Working on a tooth!

Melina has been hard at work pushing up new teeth, figuring out how to use her hands, and experimenting with new vocalizations. Today I noticed two tiny white ridges pushing through her lower gum - teeth! She has been drooling a lot and complaining a little more than usual, so I'm not that surprised. Today she also discovered that she can use her voice in a new way. Instead of a whiny sound, it's more like a real voice. It's kind of hard to explain.

In the last two weeks, she's also made leaps and bounds in the ability to use her hands. Now she can grab the binkie, pass it from one hand to another, and try to put it back in her mouth - usually upside down. I wouldn't be surprised if she was hammering out Beethoven on the piano by the end of next week.

Apart from that, she's even more interested in what's going on around her. If she hears something interesting while she's eating, she'll turn her head and look around. She's easily distracted and usually easily amused. She's laughing a little more every day, though her laughs still sound a little rusty.

She just managed to pull my glasses off for the first time. What a victory! She studied them for several minutes, grunting softly, and managed to fold them up before losing interest and bursting into tears.

Melina Update

Melina's grandparents Frank and Alba visited last week. We went wine tasting, then went over to Cannon Beach for a night. They were great guests, and were crazy about Miss M. Here's a picture of Melina on the beach.

Katrina Survivors

I met some survivors of Hurricane Katrina today. They were shopping at Marshall's with a check for $650 from the feds. One was a very frail, petite old lady--maybe 80 years old--and the other was a tall, gangly man with a fuzzy beard, a patch over one eye, and bright new tennis shoes. Both were black. They did not look like your typical Portlanders, and they had thick southern accents that were hard for me to follow. I got into a conversation with a large woman in a wheel chair who was related to them. Apparently they had gotten trapped in their attic and had broken out with a sledgehammer and an ax. The old lady had a beautiful grand piano that was destroyed. They were trapped on the roof without food or water for several days, while helicopters flew by. The man told me that he had waved to the helicopters, but none had stopped until maybe the fifth day. Then they were taken to a dry overpass in New Orleans, where they were stuck for several more days. Without food and water. (Couldn't they have been taken somewhere safer??) People were breaking into stores to steal food and water, and were selling it at high prices to those who were trapped. (I learned all of this in a 2-minute elevator ride to the food court). It was amazing to meet people who had been through everything we've seen on the news. It was amazing that this frail 80-year-old lady survived. The whole story was amazing.