Four

39 lbs (75-90th %ile)
40 3/4 in (50-75th %ile)

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Toy: Disney racing Cars

Favorite Fruit: bananas

Favorite TV Show/Movie: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse/Cars 2/Annie

Favorite thing to eat for Lunch: PBJ

Favorite Outfit: "Three airplane shirt"

Favorite Game: Wii Mario Cart

Favorite Snack: Peanuts/raisins/M&Ms

Favorite Animal: Horses

Favorite Song: "All the songs from Willy Wonka"

Favorite Book: The Giving Tree

Best Friend: Theo, Mason

Favorite Cereal: Raisin Bran Crunch

Favorite Thing to do Outside: Play baseball

Favorite Drink: Orange juice

Favorite Holiday: Christmas

What do you take with you to bed at night: Horse race track

What do you want for dinner on your birthday: Mac n Cheese

What do you want to be when you grow up: a Football player and “a Plant Waterer”



Dear Buddy,

Well...good riddance to three. Though this year was as rough (if not rougher) as the previous year, for different reasons, a lot has happened. You finished your first year of pre pre school. You learned how to use the bathroom and became very independent at brushing your teeth and getting dressed. You became an excellent baseball and basketball player. You have started to learn some pre-reading skills, and how to draw a few letters. You can write your name! You've started to learn a tiny bit of math. You have raced and raced and raced and raced your Disney Cars. You've played countless games of Candyland. You visited the hospital in March (nothing serious) and had your first IV. You learned to jump into the pool alone, and how to swim with your face in the water. You swung on the glider at the park unassisted and became brave enough to slide down the scary slides, and practice the monkey bars. You learned to ride your first bike (sorta) and scooter. You rode trains, boats, and planes. You became friends with a new group of kids at school and camp. You became a big brother who loves his sister. 

Here are a few highlights:

You made a school project involving seashells glued to colored sand.

Me: "What are these called?"

You: "Shells!"

Me: "Where do you find shells?"

You: "School!"

Reading The Best Mouse Cookie. "First he adds a little salt, sugar, and cauliflower."(Er, flour.)

You're obsessed with the weather, just like your dad. "It's 79 right now, but it's going to catch up to 88!"

While listening to the "Bobby Baby" opening from the musical, Company, you asked, "Is this MJ's favorite song, because she likes to say 'baba' and they're saying 'Bobby?'"

Talking about getting married and having babies.
Me: "You'll have to find someone to marry if you want to have babies. "
You: "Someone like who? Like a girl?"
Me: "Sure."
You: "Like you?"
Me: "No, you can't marry me, because I'm your mom."
You: "How about Auntie G?"
Me: "Sure, buddy."  ;)

You're so proud of all your bathroom related accomplishments, including changing the roll of toilet paper independently.

In fact, your independence is sometimes frightening. Like the time I forgot to buckle you into your booster seat. "It's okay, I did it myself!" WOW. Okay then.

Bowling on the Wii,  three strikes in a row is a Turkey, and two strikes is a "Chicken Dinner!"

Watching The Music Man, you called "The Wells Fargo Wagon," the "Red Wagon Song." Also, you were quite concerned about Winthrop's lisp, and assured us you'd never make fun of someone because they're different. [heart melt]

You: "That is NOT believable." --in your best "I'm actually 13" voice. (You meant "unbelievable," of course.)


I love you so very much, my little thinker, my little explorer.
Love,
Mom

Blogger, get a clue!

Hey, there! Just a quick note to say I have no idea what's going on with the fonts, sizes, and layouts here. Perhaps Blogger, the host site, might pay attention. Stay tuned....and always remember you can choose Shift+Command+ the plus key to increase the font size on ANY web page too small to read. :)

1 Year

Height: 30 3/4 in (75-90%ile)
Weight: 24 lbs, 3 oz (90%ile)
HC: 45 cm (cm? really?) 50%ile

My sweet Rosebud,

I think this has been my favorite month, in terms of development. In terms of age and turning one and all the emotion that accompanies it--I'm not such a huge fan. You've certainly taken more steps toward toddlerhood and away from babyhood. You're even starting to lose a bit of your...roundedness...and are visibly lengthening. Not to worry; there are still plenty of thighs to go around. :)

Some of this month's favorite things:

(Photo credit: Brian J. Markham)

- As if by magic, you learned the hand motions for "Twinkle, Twinkle," and surprised me by doing them on your changing table one morning. Now you start blinking your fingers whenever you want me to sing the song. So sweet.

- You're a super crawler now, one month later. You spend very little time playing with toys, and quite a bit of time dumping out baskets and crawling aimlessly from one room to another. But you REALLY put on speed when you see someone has left the gate to Avery's pen open. Jackpot! Dog food! Water dish! (Naughty baby.)

- At Grandma's one morning, you learned how to crawl up the (soft, carpeted) stairs. At home, you only ever seem to manage one (hard, wooden) stair--which is just fine with me. But the baby gates are in full swing anyway.

- On your birthday you gave yourself two gifts. 1) A top tooth! 2) The ability to pull yourself up. I had been telling our two visitors that day that I couldn't believe that, at one year, you still weren't pulling yourself up. Not two minutes later, you did it. Show off. You spent the next four days ignoring your new skill, until I mentioned to your pediatrician that you had done it, but only about three times. As soon as we returned home, BAM. It was like someone lit a fire under your squishy tush; you began pulling up on EVERYTHING.

- You get SO EXCITED when we head to the basement to play. Screeching at a pitch only dogs can hear. I love it!

