Starting Out

i do not intend for this to be a baby blog, but i met my 3 month old niece for the first time over thanksgiving and was struck by how involved with the world she already seems to be. her facial expressions are really quite intense and range from joyous smiles to furrowed brows of struggle toward some sort of understanding.

i can't tell if a baby's facial expressions are indicative of intelligence, but i like to believe so--or at least the potential for real intelligence. it's amazing watching my niece, though. she's really on the verge of some important breakthroughs. she smiles a lot and you can tell any day now is going to figure out how to actually laugh. she's also putting huge amounts of energy into moving her legs and hands and strengthening her neck muscles to hold her head up steadily on her own. she wants very badly to hold her bottle and put her pacifier in her mouth herself but just isn't there yet in terms of physiological development. maybe that's a sign of intelligence, the ambitions of the mind working beyond the abilities of the body? or maybe just that we all start out as artists?