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Sunday, January 13, 2008

Loudest Baby Award

This Sunday was my last Sunday conducting music for sacrament meeting, which I'm kind of glad about since it's kind of difficult to lead the music with Andrew playing the organ and Rachel screaming in the congregation. Not that conducting while Andrew's playing is hard, but it's hard for me to be on the stand while Rachel is going wild.

Rachel got to sit with her friend Amy this week. She always likes hanging out with other babies. They were showing each other their skills. Amy showed Rachel how she can suck on a soother properly while Rachel demonstrated her ability to chomp on every part of a soother...except the nipple. Amy wins the "being able to actually suck on a pacifier" award, hands down.

After they got bored with that, they showed Bonnie and me their hair pulling techniques. Amy typically uses her hands. Rachel also employs her mouth taking big mouthfuls of hair and pulling away to see if she pulled any out (a habit we hope ends soon). They tied for the "hair pulling" award.

Rachel really took the cake when it came to the "loudest baby in sacrament meeting" award although the Gormley baby was giving her a run for her money.

Since her tooth came through she's been a happier girl and so she didn't cry during sacrament meeting, unlike last week when I was sitting up in the stands debating whether or not to walk off in front of the bishopric and weave my way through those who were passing the sacrament to get to my screaming baby. Andrew jumped up and ran out the back door before I could make up my mind.

Anyway, Rachel didn't cry today but that didn't mean she wasn't adding to the cacophony of baby squeals in the chapel. On the contrary, she was the star member.

Nearly continuously she was squealing or making raspberries. There was no quieting her. She even got Amy started up a bit, but since Amy will take a pacifier she stopped. Rachel just spits the soother out with an extra loud raspberry noise.

"Aaaah-aah-aaAAah pppppphhhhhhhllllllphhhh!" she'd shriek and spit over and over and over again.

People were turning around to look at her, some smiling, others sending looks that said, "Can't you keep that baby quiet?"

Truthfully, no. She didn't come with volume control.

I could hear her all the way up on the stand--and she was sitting pretty close to the back. When we did go down to sit with her I shushed her all I could but she ignored me. Oh, well. What can you do? At least she's cute.

And that's the last time we'll have to do that for a while so now I can sit in the congregation with Rachel and try to keep her quiet every Sunday. Perhaps that's not such a good deal after all--now when she screams I can't say, "She just missed her mommy," I'll have to take care of her and not pawn it off on someone else. Hey, wait! I want my calling back!

Just kidding. I have more than enough callings without that one.

The highlight of my day was when Matt made Rachel conduct the music with me. I could see her beating her arms in time to the music. It was so cute. I love it when babies do that--Dylan Avery was doing it last week all on his own accord, about melted my heart even though he was just staring up at me and wildly flaring his arms since he didn't have Matt to help him do nice steady arm strokes. Babies are just so cute! I'm glad we have one.

2 comments:

  1. Rachel may have won the loudest baby award but Ian wins for the loudest two year old. I feel sorry for whoever sits by us in church because he is soooo loud. He does know how to whisper but for some reason he refuses to do it in church. He is quite embarassing. He does make the people around us laugh by reciting the alphabet during the sacrament or announcing very loudly that he doesn't like water and doesn't want any. We have tried everything we know of to try to teach him to be quiet during church but he just doesn't get it. Hopefully Rachel will and you won't have to go through what we are!

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  2. Amy might win on taking a pacifier, but I think Rachel will always be learning skills way before she does, more than just the month and a half ahead that makes since because Rachel is older. Amy is just so content being still and calm. I know. I am counting my blessings. It's fun to see all the cool stuff Rachel can do, though because she is so interested. We enjoyed having "twins" sit with us yesterday. Two favorite highlights of having Rachel sit with us: Matt helping Rachel direct the music while I helped Amy do the same. AND, when Matt came to sit by me right before Sacrament Meeting started. See, I was holding Rachel. Amy was content hanging out in her car seat carrier thing. So I left her in there rather than trying to hold two babies. When Matt walked up, I think he looked to the carrier first and thought, "Hi Amy." Then he glanced at me holding a baby and thought, "Hi Amy." Then he thought, "Wait a minute." Then he realized I was holding Rachel, not Amy. It was funny to see the look on his face.

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