Watching the world through Emma's eyes (Anna)

Emma was lovely today. The day began with a long conversation with my daughter in baby language. She has lots of coos and gurgles and all sorts of things going on, with more every day. She's very animated. I love talking to her.

We read books, and played, and giggled, and danced around the living room. She was in a great mood. And she spent a miraculous 45 minutes examining her hands and reaching out to a rattling elephant. She worked out that her hand was attached to her (or at least that she had some kind of control over it) and even figured out that she could make the elephant swing by tapping it. It was amazing to watch her figure it all out. Reaching is a very new thing for her; it didn't seem to occur to her before.

I wanted to use her stroller to cart books down the car for donation to charity (part of our moving efforts - oh, the pain!) She wasn't in it at the time, and amicably agreed to my borrowing her property (I waited until she was distracted with the mirror baby, but still it was very kind of her).

At a boring meeting with our mortgage broker (no offence to him - but there wasn't a lot to keep a baby entertained), she sat quietly on our laps and watched him, occasionally offering her opinion in babble language. "She's so well-behaved," our mortgage broker told us. She looked at him with her big blue eyes as if this was extremely intriuging.

She slept for a small time during a walk along the sea wall, but then woke up. No crying, no tears, no histrionics - she just sat angelically in her stroller taking everything in, smiling regally at everyone who wanted to comment on her cuteness. 'Look at her, just sitting there, looking at the world," someone commented.

Then, the same in the video store. I was just waiting for the tears, but they didn't come. She gazed at all the DVDs and looked curiously at the people. And she waited patiently with me in the long Saturday-night queue. Not a peep. I put her in front of the fan and she looked at it inquisitively as the air ruffled her hair, and adopted an "Oh-that's-a-new-sensation-I-wonder-if-I-like-it" look...and smiled. No tears all the way home. And then home again for another play time, cuddle time while she reacquainted herself with her toys and our apartment, which apparently are fascinating when you're 12 weeks old and have been out for a few minutes.

It was only when I pushed our luck and tried to take her along on a trip downstairs to the recycling bins that she protested. Fair enough. Enough's enough.

She's now sleeping a deep, milk drunk, conked out kind of sleep. We love watching the world through her eyes. It is infinitely fascinating.