Samantha attended her first holiday party tonight at Tom and Ellen's house. There were a lot of guests and a surprising number of babies, many of them belonging to former ATG'ers. Samantha dealt with the crowd and the noise very well for the most part. She seemed interested in all of the sights and sounds, smiled at people, and enjoyed her first taste of chocolate (a bit of a Hershey's kiss) and her first bit of a cookie. I was surprised that she wasn't more enthusiastic about the chocolate; she seemed sort of blase about it. I think she prefers her yogurt with avocado.

It may just be me, but I think her babbling and vocalization has taken on a different character in the last couple of days. It seems somehow more intentional and purposeful, as if she's starting to associate sounds with specific ideas or situations. I think she's getting ready to talk!