"A round of applause for... this inanimate carbon rod!"

Abbie’s latest trick is clapping. This is one of those learned behaviors that I’ve been working hard to teach her since birth by vigorously applauding various accomplishments, like pointing, walking, or opening her mouth to eat. I have a low standard for dishing out applause.

I haven’t noticed anything in particular that triggers her clapping. While I applaud whenever she does something I like, right now I think she applauds just for her own entertainment. She generally claps while just sitting around with nothing better to do. With hundreds of dollars worth of equipment in the house scientifically designed to amuse babies, she chooses to ignore all of it and use only her hands for fun. Sometimes, possibly to make me feel better, she does amuse herself by banging two objects together, though these objects tend to be things she pulls out of our cabinets.

And with that, I believe I will bring today’s post to a close. I’ve had a rough day that involves taking care of the baby AND doing work around the house, so I’m going to treat myself to a full nights sleep for a change. I’m applauding myself for tonight’s effort.