Becoming social

Miriam has become a lot more "social" in the past couple of weeks. She has become fascinated with people's faces, and will break out into smiles several times a day. It's very cute, and very endearing of course. :)
She even smiled for my parents over the webcam! I wasn't sure she would even recognize a human face on the computer screen (and I'm still not completely convinced.) Still, it made her grandma's day, you can be sure of that.

She also seems much more interested in things around her, like her mobile and other dangly things. I had her pacifier hanging in front of her carseat this afternoon, making it swing back and forth with my finger, and she was enraptured for quite some time. She's swinging her arms and legs around all the time. I don't think she knows what she's doing with them, but she's getting them nice and strong for when she does.

Oh, and did I mention the cooing? She makes any number of little squeaks and "Aaaa" and "Geeee" noises when she's content. Even her crying is more varied, it seems to me: she differentiates between outright crying, whining, and brief outbursts of discontent (e.g. "NYAH!")

On the downside, she seems to be doing a lot more of that whining than before. :( She's probably awake more now than she was a couple months ago (she's 2.5 months old now). And putting a bottle into her mouth doesn't always cure her unhappiness, as it used to. I think we may be in a difficult period where she needs more stimulation, but she can't entertain herself with a rattle etc.

All-in-all, a pretty smart, cute little girl. :)