- You will often repeat animal noises that we demonstrate. At the moment: doggie, horse, tiger and elephant--my favorite.

- You have the most beautiful light blonde hair that is starting to curl in the back (SQUEE!!!). I love it. I've even started to sneak barrettes and teeny tiny pony bands into it, but it's tough to keep you from pulling them out.

- This month you started to cuddle at bed time a whole bunch. You plop your sweet head on my shoulder (on top of Owley the lovey) and sometimes even stroke my arm while we rock and sing ("Twinkle," "Lady," "Stay Awake," "Raisins and Almonds," Hush, Little Baby").

- You give a hug by ramming your head into the nearest chest. It's very sweet, if a tiny bit painful. And you're working so hard on the kissing noise. Such concentration involved! But you've got the open-mouth fish face working really well.

- You've discovered the paci game: popping it into my mouth and taking it out. Over and over and over.

- You say "yes!" Especially when asked if you want blueberries or grapes--your two favorites.

(Side note: Dr. E says to go ahead and give you peanut butter. The times, they are a changin'. Also, he suggested cutting out bottles completely--you had still been taking 12 oz of formula per day--and immediately switching to milk in a cup. You're not a fan of the milk. At all.)
(Sleep related, for reference: you still take two naps a day. One from 9:30-11:00 and another from 2:00-4:00. Bed time is around 7:00.)


This will be the last monthly update, until 18 months. I have so enjoyed writing them, as I know you'll enjoy reading them when you're older. I love you, Little Bit (borrowed from Papa).

Kisses,
Mom

(Too tired to proofread. Forgive.)

Cumulative word list:
doggie
uh oh
dada
bye bye
yes/yup

11 Months

Dear Rosebud,

YOU CRAWLED. It took almost 11 months to the day, but you finally did it. For the first few days you seemed a bit tentative, and then I got to watch as a lightbulb went off. It was as if you said to yourself, "wait...I don't have to stay in this room?!" And then you took off. The hardwood floors don't seem to dissuade you, though dresses pose a challenge. Your little knees trip on them, causing you to face-plant somethin' fierce. Now that you have access to pretty much whatever you desire, I find it endlessly amusing that you choose to go after our shoes. And paper. Any kind of paper.

(Leave it to my daughter to ultimately be motivated by a musical instrument.)

When you're not crawling, you spend a lot of time in a jazz split. Hopefully you'll be able to sustain the flexibility that you certainly won't be inheriting from your mother--sorry, kid. (And, fair warning, I've also got bad eyes and bad teeth, so...)

You still looooove the peek-a-boo game, though sometimes you're so lazy you can only be bothered to half-heartedly cover one eye. Then you wait for me to figure out what you're doing. It's adorable, actually.

We have definitely determined that your "D" word is "doggie." You're so enthusiastic about all dogs we run across at the park, on walks, and, of course, your own dog. You're infatuated by her tail, much to her chagrin, and she spends much of her day trying to stay out of your path of destruction.


You also seem to have another word for your brother's name, but I can't quite nail down the phonetics yet.

You're definitely saying "Dada," and you definitely know who Dada is. :)

You can hold your own bottle! Just in time to start giving it up!

And the pointing. Oh...the pointing. You point at EVERYTHING. Usually with no desire to label or hold. But it's darn cute. One thing you point at incessantly is your butterfly mobile. Then we practice blowing it to make it move. So sweet.

You took your first bike ride on June 24, in the Burley with your brother. To his credit, he really tried to be patient with you, even though you kept smacking him in the face, unintentionally. We took a short ride to the park to do your very favorite activity--swing. You could swing for HOURS--and have, actually, swung continuously for one hour on an afternoon we spent at the park with your brother's friends. You never fussed, you never even batted an eye when I kept running to the other side of the park to tend to him. What a gal!

You had two playdates this month; one with Little L (who you first met when you were a few days old), and one with Huey's brother (Auntie G, we need a blog nickname for him!). Unfortunately for both of them, you spent the majority of the time trying to pull their hair. Ouch. You also met Princess Baby A, and squealed with delight over her for a half hour. She didn't quite know what to make of you.

You took a vacation with us to Mackinac Island. Let me tell you, if ever there was a baby who didn't sleep well in the car, it's you. 14 total hours, 3 total hours of napping. Which meant you spent most of the rest of the time staring at your reflection and hoping someone (me) would crawl into the back seat and entertain you. Other than that, you were a trooper on our vacation, even though you missed several naps and were completely out of routine. You were SO EXCITED about the horses! horses! horses! Every time you saw one (which happened about 120 times per day) you would yell as loud as possible. Passersby were quite amused at your antics. You also ate quite a bit of ice cream and tried to learn to crawl on the floor of our hotel room--to no avail.

You remain a jolly, happy baby, for the most part, and I love being your mom and watching this process all over again. Next month is a big one!

Love,
Mom

11 Month Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/93pdwk0pj2ivu73/8brPF4W5d0
Mackinac Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ob2t4pu3q8b3v2f/kjyVkFIOy8

10 Months

Dear Rosebud,

You've reached the stage in life where you've been out of the womb longer than you were in, and I can't believe it was already a year ago that I was hugely pregnant in the heat of summer. This is the month you made the transition from the "easiest baby in the world," to...ummm...a girl with many opinions about life. You are not shy about letting us know if you're uncomfortable in a certain position (on your back when you'd rather be sitting, sitting when you'd rather stand, standing when you'd rather sit), and since you still can't get yourself to your desired location, you grunt about it until someone helps you out. You've also found that you can occasionally distract your brother from taking a toy out of your hands by screaming at the top of your lungs for help.

