For a long time Sofia had a very distinct face: the “Oh yeah, I can do this. Score!” face. Its the one you saw a lot on pictures where she walks around on our hands. She can be quite proud of herself. I sometimes also refer to it as the “Rocking chair” face, because it reminds me of pictures of Emily in the rocking chair (if you know that story!). But Em does not like that comparison so much.
So more recently Sofia started doing a completely new face. I am not sure yet what to call it or what she actually feels when she does it. But to give it something for now, i call it the “Hey, isn’t it cool!” face. Its quite different from the earlier one in that it is more of an outward directed expression. This face is meant for us. She does it in response to us talking to her. Mostly because she is doing something fun and we share her joy by clapping or verbal expressions. Her earlier face was purely her own, not intended for anyone else. This new one is to be shared with others.
It also is different from laughing because when she laughs, she usually does so because of physical contact, like tickling, spinning or flying her around, etc. It is more induced by us and our actions. This new one seems to be coming more directly from her. Its more like she is aware of the “sharing” aspect of the situation. I find it very captivating. Its like we are sharing a special moment together.
Unfortunately I have not been able to take many pictures of her new face yet. Its the nature of it that makes it more difficult to be prepared. I got, nevertheless, one shot of it. It’ s not perfect, but it might just give you an idea of what I mean.
Trying to get a few pictures of her various faces I spend a few minutes just shooting away. Here are a few results, that I think are quite representative of her faces that she can make. Still photographs often have the weird effect that they freeze someones motion, often in inappropriate or simply unnatural poses. Just think of taking pictures of people eating. I am sure you will get a lot of monkey images.
Anyhow, here are some Sofia faces. In one of them you can actually see her two lower tooth and the two upper ones starting to perk out. There are two more upper ones coming, but you cannot see that in this image. Enjoy!
