like that one and it got into the high 70s - so it was one of those magical spring weekends to savor.
While Sam was busy working away, Morgan and I got to hit the streets to get some fresh air, exercise, and do a bit of shopping. It was a bit strange to be pushing a stroller around on the same old streets I used to walk down when we lived in Portland...with no kid, no curfew, and no guilt (and perhaps a wee bit tipsy). Morgan loved the city, though, checking out all the people and noises. She even sang and jabbered as we strolled down the street - she seems very at home in the urban environment. We couldn't spend time in Portland without making a few appearances at Grandpa Ron's office. I'm sure his colleagues are sick of hearing about Morgan, so it was good to finally show her around. We also visited Auntie Kim's office, where Morgan impressed us with her clerical skills. She seems to know her way around an office.
Kim, Morgan, and I spent Saturday shopping and walking around the Pearl District. Jamison Square was filled with little tykes splashing about in the fountain while their chic, urban parents admired (and chased after) them. Morgan found unexpected delight when an orange streetcar zoomed by, to which she let out a giggle. I guess she finds public transportation as equally enthralling as her father! The weekend also included a fantastic meal at Roux with the Holloways and our friends from Eugene, Kristen & Cameron, for an early birthday celebration for me. Great food, great company, and even a great wine named "Morgan." For as nice as Eugene is, it is so nice to get a city "fix" every once in a while. And who knows...maybe we will end up back in Portland sooner than we think. 
Last weekend was a big one for Morgan. Actually it was bigger for her parents. We discovered Morgan's first tooth beginning to appear in her mouth and she got to try solid (more or less) food for the first time. These are uncharted waters for us, so I think we were a lot more excited and nervous than Morgan was. Surprisingly, she hasn't been too crabby with teething pain, and continues to gnaw on her fingers and hard plastic toys with gusto. It's rare to catch a glimpse of this infamous tooth (lower left, in case you're wondering), but if the light is right and she gives a gummy grin, there it is! It will be a little while until is comes in all the way, but it is an exciting milestone nonetheless.
Since I have been nursing Morgan since she was born, I was feeling pretty confident about feeding and keeping her alive. I was lucky to have things go so smoothly and have a baby who enjoys eating. But now I have a whole new system to figure out, and despite how many books I read or who I talk to, the whole solid food thing seems a bit scary. How much should she eat? Will she eat it? What if she is allergic to something? How will I know? What if it makes her constipated? (Well, more than she already is - but I have tried to spare all of you the potty talk on that subject!) What kind of food should I buy? Or should I make my own? Am I a bad mom if I make Morgan eat vegetables that I wouldn't ever consume myself? Am I a better mom if I make my own baby food? (bonus points for organic??)
I guess I will just have to figure it out on my own, like I have figured out the other stuff so far. The only way is to dive right in, so that's what we did. Morgan got a taste of rice cereal this week, and the picture above is Morgan before her first meal. Very happy! The picture below is afterward. She's wondering what the hell I'm doing. But I think now she is starting to get that what I am trying to put in her mouth is actually food! 
The first day or so, she wouldn't open her mouth and grabbed the spoon and started chewing on it. The cereal oozed out onto her bib into a puddle. The next time she insisted on helping by grabbing the spoon and shoving it into her mouth, again to chew, but I think she may have actually swallowed a little bit of cereal. Then tonight, I think the light bulb went on in her cute little head. There was less cereal on her bib and more in her mouth. She actually let go of the spoon so I could reload and opened her mouth for more! Isn't she smart? Maybe this food thing won't be so hard after all. I guess Morgan will keep us on the right track on this journey, and so far, listening to her has made me and Sam feel like pretty good parents.
After spending a few days at my parents, Morgan caught on to Grandpa Fred's tickle game. Just the anticipation made her giggle!
A couple weeks ago, Morgan couldn't get enough of her toes. She was finally able to grab them and then stuff them in her mouth. But now she's onto new things: hands! That seems to be what Morgan spends a lot of her day thinking about. Her own hands, other people's hands. It doesn't seem to matter. They fascinate and delight her. She giggles and stares when we move our hands in front of her face, while her own little fingers try to mimic ours. She loves to hold onto our fingers and jerk them around. I have decided that the human hand is one of the best baby toys ever invented. It can't get lost or broken (well, hopefully not by a baby), it's waterproof, and it is always around. Morgan also becomes entranced by her own hands, moving them right in front of her face. Her short attention span makes her hands very convenient and distracting at the same time. Their movements resemble a hula dancer (or perhaps belly dancer?) in their wrist action. She now has learned to flip her hand from front to back quite quickly. I will catch her doing this and she looks as though she is trying to make sure it's actually attached to her body. We are working on teaching her to wave hello and good-bye, and she genuinely seems to be trying. But the hands have minds of their owns and never seem to cooperate when she wants them to! I haven't been able to film all this hand action yet, but here is a clip of her talking to her hands a few weeks ago. Apparently, they can also fight with each other, and if they misbehave, she can eat them!