Here are some more highlights:

- You are (FINALLY) comfortably rolling all around, and Dad and I often find you upside-down or flipped on your stomach when you wake up in your crib. And I snapped a photo of the first time (to my knowledge) you fell asleep on your stomach. As a result of all this movement, Dad lowered your crib to a safer level and Mom cried just a tiny bit.

- You are becoming desperate to pull yourself up on things (the living room ottoman, your crib rail), but your upper body strength can't quite combat your lower body weight. But you keep trying!

- While you're not crawling at all, you do seem to throw yourself forward into Pigeon Pose to retrieve  runaway toys.

- You're more comfortable hanging out on your tummy than you have been in the past, but you're still not pushing up onto hands and knees. But you will stay there to examine a book or a very interesting toy. You are able to push your upper body off the ground, leading your Dad to believe you'll skip the army crawling stage. We'll see...

- Your most piercing scream was heard through the grocery store today (about thirty times), and you thought that was just hysterically funny.

- You have two favorite books (the ABC and Colors Baby books), and you use your new word every time you read them. We're still trying to figure out what that word means, but we're leaning toward "doggie." You also will put your mouth up to the page to "kiss" the picture of the baby.

- You love to make popping sounds with your mouth and encourage those around you to participate, too. For several weeks, I would stick out my tongue when you did that, and it was most fascinating to watch you to try to figure out how to imitate me. A few days ago, you figured it out, and now your little tongue spends half the day hanging out of your mouth.

- You notice every single dog that crosses your path and make sure that every one else notices the dog, too!

- You mastered your first sippy cup on the first try (fabulous Tommy Tippee cups that are bite-free! and come with lids!), though I'm still a little worried you might experience Death By Sippy Cup...you take in so much water at one time!

- Your brother and I took you to the pool for the first time and you love splashing around--and didn't even mind the uncomfortable pool floor on your little thighs.

- We also brought out the baby pool several times last month so you could shriek (at a pitch one would think only dogs could hear) and splash for an hour at a time. You are certainly the happiest when there's water involved.


Words/sounds (that have meaning):

Uh-nnnn = uh oh
Da-nggg = we're not sure what it means, but it definitely means something to YOU (doggie? baby? thank you?)


Thanks for keeping us on our toes! Now let's get moving!!!
Love,
Mom

Photos here: http://www.zangzing.com/hannahrae/10-months-mayjune-2012

"The Cayman Islands" Post. Aka: "When it Rains it Pours."

(The trip we hoped for. Minus the clouds.)

(Yes, this is several weeks late.) (Don't judge me for not proofreading!)

We're back on the mainland, after a wonderful week in (on) Grand Cayman, in the Cayman Islands. This is our second Adults Only Vacation since we started having children, and I can certainly say that it is refreshing for the soul and for the soulmates to be blessed with time away from the children, work, and household duties.

Sunday: We arrived to clouds and drizzle. Our first cab driver said it was "very unusual for this time of year" and that that it would certainly pass the next day.  We ate a delicious dinner in the Westin's casual restaurant, Ferdinand's.

Monday: Exactly the opposite of the cab driver's description, we experienced drenching rain the entire day. Like, from 8AM to 8PM. The best discovery of the day was the all you can eat brunch served daily at Ferdinand's. And eat we did. Because when it rains on a tropical island, what else do you have to do? Later, we took a cab to Camana Bay, an outdoor, upscale mall...which was closed, save for threes stores, due to an island holiday of some sort. (And, yes, we did check with our concierge first, and, yes, she did say it would be open.) Hubby bought me a lovely silver ring as an early birthday gift. We saw "The Five Year Engagement" at the mall movie theatre. After the movie, we got soaked walking to find a cab, which we were finally able to do from a gas station. We dined at the nicest Westin restaurant that evening--Casa Havana.

Tuesday: We discovered the "bus" that picks up directly across from our hotel. Or, really, anywhere you want. The "bus" is actually a 10 passenger van with a sticker on the front. The drivers honk their horns at passersby, and if you flag them down, they'll stop for you wherever you like. And it's mostly a $2.50 US ride per person. A much better deal than the VERY expensive cab rides. We did a little shopping browsing in George Town and found ourselves with a few hours to kill before dinner. We asked the locals where we should grab a cocktail and were directed to a lovely bar on the water. Several rum-laced cocktails later, we moseyed back uptown to find some dinner. Since it was (still) raining, the streets were pretty empty. After several attempts to find a restaurant still open (did I mention it was only 5pm?), we grabbed the bus, asked the bus driver for a recommendation, and ended up at Champion House. Our braves selves tried delicious braised oxtail and curried goat for dinner. Oxtail = A-. Curried goat = C-.

Wednesday: We headed to the Turtle Farm, where we were able to "hug" some giant sea turtles and commune with the birds. We were hiking along a little rainforest-y trail when the heavens opened. We found ourselves under a tiny shelter and tried to wait out the storm. Ha. Instead, we darted from shelter to shelter through the pounding rain until we reached the front of the building. A short walk later, we reached our dinner destination (an hour early): The Cracked Conch. Outside the main restaurant is the home of our now favorite Cayman bar, the Macabuca Oceanside Tiki Bar. There, we sampled the second best rum drink on the island and were served by a George Clooney look-alike bartender. The highlights of our dinner were the conch ceviche and braised short ribs. And those were just the appetizers! After our best dinner on the island, we were forced to take a VERY expensive cab ride back to our hotel, since the busses stop running to the West Bay area after dark. Who knew? During our cab ride, our very sweet, Jamaican driver suggested we hire her to tour us around the island the following day....for the bargain price of $50. Per hour. Um, no.

