We've started sitting Elizabeth down with us at dinnertime to get her used to eating at table with the family. The other night, she was in her high chair between the two of us and we were both holding her hands as LB said grace.
In the middle of the prayer, Elizabeth yanked LB's hand to her mouth and chomped down full force on his finger. He was hard-pressed to continue praying at that point!
She's learned how to blow raspberries as well. She decided to give LB an object demonstration of her new talent at dinner last night with a mouthful of carrots.
And then when he was giving her a bath, she managed to splash so hard that she soaked him, the counter, and the floor. Time to retire the infant tub.
I'd like to say I didn't laugh, but I'd be lying.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Tooth or consequences!
Elizabeth got her first tooth this weekend. It's the one on the bottom left in front, and it looks like the bottom right one is going to follow it quickly. We may not know for a while, though, since she doesn't like to let us look at it. She'll open her mouth, then stick her tongue out over her lower lip.
She didn't give us much in the way of teething drama (runny nose, drool, fever, diarrhea) other than a fit of hysterical crying on Friday evening that was solved with a dose of Tylenol and some snuggling from Mama and Daddy.
She didn't give us much in the way of teething drama (runny nose, drool, fever, diarrhea) other than a fit of hysterical crying on Friday evening that was solved with a dose of Tylenol and some snuggling from Mama and Daddy.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Learning Curve
It never ceases to amaze me how much Elizabeth learns and absorbs. She recently started to clamor to be put down on the floor so she can play independently instead of being perfectly content to snuggle in somebody's arms for hours on end. She is absolutely fascinated by our dog and watches him constantly when she can see him. Getting to him is one of the reasons she's desperate to start crawling. (What she doesn't yet realize is that even when she's more mobile, he's still going to be faster and more agile than she is and will be able to get away quickly.)
On the crawling front, Elizabeth is able to roll herself around pretty ably and get up on her arms, but the only direction she's been able to scoot herself is backwards. This fact irritates her very much when she realizes that she's expended a great deal of energy in going away from her objective instead of toward it.
Yesterday, she was on the floor playing and I was sitting next to her. She saw a toy just out of her grasp and strained hard to reach it, brushing it with her fingertips and trying hard to grasp it. My first instinct was to move the toy into her hands, but I stopped myself. Let her be independent, let her do it herself, a little voice in my head whispered. Instead of putting the toy closer, I put my hand behind her feet and let her push off. She scooted forward and in a matter of seconds was happily chewing on her toy.
I think most parents' first instinct, when they see children straining hard for something that would be so easy for us, is to do it for them. It's hard to watch a child struggle when you know you could make it easier. My lesson yesterday was not to step in and make it easier by moving the objective, but rather to ease the path by giving a little support from the rear. I hope that as she and her struggles get bigger that I can remember that wisdom!
On the crawling front, Elizabeth is able to roll herself around pretty ably and get up on her arms, but the only direction she's been able to scoot herself is backwards. This fact irritates her very much when she realizes that she's expended a great deal of energy in going away from her objective instead of toward it.
Yesterday, she was on the floor playing and I was sitting next to her. She saw a toy just out of her grasp and strained hard to reach it, brushing it with her fingertips and trying hard to grasp it. My first instinct was to move the toy into her hands, but I stopped myself. Let her be independent, let her do it herself, a little voice in my head whispered. Instead of putting the toy closer, I put my hand behind her feet and let her push off. She scooted forward and in a matter of seconds was happily chewing on her toy.
I think most parents' first instinct, when they see children straining hard for something that would be so easy for us, is to do it for them. It's hard to watch a child struggle when you know you could make it easier. My lesson yesterday was not to step in and make it easier by moving the objective, but rather to ease the path by giving a little support from the rear. I hope that as she and her struggles get bigger that I can remember that wisdom!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
News of our world
Lunch with Godmomma at E. 48th Street Italian Market:
"I distinctly saw four cannoli on that plate. Where are they?"
"What do you MEAN, you ate them all?! And that I'm not old enough for cannoli?"
"Nooooooo!"
Sorry for the recent lack of updates -- things got a little crazy with the holidays!
Most of our readership (all two of you!) already knows this, but just to make it public: Elizabeth is going to be a big sister in early July! Numero Due is due on July 9th, which is one week to the day before Elizabeth's first birthday. I sincerely hope that Due follows his/her sister's lead and arrives early. We are going to find out and make public this baby's gender in a few weeks, so stay tuned!
As for the holidays, Elizabeth got to share her first Christmas with all her in-town relatives plus her aunt and uncle and cousin-on-the-way from California and her grandparents from Indiana. It was one big party, even though she didn't really get what was going on. She likes red wrapping paper and tried to help tear it off her presents. After Christmas, we went over to Augusta and then on to Hilton Head to spend time with more family and friends.
I hope your 2009 began as well as ours did!
"I distinctly saw four cannoli on that plate. Where are they?"
"What do you MEAN, you ate them all?! And that I'm not old enough for cannoli?"
"Nooooooo!"
Sorry for the recent lack of updates -- things got a little crazy with the holidays!
Most of our readership (all two of you!) already knows this, but just to make it public: Elizabeth is going to be a big sister in early July! Numero Due is due on July 9th, which is one week to the day before Elizabeth's first birthday. I sincerely hope that Due follows his/her sister's lead and arrives early. We are going to find out and make public this baby's gender in a few weeks, so stay tuned!
As for the holidays, Elizabeth got to share her first Christmas with all her in-town relatives plus her aunt and uncle and cousin-on-the-way from California and her grandparents from Indiana. It was one big party, even though she didn't really get what was going on. She likes red wrapping paper and tried to help tear it off her presents. After Christmas, we went over to Augusta and then on to Hilton Head to spend time with more family and friends.
