Giger

Her bevy of paternally-assigned nicknames (Gigi, Vivi, Viver, Giger ["JEEJ-uhr"]) is the least of Genevieve's charms right now. She is the smiliest baby who has ever carried half my genes into the future, for one thing. In this respect, she has her tastes: Julia going "naw naw naw" is a guaranteed smile-inducer, as are my giant goofy grins. And Mom, ever and anywhere. The dining-room light fixture is pretty cool, too. More and more frequently Gigi's smiles burst into little coos and warbles that already include two or three distinct sounds - and about an ounce of spit. As if emotion-based interaction weren't enough, she has also started to perform that miracle of miracles: getting herself to sleep after being put down awake. It's happened a few times now - just enough to be a phenomenon, but not so much to be a trend. It's also easier to tell when she's tired, even for me: she rubs her eyes now. Though only the left eye, and only with her left hand. Ambidexterity will come later, I'm sure.