Thursday: For about $50 (for 24 hours), we rented a car from our hotel and spent the day touring many of the major tourist destinations (in between rain showers, of course) by car--driving on the left, of course. Brad was a pro, having lost a hubcap practiced in New Zealand several years prior. We started at Pedro's Castle (locals pronounce it, "PEE-dro"), which really isn't a castle at all, but a replica of an old plantation house with significant island history. The original stone staircase and foundation are still intact. We departed the "castle" for the Queen Elizabeth Botanic Park, where we saw some of the most amazing plant life I've ever experienced. It was a lovely hike through the rainforest, culminating in a rendezvous with a couple of blue iguanas. We headed north and west to Rum Point and Kaibo. Lunch at the Kaibo Beach Bar and Grill included THE BEST rum drink on the island--just as our flight attendant said it would be. We sat through a storm and made our way to Rum Point where (SURPRISE!) the sun graced us with its presence for two hours before sunset, during which time we snorkeled a tiny bit and read our books in the hammocks. After a lovely afternoon, and feeling like we had seen so much of what the beautiful island has to offer, we headed back to our hotel to freshen up and drove back to the West Bay area for dinner at the Calypso Grill, in Morgan's Harbour. The highlight of my Official Birthday Dinner was the sticky toffee pudding, served just a few blocks from Sticky Toffee Road. Yum.

Friday: On Friday, fresh out of ideas, we made our way back to George Town for more shopping browsing. Just before I was about to try to convince my husband to purchase some out-of-our-price-range jewelry, he told me he had just discovered there were two seats left on the Atlantis Submarine trip, which we had attempted to ride earlier that week (foiled by the weather, of course). While we found the experience incredibly overpriced, it was pretty neat to do a "dive" without getting wet or SCUBA certified. We did see a shark, some tiger fish, and various other sea creatures. At this point, the weather seemed like it might actually stay clear for a while, so we returned to the Westin and rented some snorkel gear--and we're oh so glad we did. The reef off the Westin's beach is incredibly satisfying. Snorkelers used to feed the fish there, as the story goes, so the fish are quite friendly and plentiful. And they greet you as soon as you enter the reef. By swimming within inches of your nose. In a giant school. (Gulp.) We saw angel fish, a puffer fish (!), and a whole bunch of other fish whose names we don't know. Next to the Great Barrier Reef, it was the best snorkeling I've seen.

Saturday: FINALLY, we had a nice--if not completely sunny--day. We spent seven consecutive hours on the beach, reading, drinking fruity cocktails, snorkeling, and getting sunburned...somehow. I was treated to a birthday serenade by the local musicians at our hotel, and we were able to be flies on the wall (er, sand) at two different beach wedding receptions. Our last Cayman meal echoed our first. I ordered the coconut shrimp that Brad had so enjoyed during that first meal at Ferdinand's.

Our very early return on Sunday morning was peaceful and uneventful. We were so grateful to return to happy and well cared for children (thanks to Mimi), and even enjoyed a charming double birthday celebration with Papa, complete with dinner, dessert, and decorations.

(The trip we got. Clouds included.)

We agreed that we would definitely return to the Caymans one day, and it is a great tropical destination for families.













Photos here: http://www.zangzing.com/hannahrae/cayman-islands-2012

9 Months aka Better Late Than Never

22 lbs (90th percentile!!!)
28 in (50th)
44 cm (50th)

Dear Rosebud,

(Mommy is having some problems working on the computer, so this will have to be concise.)


This month marks the beginning of true spunk and will. You're not at all shy about letting us know when you're frustrated/still hungry/tired/bored. Your little arms wave and swat all day long trying to communicate with us. Some highlights....

- You've sprouted another bottom tooth: 2 total

- You've started imitating sounds: "popping" lips and saying "uh oh." When you do it, it's usually in response to a toy falling on the floor. You say, "Ah! [at a pitch only dogs can hear] mmmm!"

- You have lots of sound patterns now, but still no "Dada."

- Best. belly laugh. ever. It begs to be tickled.

- You've started drinking from an open cup--that someone else is holding. You show no interest in trying to hold your own cup, or your own bottle.

- You also show very little to no interest in crawling AT ALL. If someone rolls you onto your stomach (since you refuse to roll over yourself), you almost immediately flop onto your back.

- BUT, you're very interested in standing. A current favorite activity is holding onto the various ottomans in the house and playing percussion on them. But when you fall, you fall flat on your head. Ouch.

Dr. E says you're a little behind the gross motor curve, but we know that seems to run in the family so we're not worried. All in good time...

Love,
Mom

Want more pics? Photos here.

9 Months...or so I hear

Dear Lil Rosebud,

Today is your 9 month birthday. I should have a post ready to go, but I don't, because I'm here.

I sure am missing you and your brother. See you soon!

Love,
Mom

P.S. to my readers: try not to hate me. :)

8 Months

Dear MJ/"Sweet Baby",

This month marked the transition from baby to person, for me. You officially feel heavy and sturdy and pre-toddler like. You have adorable rolls on your thighs (which actually have TAN LINES in the skin folds--hilarious!) and a ticklish spare tire around your middle and back. And I love you just the way you are.  Some highlights...

