Baby Tricks.

THIS is why I bred....not for the sweet baby snuggles and tender newborn moments. Not for the precious widdwe footsie-wootsies and the soft baby cheeks. No, sir. Not I. I bred for Baby Tricks. And lately, Luca is full of them.

Trick #1: "Ahh Gah!" This is baby-speak for 'All gone!', what we say to her when she finishes eating a meal, empties a sippy cup of the last drop of milk, or when we hide something from her which we don't want her to have*. Or, you know, sometimes just because we like hearing her say it back.
Us: "Are you done eating Luca? All gone!"
Luca: "Ahhhhhh Gahhhhhhh!"
I mean, you don't get cuter than that.
*We're working on weaning from the Boppy (AKA her pacifier), and holy hell it sucks. She loves that little piece of silicon happiness....and I'll admit we do too. Any tips on weaning from the pacifier would be greatly appreciated!

Trick #2: Kisses. I love baby kisses. They are so stinking cute. So for months on end now, whenever I give Luca kisses, I say the word "Kisses!" to her. I thought she'd never catch on. And then, the other day, I was in the throes of horrid back pain, and she sat behind me on the couch and YANKED my hair. I responded with "Ow!", which she thought was funny, thereby prompting another yank. Not being able to cope in my pain-ridden state, I started to cry. I felt horrible about it, because I couldn't stop the tears and I was worried I'd freak her out. Instead, she climbed off the couch, stood by me, and leaned in to give me kisses!!! I started to laugh! I couldn't help myself - it was SO sweet! Of course, my laughing prompted her to laugh and then repeatedly smash her face, mouth open and drool pouring out, against mine time and time again. And you know what? It was ok. No! More than ok, it was fantastic. SO cute! And since that morning, she's our little Kissy Bug...giving kisses upon request 7 out of 10 times. Which, you know, is a better average than you need to graduate from high school in Arizona.

Trick #3: Little Growler. Darrick thinks it's hilarious to (gently) tackle Luca while she's on the floor and give her belly kisses. He makes this low pitched grumble/growl while doing it. Well, wouldn't you know it - - - the little beast has caught on. She growls back now...and it's so cute!!! Imagine this little blonde pixie baby growling at you for a moment and just TRY not to smile!

Trick #4: "Where's Your Button?" This one, admittedly, is a byproduct of her obsession with Piggy's nipples. She's taken to coming over and lifting our shirts to peek at our bellies, so we started pointing out our belly buttons to dissuade her from her mad quest for the belly nipples we just can't produce. Whenever she lifts our shirts, we say, "See my button, Luca?", and point to our belly buttons. She smiles. So we started lifting her little shirt in response and asking where her button is. She caught onto this really quickly, and now when you ask her where her button is, she lifts her shirt and pats her little tummy.

Trick #5: High 5! This one doesn't need much of an explanation, and is still a work in progress, but we are getting there!

So, all you women out there who are on the fence about breeding...take note! Once you get past the "Why is my newborn insane and why is it that she seems to hate me so?!?!" phase, you can teach them tricks. Next on the list? "Get mommy a cookie" and "Taking the dumpster to the curb".