Last week I made one twin laugh. Laughing with her was pretty much the most joyful thing I’ve ever experienced. They’ve been smiling but not laughing so long I was starting to wonder if I just wasn’t funny enough. “Try nun jokes,” one friend suggested, but those didn’t seem to work either. Neither did funny voices, crazy dancing to Captain Vegetable, or even ripping paper.
Here’s what she finally found funny enough to laugh: napkin rings. We have different color napkin rings on a little black stand. They’re made of wood, and if you drop them onto the stand they make a loud clacking sound. I showed her this once and she widened her eyes into saucers. I did it again and she made a half happy, half downturned-lips shocked face. I did it a third time and she laughed. Then we were like addicts, dropping the napkin rings and she chortling, me laughing like crazy.
So now you have two of the best joys of life, babies: eating and laughing. Milestones indeed.
Space Monkey Twins 
This entry totally captivated me…I remember that joyful sound..giggles burbling up from the stomach from the most unexpected event..and i would repeat whatever inane thing i was doing just to achieve that sound again…you capture those moments so well Hilary..i just love your blog
Thanks, Jenny! Now I keep wanting her to laugh again, but I can’t predict what’s funny. Looking forward to more laughs in future!
It is I, Captain Vegetable!!
…with my car-rot, and my celery!
Laughing is such a revelation! Like one of the top 5 most joyful moments of my life, every time, and he laughs every day!
Things I have discovered that are funny: hiding behind a door and then peeking out, saying hi from the trunk of the car when Bear is in his car seat, headbanging, puppets, the dog. Mostly the dog.
I will try those!! Now I wish I had a dog. Peeking out from a door sounds promising.
I would very much recommend NOT having a dog and a baby. I love our dog, but he has a habit of barking at things while Bear is sleeping and they always get sick/have medical issues at the same time.