- You love the sorting blocks. You love to dump them out and eat them and shake them and drum on the box. You never put them IN the box, of course. You also love the box of instruments. Today you played with the jingle bells for 25 minutes. I'm sure they're covered in slime, but who cares! It's fun!

- You've started to become slightly shy with strangers, but more in a flirtatious way than with trepidation. When strangers say hello (especially in the grocery store), you momentarily hide your face in your car seat or turn away. But you always come back with a smile. Always.

- Speaking of that smile, it will be a toothy grin before long. You've popped the first one through on the bottom left.

- And thank goodness for that tooth because solid food is your M.O. forever. You eat EVERYTHING that's remotely soft enough to stuff in your mouth, from breads to bits of chicken, fruits, cooked veggies, and even the tiniest taste of vanilla ice cream (MJ says, "yum, Grammie!"). Naughty. This confounds most people who hear of it. It's definitely out of the ordinary, but since the USA is one of the only countries that serves baby food purees in the first place, it's not that original. You were thoroughly unimpressed by the frozen (slightly thawed) blueberries, though. Too cold!

- When you're unclothed, you love to smack your chest, ala Tarzan. Cracks me up every time. (Your brother used to do that, too.)

- You're making a lot more noise this month: "Babababa" and "Brabrabra" (snort) and...wait for it..."Mamamama!" There are raspberries that soak your shirt, and funny noises you make when you're inhaling, and making a game of exhaling loudly. Also, fake coughing. Hilarious.

- We invented a little game on Easter/Passover where I lean into you and you ever so softly butt your head against mine. Then we both giggle. Rinse and repeat times infinity.

- When you're in my lap and facing away from me, you love to loll your head back and smile. And grab my nose. And whack pat my face.

- Anyone wearing a necklace or earrings? Look out, because Miss MJ wants to eat them.

- You're a solid sitter now, and would sit for days on end. You show absolutely no interest in moving around. In fact, when someone rolls you onto your stomach (because you refuse to roll there yourself), you simply continue rolling until you're back where you started. It's an endless game. No idea if you'll ever crawl, get to a sitting position or pull yourself up. BUT. You did stand alone today, while holding onto a bench. And you thought it was awesome.

- Two more stellar plane rides to/from Arizona. You amazed everyone around you with your excellent behavior, even if you only napped for 30 minutes each way. You also did a nice job adjusting to the time change (after that first 5 A.M. wakeup call--ouch) and to all the disruptions to your normal schedule. It was worth it to go swimming and to your first basketball game, among other things.

- SWIMMING. "Holy quacamole," as your brother would say (yes, with a "q"), do you love the water. You sat in the zero depth entry pool and splashed for hours. Literally. You also loved the baby float we bought you. (This one--SO superior to the plastic ones that get hot and stick to the skin. This has mesh layers so you can actually interact with the water. Sun shade, too (not pictured).)


My favorite part is how much love you have for those who love you. You're my precious lamb.

Love,
Mama

http://www.zangzing.com/hannahrae/easter8-months

Attention Blog Reader...(s?)

Apple is discontinuing their MobileMe services. The photo host site I will now be using is ZingZang. Please update your bookmark to the following: http://www.zangzing.com/hannahrae

It's still in an early development phase so there are a few flaws (ie: at the moment the photos imported from MobileMe are sorted by date, which means the captions sometimes don't make sense; there is a random album called "ZingZang Favorites" that is a default album I'm not allowed to delete; etc.), but it will do.

I will link to individual albums within blog posts, so you won't miss anything! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave your comments. It's nice to know you're still following us.

XOXO
H

7 Months

Dear MJ/Lovey/Sweet Pea,

What a gift of a baby you are, my dear. You remain good-natured through thick and thin. You have smiles for everyone, even when you get short-changed on naps, or when you have to wait for a bottle, or when your brother squeezes you a little too tightly. You've turned into to a sitting-up baby, instead of a lying-down baby this month. In the past few days, you've gone from sitting up for only a few seconds, to long stretches of sitting and playing with toys. When you fall over, you try so hard to right yourself again. That'll take some time, my love. (In fact, I distinctly remember when your brother learned to sit up, I used to wonder in amazement how babies ever figure out how to get themselves to a sitting position on their own. I guess it happens eventually!) What this sitting endeavor means is that we've brought out a new batch of toys, and your play mats have become a little hazardous, as you like to pull them on top of yourself. You're fully "over" the bouncy seats because you can't sit up in them properly. You continue to adore the Jumperoo and we're getting ready to raise it up a notch. Funny that only a month ago your toes barely touched the floor, and now you stand in it flat-footed. I also think it's funny that even though you can roll over, you have absolutely no interest in doing so. Learning to sit up has eliminated the need for rolling, evidently. We still find you in your crib in the same position as when you went to sleep.

We still haven't seen any teeth pop through, even though the drooling has increased. The absence of teeth seems to be irrelevant for eating, since you're currently trying to consume everything in sight. Having enjoyed purees for a few very short weeks, you're now officially eating 98% table food, with the occasional cereal/vegetable puree thrown in. You happily nosh on bagels, noodles, any kind of soft fruit, peas, and an assortment of cereals and puffs. You make a funny sound when you eat, like an undulating hum. You're still taking four bottles per day (~24-28 oz.), but you sometimes don't finish them anymore.

