Yesterday, Noah threw the ball to the dog Sheida for the first time! He's been getting pretty good holding onto Sheida's slobbery tennis balls, and lately can manage it with one hand - the way adults grapple a volleyball. Usually, the ball heads straight for his mouth, a real icky-poo for his parents. Rarely, if she's in a playful mood, Sheida will snatch the ball right out of his hands and leave him with that startled twitch/expression babies do so well.

So then, yestreday, Sheida was playing ball with Daddy as he sat next to the boy. I gave him the ball and then he reached out and sort of shoved it out toward the dog, dropping it on the floor. Of course she went right for it, and he gave his wonderful happy laugh. (In fact, the first time I noticed that Noah made a real, stacatto laugh - and not a squeal - was when I used to hold him on my knee when he was 3 months old and toss the ball to Sheida.) As a scientist I couldn't be convinced without some replicates, so I kept retrieving the ball from the mutt and handing it back to him, and wouldn't you know, Noah kept thdropping it for her and laughing like crazy when she went for it. Further, to see if he was really intending to throw the ball to Sheida - and wasn't just dropping the ball and making her happy by chance - I made Noah work to give Sheida the ball by blocking him with my legs such that he had to climb up and lean out over my legs to thdrop the ball... and he did! THAT'S my boy.

After months of watching Daddy throw the ball to Sheida, and getting such a kick out of it, I bet Noah was really happy to figure out how to make Sheida play ball all by himself. What a good boy.

Otherwise, Mommy and Daddy fine this week. Daddy working hard to wrap up school, Mommy working hard at home and making runs for her softball team. (In fact, here's a picture of Donna pitching at her last game.)