Ava kneads me

I try to make a point of laying down with Ava for one nap, or while putting her down for the night. It's a time that I make for just me and her, because there's not a lot of one on one time throughout the day, and Sophia usually calls the shots. It's the squeakiest wheel kind of thing around here, and Sophia sure is squeaky.

Ava likes to knead. She does this when she's in that hypnotic trance rhythm of sucking down her bottle. She grabs at my clothes, just like a cat does. Pretty fitting or a baby who came out mewling like a kitty. But when I'm feeding her the bottle, she can only grab so much. when we are laying down, side by side, she has much more real estate and easier access. My cheeks, my nose, my hair, my shirt and my chest are all within range. It's a good indicator of when she needs her fingernails clipped, for sure. It reminds my of the old Looney Tunes cartoon when that kitty kneads the back of the old bull dog and he just sits there and takes it, because as annoying as it was, he loves that little kitty and wanted to make her happy. That's how I feel. It makes her happy. After a few minutes of that, she slips off to slumber and I get to watch her and enjoy the sleeping baby sweetness for a few minutes.

Speaking of needing (yes, I enjoy the use of puns now and then), Ava is sure making things hard for Rick and I to get away for a bit. It's funny how she is such an easy baby (compared to the squeaky one mentioned above) for me. But she is not so easy when left to the in-laws. We get there, I set her up so that she's happily playing on the blanket on the floor, and then we leave. Apparently once she realizes we are gone, she cries the whole time until, by exhaustion, she falls asleep. Which is what we usually come back to--her sleeping peacefully. And I just never see that side of her. I joked that I need to install a video camera over there just to see how it all goes down. I hope this is a stage, but I have a feeling it's just another difference in personality.