You are FINALLY sleeping allllllll the way through the night. And, let me tell you, those 12-13 hour stretches are a welcome change for your tired mom. (Now if mommy could only sleep through the night...) You're taking two solid naps per day, though the morning nap is usually short-changed two days per week. And remember that pacifier you stoically gave up last month? Yeah, it's back. You have a much easier time getting to sleep for naps when you have it. And you're still able to get to sleep (and STAY asleep) at night without it! What a champ!

I think I can officially declare that your worst spit-up days are behind us. Occasionally you have a day where nothing will stay down (often when other people are taking care of you--stinker), but I've definitely washed fewer burp cloths in the last few weeks. What a relief.

Things you love:

- "Trot, Old Joe," from the Music Together collection. It's the song Big Brother uses to get you to smile. And it works like a charm every time.

- The Most Annoying Toy Ever Created. (A ball that rolls by itself when you turn it on. Which would be fine except it also TALKS and SINGS in the worst V-Tech voice you can imagine. Kill me. Then again, I only have myself to blame. I bought it.)

- Any toy of SIR's you can get your hands on. Much to his dismay.

- Tags on burp cloths.

- When your brother or your dad visits you, cribside. Your little face lights up like a beacon and you kick your legs like mad.

- Miss Mary's music class.

- Patting whomever is carrying you. I think it's just a knee-jerk reaction to having a drum like surface at your disposal, but I like to think you're patting me on purpose, snuggle bunny that you are. :)

Things you dislike:

- Avocado. (Sigh...I tried.)

- Grass. You've gotten your first few tastes--er, figuratively (for now)--of grass on your bare tootsies and hands and you were not at all amused. You actually cried. And you rarely cry about anything. Unless...

- Other distasteful foods. I can tell you really don't like something when you cry about it.

(That's a mighty short list of dislikes for such a small person.)

I love you so much, Peanut.

Mom

http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100874

SIR: Version 3.5

Dear SIR,

I see huge changes in you, even since your third birthday. You sparkle and shine as a basketball player, and in Miss Mary's music class. You're sweet and engaging with your sister, and you have plenty of affection for your school friends. You've lost almost all traces of "baby talk," fully pronouncing your Rs and Ls and double checking your pronunciation of words. You're OBSESSED with telling the time (and the date) and know the big hand from the little hand, and what they represent. Your other fascination is with pre-reading. You point out letters everywhere we go and are showing signs of recognizing words ("S-T-O-P...that spells 'stop!'"). Here are some funny SIR-isms from the last six months...

Sept-Dec:
- Saying, "Zerio"(zero), like it rhymes with Cheerio.

- Calling the stuffed dog Beethoven, "Bay-TOH-ven"

- "Pian-ee-o" = piano

- Looking at autumn berries squished all over the ground outside: "Mommy, that's a miracle! There's stuff all over the ground!"

- After a gust of wind, "That made my heart shiver!"

- At a friend's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese, you called him "Chunky Cheese," and wondered where you could get more "cokens" (tokens). Eventually you started calling them "cokes."

- At Mimi's you were pretending to nurse your baby. You pulled up your shirt and said, "Ouch!" At home you use AhAh the Monkey as your chosen baby. You rock him to sleep and feed and burp him.

- Discussion about Thanksgiving:
Me: I'm thankful we have a house to live in. You know some people don't have nice, warm houses.
You: Yeah, they have DRY houses.
[rim shot?]

Me: Who are you thankful for, in your life.
You: Mila and Jolie.

- Star of the Muppets: "Krimet" the Frog. And when we say "mahnah mahnah" you respond with the doo doos. It's like a new game of Marco Polo.

- After we saw a Christmas light display we told you we were going to the Olive Garden for dinner.
A few minutes later...
You: Where are we going now?
Us: To dinner.
A few minutes later...
You: Where are we going NOW?
Us: Uh, to DINNER.
You: .....But when are we going to pick olives?
[rim shot]

- The look of amazement in your eyes when you saw your new drum set from Santa. Playing with such glee.

Jan-Mar:
- You corrected your pronunciation of "comPLOOter." "It's comPUter, mommy, isn't it." And then you used Avery's toy to pretend you have an iPad.

- At the beginning of your obsession with the calendar, you confused your teachers by telling them you were going to school again on "six day." You meant on the 6th.

- You're fascinated by maps. You wanted to keep good track of Dad when he traveled to Australia.

- You say, "certainly" and "actually" within a context that isn't quite accurate.

- You cried at the end of your first live Bulls' game, when they lost.

- You call your sister's play mat a "place mat."

- "Mom, do you hear that clickey clack from my slippers?"

[Side entry:
Brad: I'm so tired all the time. I wonder if I have mono.
Me: You don't have mono, you have children.]


I read about an idea where parents interview their children on their birthdays. We'll start this tradition now and hope we remember to keep up with it.

SIR INTERVIEW 3.5
Favorite Color: blue
Favorite Toy: basketball hoop
Favorite Fruit: blueberries (because they're blue)
TV Show/Movie: Jake and the Neverland Pirates/Willy Wonka
Lunch: Hummus sandwich
Outfit: Dragon shirt
Game: iPhone basketball game [it's a new generation, kids!]
Snack: peanuts/raisins/M&Ms
Animal: elephant
Song: "ALL the songs."
Book: Curious George
Best Friend: "Theo, Gus, Matilda, and Daddy...................and you. And Avery." (Thanks, bud.)
Cereal: Special K (lie)
Favorite Thing to do Outside: run to the park
Drink: orange juice and apple juice
Holiday: "Trick or Treating" and Christmas
Breakfast: Honey Nut Cheerios
What do you take you bed at night: "the guys" (Pooh bear, blue blanket, doggie, AhAh, Benny the Bull, etc...)
What do you want for dinner on your birthday: Mac n cheese
What do you want to be when you grow up: a fireman


(SIR and "Krimet")

6 Months

17 lbs 2 oz (75th)
26 1/4 inches (50-75th)
HC = 42 cm (50th)


Dear MJ/Lil Peanut,

Well, it would appear that the last month has disappeared without a whole lot going on. How can that be? You've had little changes here and there, but you've always been such an even keeled baby that you seem to just roll right from one phase to the next with little fuss.

