I can do it on my own

We have some friends in town that moved to Paris a few years ago. They have a 5 month old little girl named Eloise. I bought a baby entertainer (doesn't that sound like we're hiring a clown to come play with Dean?) so we had another stationary object that we could put one of the babies in. I didn't realize that Dean was nowhere near big enough to actually enjoy it. He is average height, but still can't touch the ground when sitting in it. The seat seems to be big enough around so that a 50 pound baby could sit in it comfortably. We had to roll up 3 blankets to stuff around Dean so he won't flop over. Of course, this erect position means that he can hardly reach any of the entertainment. I put him in it the day I got it and he just stared at me with a look like, "Really Mom? What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Eloise seems to really enjoy it though. She bounces, hits the music keys, spins the frog.

It's amazing the difference between Dean and Eloise's strength and control, and they are only 3 1/2 weeks apart. Eloise is a vibrant, incredibly active little girl. Dean is a more of an observer. Having the two of them together helped me see Dean's personality even clearer. I think he is a lot like Josh and I were as babies (at least from what we are told). He's pretty quiet, and loves to just sit and watch everything around him. He also seems very planned in his actions. You can see him thinking about how to get that plastic chicken into his mouth without having to let go of the rattle he has in his hand. Or how to stick his finger in his nose AND his mouth at the same time. It's been so great to see how Eloise and Dean react to one another. Dean watches in fascination while Eloise kicks her feet with the force of a pro soccer player. I imagine Eloise is then fascinated by the waterfall that is pouring from Dean's mouth as he stares at her. Ah, young love.