Growing up

I read a few weeks ago that babies start to cry when you take toys away from them at around 6 months of age. Up until today, Audia really didn't care much if you took her toys away from her; she is very easily entertained (just like her mom) and if you take one toy from her, she moves on to the closest substitute. If you take all her toys from her, she happily pulls off her sock and plays with that.

Well, today that changed. At least in a certain way. I was playing on the floor with her, as per usual, and had my cell phone in my lap while we were playing. After a while, she caught a glimpse of my phone and grabbed it. I took it out of her hand, placed it on the coffee table and in a split second, she was bawling her eyes out like you wouldn't believe! I actually thought she had hurt herself because she rarely cries like that unless she is hurt or incredibly tired. Being the worried mom I am, I quickly picked her up and looked her all over to see if any red marks were appearing. Nothing. Then it occurred to me....so I gave her my cell phone. Just as quickly as the tears started, they stopped, and she smiled at me with a huge grin. Just to make sure, I took the phone from her to see what would happen and, sure enough, the tears came again. In that moment, my little girl went from helpless baby (well, not entirely helpless...) to a tot who consciously knows how to use tears to get what she wants.

Of course, she still couldn't care less if I take her toys. So far it's dog bones, remote controls and cell phones that start the waterworks. Go figure!