Little changes:

You're eating "solids" once a day. As of this writing, we've tried sweet potato, banana, apple, pear (YUM!), peaches (YUCK!), and mango, with several other goodies waiting in the wings. (I was a Good Mother and bought a bunch of organic produce to make your baby food. Because I'm trying to win an award over here.) You seem to prefer rice cereal to oatmeal. Go figure.

Your movements are much more intentional than they were a month ago. Now when you grasp for something, you're almost always successful. And nine times out of ten it finds it's way to your mouth. Your very favorite thing to suck on is your big toe on your left foot; it's as though you count the seconds until someone will take off your pants and socks so you can get to work on that project. You love any toy with fringe or tags (finally, that Taggie Dog will get some love!), and spend more time examining the tag on your bouncy chair than the actual toys attached to it. Your current favorite use for your mouth is to blow raspberries. Which you do CONSTANTLY. Which is why the front of your shirt is always soaked. (Well, from that and the never ending stream of spit up. Yum.)

You've rolled from back to front exactly twice, and the first time I helped you heft your chunky thigh over. Since Tummy Time is your nemesis, it makes sense that you prefer to be on your back. More than five seconds on your stomach triggers a MAJOR spit up reaction. So gross. Really, though, you now prefer to sit up whenever possible. When you're in the bouncy chair, you try to pull yourself up a bunch. You are getting the hang of the Jumperoo, and bounce unintentionally, but I think you're going to start jumping very soon.

Your favorite comfort object is...well, anyone near you. You love to burrow into shoulders and chests (trying to nurse anything with skin); you love to touch our faces and grab our noses; you love to cuddle with your owl lovey and are often discovered asleep with it draped across your face--don't tell the Parenting Police. We're a heartbeat away from buying you a sleep mask. :) The comfort object we have eliminated is your pacifier. After too many sleepless nights where you lose it and aren't old enough to put it back in your mouth, we decided it would be better for you to learn to soothe yourself in other ways. And you are! Mostly, you stuff your owl-y in your mouth, which is endlessly amusing to me.

And speaking of sleep (boy, it seems like I spend an lot of time talking about sleep), we are currently sleep training. Again. We got a little soft there for a few weeks, so now we're using a modified Ferber method, which means we put you down drowsy but awake, and check on you after five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, but never removing you from the crib. It's working, so far. You sleep completely through the night very sporadically, but I'm not pushing it yet because...you're almost fully weaned. [sob--more on that later] You're napping 2-3 times per day, depending on whether or not we are home in the morning. And bed time is between 6-7pm.

The formula thing (yellow Enfamil, for my records) is going well. You seem to have the same amount of spit up with bottles as you did with breast milk, and we've discontinued your reflux medication. It just didn't seem to make a difference. You take between 24-28 oz of formula per day.

You are still the smiley-est baby I've ever known, and you're not stingy with smiles for strangers, either. It's so fun to watch you grow and learn and observe. The only member of our family that causes you to burst into giggles, without tickling, is your big brother, for whom your little world turns. It's the picture of precious.

Much love,
Mom


[A Note to my Future Self re: weaning--should it ever be relevant again.

Weaning is HARD. It's hard to let go of the intimacy you share with the baby; it's more inconvenient to go make a bottle and wait for it to heat (that's why you still nurse in the middle of the night, when necessary). But the hardest part are the darned wacky hormones that make it feel like there's an elephant of depression sitting on your chest. It's different from the fog that accompanies childbirth because the elation of having a brand new life isn't there anymore. The evenings seem to be harder, so try to get things done during the day so you can give yourself permission to wallow (or hide) in the evening. Go easy on yourself, Self. ]

Photos: http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100858




From Mimi

Mastitis, Round 2

Remember when I used to write posts on this blog to document every move I (and my children) made? You know, before Facebook was cool?

In honor of that distant memory, I give you this documentation of mastitis. You're welcome. I whimpered through one round with SIR, early in the stages of breastfeeding. This lovely round is compliments of the weaning process, which MJ and I started about a month ago. Dude. This sh*t is painful. For the ladies out here who haven't experience the pleasure (and for the one man that reads this--hi, Dad), imagine someone socking you in the boob and leaving a giant, swollen bruise. Now multiply that by ten and add flu-like chills and fever, body aches and pains, headache...and that's mastitis. Oh, and the best remedy, along with antibiotics and "rest" (insert guffaw here) is to nurse that swollen bruise as much as possible, but who wants to do that because Ol' Righty doesn't even want anyone to LOOK in her direction, much less touch her.

Anyway, I had a little help the last two days and am finally starting to feel better. It's a bummer to suffer through all the side effects of the flu without the only GOOD one: weight loss. *wink*

5 Months

Dear Rosebud/Lovey Loo/Little Bug/Bugaboo,

This may sound strange, but you've definitely become a person this month. You're completely aware of your surroundings, and it's thrilling to watch you learn about the world.

