giggle giggle

Emily Jane has begun to giggle. not every time, and not every day. but once in a while, she looks at her mother, smiles, and makes a little jiggley noise and then goes about her business looking in random directions. According to the books, in a few weeks she'll start smiling regularly on purpose and laughing frequently.
Smiling and laughing are important developmental milestones. It is devastating when infants don't, or can't, learn this skill. Yes, smiling and laughing are skills that are an acquired practice. A practice sometimes easily forgotten by adults.
Here's something that makes E.J.'s parent's smile - the weekly Stone Mountain hike is back.