Rituals.

I've read just about every single book on babies there is, i have subscriptions to multiple parenting magazines, & I am on the email list with most baby websites so if something has been written about child development in the last few years chances are I have read it umpteen times. The one thing that all of these sources of information have in common would be the insistence on the importance of well established rituals and schedules. So, of course, I try and follow that advice more than almost anything else involving Amelia. Our days follow a very predictable pattern and i think it is definitely a big factor in her being an "easy" baby.
But until today I hadn't really seen a for sure sign from her that all of this ritualization was working.
This morning, as with all mornings, she was put into the "thunderdome" {our nickname for her play-yard} at about 8:00am. Generally I get in there with her and we play together or she plays alone while I watch and wait for her to check in if she needs a cuddle. However, since she's been having a bit of separation anxiety I decided to put her in there alone while I stayed on the couch and played peek-a-boo by laying down flat so that she couldn't see me and then pop up with a smile and hello so that she can start to get the fact that even though she cant see me I'm still nearby.
After a while she calmed herself down and seemed assured that mommy was right by her even if I wasn't in the Thunderdome itself. After a while I heard little screeches so i popped my head up quietly to check on her. She was laying on her back holding one of her books open and "talking" just like mommy does at night before bedtime, then when she was done "reading" she set the book down and crawled over to the baby-mirror that is attached at her eye level. She "talked" to the baby in the mirror then gave it a kiss, just like mommy gives her a kiss before bedtime after the book is read. Then she rolled back onto her back and sucked on the tag of her stuffed animal until her eyes drifted shut...just like at bedtime! All of this happened right at the time of day that shes ready for her first nap.
It's reassuring to see something that I'm doing has had such an impact on her well being. Also, it was really really cute.