Happy half-birthday!

Penny turns 6 months old today! She's pretty wonderful and amazing, so please indulge me while I explain.

Penny can sit up by herself. She's actually been able to do this for a while. It's awesome to be able to set her down to play with toys. She used to get really frustrated with only being able to lie on her back, and then I'd have to constantly help her play. But now she can sit and reach for her toys, and it makes her so happy. I've started to let her sit up in the tub during baths, and she loves how much it lets her splash.

Once we arrived here in Washington, she learned a couple new tricks right away. When she wants to be picked up, she'll hold out both her arms for me. I love that she's able to communicate that with us. Her other trick is that when we set her on the wood floor with bare feet, she ootches herself around the kitchen. I was surprised one time when I set her down in the middle of the floor in a pile of toys, did some cooking for a couple minutes, then looked back to see her hugging the table leg and looking up at me gleefully. She's very proud of herself for her accomplishments.

Her favorite sounds to make, besides her growling which you can see in the video, include saying, "Ttthhhhh." It sounds like saying tooth or teeth, but without the vowel. She used to blow raspberries, but now she only likes to say, "Ttthhhhh." I can tell she likes the feeling in her mouth. Or maybe she just wishes she had teeth.

Occasionally when we sing, Penny will sing along. I love hearing the sounds she makes, giving me a glimpse of what her voice will be like.

She's started to smack things with her hands. It's really cute, right up until she smacks you upside the head right by your eye, giving you a flash of light in the otherwise darkened stairway. She smacks things, and then she doesn't yet know that she can run her hand along them, so she just reaches up and smacks them in another part. She's starting to use her fingers more, too.

It's amazing to watch her learn these tiny skills every day. Watching her learn these, I'm amazed at the complexity of our capabilities as humans. When we feel uncoordinated or unskilled, it's because we take for granted the abilities that we've all mastered as babies and children. All of us are adept, adroit, and agile, having the ability to move, balance, grasp, and even walk. It reminds me of just what an amazing gift God gave us when He gave us bodies.