You've accomplished much this last month, including your first airplane trip to Arizona (angelic on the way down, not so on the way back), celebrating your first Christmas/Hanukkah, adeptly rolling from front to back, and attempting your first "solid" food. We learned from your brother to try oatmeal instead of rice cereal, since babies often prefer the taste. You didn't cry about it, but you mostly spit it right back out--more from a lack of coordination rather than distaste. Three weeks later, we're having more success, and you certainly seem hungry for it. Time to try another cereal and next month we'll add fruits and veggies. You're starting to say actual syllables when you cry. It almost sounds like "mama," but with a large dose of angsty protest.

My favorite part of the day with you is any time you're just waking up, be it in the morning or from a nap. You usually squeal with delight to see me, and I swear you hug me when I pick you up. You love being tickled on your changing pad, and there is still nothing that brings you more joy than a diaper change--except, of course, if your brother is there DURING your diaper change. Then your little world is complete.

SIR is still your favorite person on the planet. The rest of us are just decoration. He is willing to sit and play with you endlessly, and you track his every move and breath, and express your displeasure when he disappears from sight. When he isn't around, you still enjoy your play mats and bouncy chairs. You've recently been introduced to the Jumperoo, and while you can't actually jump in it, it is nice to have more than one toy at your fingertips. It's also nice that they're attached and you can't toss them out of reach.

Sleeping: Having completed a round of sleep training, you do well getting to bed at night. You usually wake each night between 2-4 and are generally up for the day around 7. (Although on exactly three occasions, you've slept completely through the night.) You continue to nap two hours after that last time you woke, which usually translates to two substantial naps and one catnap each day--provided we're HOME, which only happens 2-3 days per week. Sorry about that.

Eating: You're eating six times per day. Because of our "Vampire Baby" issues, we're currently alternating nursing and giving you a half and half bottle. You're getting a tablespoon or two of cereal every day, but I'm probably going to wait until you're six months old to start other foods.

It's no secret I'm having a hard time facing the fact that you're growing up. The truth is that being a parent to a newborn is decidedly simple. If the baby cries, feed it/hold it/change it/put it to sleep. There is no discipline involved, and you're incapable of manipulating or disobeying me. Being a parent to a toddler and beyond requires a much more nuanced approach, and I'm just a little prematurely saddened by the first time you will sass me or throw a temper tantrum--it's so hard to imagine your sweet nature becoming anything else. But who knows? Maybe you'll be perfect forever. (Insert naive smile here.)

Love,
Mom




http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100850

Holiday Wrap Up

Well, the holidays didn't kill me this year...but they came close. With two Hanukkah celebrations, four birthday celebrations, Christmas out of town and a New Year's Eve party at home, this mama is t-i-r-e-d. I'm thrilled January is here.

Here is a photo story of our holiday journeys this year.

Hanukkah/Christmas/AZ: http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae#100816
New Year's Eve:http://gallery.me.com/hannahrae/100822

For Crying Out Loud--The Second Installment

(Find the first installment here.)

Under the loose guidance of Dr. Weissbluth, we spent most of month 4 sleep training. Remarkably, it has gone well, although the nights are still unpredictable, from a feeding standpoint. (It's probably time to encourage the little bug to cut out the 2am feeding.) "Sleep training," as we do it, is just a fancy way of saying we basically let the baby cry herself to sleep, although this time I've used a technique closer to Dr. Ferber's, which incorporates checking and consoling the baby without taking her out of the crib.

What we have learned from our last baby: It's not necessary to listen to the crying on the monitor. The baby is fine. The baby is not hungry. The baby does not need to be "re-paci'ed"--in fact, it interrupts sleep instead of encouraging it.

The rest of this post is going to be VERY boring, but I'm publishing it for documentation purposes. You wouldn't believe how many people like to discuss sleep training experiences! Read at your own risk.

Night One (1/2/12):

-To bed at 7:40, asleep
- Woke moments later. Cried 11 minutes
- Self-soothed for 20 minutes.
- Cried for 25 minutes. Fell asleep. Woke at 3 and 5:30.

Night Two:

- To bed at 7:45. Cried 3 minutes.
- Awake 10 minutes. Cried 3 minutes. Fell asleep.

Night Three:

- To bed at 6:30. No crying. Woke at 1 and 5.
- day time naps start shrinking to 30-45 minutes.

Night 4:

- To bed at 7pm. Cried 30 minutes. Woke at 3:30 and 7:15

Night 5, 6:

-bed at 7pm. No crying. Woke at 3:30 and 5
- day time naps return. Short morning nap (30-60) and longer afternoon nap. Usually a cat nap around noon.

Night 7:
- bed at 7:30. No crying. Slept until 6:15!!! And again until 7:30.
- napped 60 minutes in morning, 30 at grocery store around noon, 2.5 hrs at 2pm

Night 8:
-bed (with daddy) at 7:00. Lots of crying. Went in 30 minutes later and rocked to sleep.

Subsequent nights: Mostly asleep to almost asleep with very minimal crying. In general, still waking between 2-3 and 5-6. Day time naps exist but are still VERY unpredictable (as of 1/23). Often a long (2+ hours) morning nap translates to a short (30-60 minute) afternoon nap. The third nap rarely happens unless she will go down around 4pm. Otherwise, it's too late to nap. Bedtime is generally between 6:30-7:00pm.

Naturally, tonight (1/23), she went down at 6 and woke up at 10:30, completely unconsolable. Headed in to feed her. Sigh.
This happened again on 1/25 and I'm chalking it up to some serious teething pain, for which there seems to be no solution. Poor baby.