I hope your 2009 began as well as ours did!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Just how she rolls
Elizabeth recently discovered the joys of rolling. She started before Thanksgiving with rolling from her tummy to her back, which she did repeatedly until she had an audience other than Mama and Daddy. We were at Noni and Grandpa's house for a week and not once would she deign to show off her new trick. She did it within five minutes of our arrival home, contrary child.
Then she figured out last week that she could roll from her back to her tummy. Very cool. So cool, in fact, that she promptly forgot she could roll from her tummy to her back. Now, she gets onto her tummy, doesn't know how to get back over, and gets mad and yells about it.
She's managed to roll back to front, then front to back, a couple of times, which proves she can do it, but generally one of us has to roll her back when she yells.
The Flickr site has been updated with some seasonal pictures!
Then she figured out last week that she could roll from her back to her tummy. Very cool. So cool, in fact, that she promptly forgot she could roll from her tummy to her back. Now, she gets onto her tummy, doesn't know how to get back over, and gets mad and yells about it.
She's managed to roll back to front, then front to back, a couple of times, which proves she can do it, but generally one of us has to roll her back when she yells.
The Flickr site has been updated with some seasonal pictures!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Eating from Elizabeth's perspective
Mom? Mooooooooom? MOOOOOOOOOM?!
I'm HUNGRY!
Right now! Where's the food? Why are we walking to the fridge?
I can see the bottle! I can see it right in your hand!
Why isn't it in my mouth yet? Can't you SEE I'm starving?
Bottle...mouth...yum num num...wait...I'm still mad! You took too long!
Oh...food...num num num num...
Wait a minute! Wait a minute! I'm not asleep! My eyes were closed and I was snoring, but I'm not asleep! Get that back here right now!
Num num num num...num...num....
*snore*
I'm HUNGRY!
Right now! Where's the food? Why are we walking to the fridge?
I can see the bottle! I can see it right in your hand!
Why isn't it in my mouth yet? Can't you SEE I'm starving?
Bottle...mouth...yum num num...wait...I'm still mad! You took too long!
Oh...food...num num num num...
Wait a minute! Wait a minute! I'm not asleep! My eyes were closed and I was snoring, but I'm not asleep! Get that back here right now!
Num num num num...num...num....
*snore*
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Adventures in babywearing
We're babywearers around here. Basically what that means is that instead of schlepping Her Majesty around in an infant seat, we put her into a sling or a pouch and go about our business with her snuggled up to Mama or Daddy's chest and at least one of our hands free to do other things. (At a recent Koala Mommas meeting, Elizabeth and I tried out a mei tai carrier and I think I'm hooked. Baby carriers are addictive things...like Trumpettes socks and Feltman Brothers dresses. But I digress.)
The reactions other people have when I'm out in public wearing Elizabeth in her sling have been very interesting. Many times, people are charmed by the sight of her all snuggled and sleeping. Frequently, if the observer is a mom with older (high school and up) children, she'll comment, "They didn't have anything like that when I was having babies!"
Actually, babywearing is a very, very old practice, but the only people who were doing it in the late 70s/early 80s were the parents who were crunchy before crunchy was cool. The first baby sling I ever saw was a homemade one that my partner for the eleventh-grade baby project brought in. His mom had used it with all three of her kids, and I thought it was really interesting at the time. Interesting enough that I remember it 10+ years later.
If the observer is a mom around my age, nine times out of ten she'll say "I tried a Maya Wrap/Peanut Shell/Hotsling with my baby, and s/he just HATED it!" I'm not really sure how to respond to this one, because most babies actually do like being cradled in a baby carrier as it's pretty close to the womb environment. Most moms, however, have never seen somebody put a baby in a sling or practiced it, and it does take some getting used to on both parts. I was sweating with nerves by the time I got Elizabeth into her sling for the first time when she was about a week old. She slept through the whole thing. Now I can pop her into and out of it with barely a moment's thought, and she smiles when she sees me put the sling on. The first few times, though, it was imperative that both she and I were relaxed and happy.
I feel like I should offer some help; I felt much more comfortable with various carriers and carries when experienced moms showed me how to use them correctly. On the other hand, I don't want to come off as pushy or preachy. I love babywearing and it's a practice with a lot of positive outcomes for both parent and baby and I do feel pretty passionately about it. Plenty of stores have started carrying baby carriers because they're becoming more mainstream; Target carries Hotslings and some Targets have Maya Wraps. What they don't have are people who are knowledgeable about the arcana of babywearing and can help new babywearers feel more comfortable and enjoy it more.
The other response I've gotten is "Nobody can see the baby's outfit when she's all wrapped up in that thing!"
Can't win 'em all. :-)
The reactions other people have when I'm out in public wearing Elizabeth in her sling have been very interesting. Many times, people are charmed by the sight of her all snuggled and sleeping. Frequently, if the observer is a mom with older (high school and up) children, she'll comment, "They didn't have anything like that when I was having babies!"
Actually, babywearing is a very, very old practice, but the only people who were doing it in the late 70s/early 80s were the parents who were crunchy before crunchy was cool. The first baby sling I ever saw was a homemade one that my partner for the eleventh-grade baby project brought in. His mom had used it with all three of her kids, and I thought it was really interesting at the time. Interesting enough that I remember it 10+ years later.
If the observer is a mom around my age, nine times out of ten she'll say "I tried a Maya Wrap/Peanut Shell/Hotsling with my baby, and s/he just HATED it!" I'm not really sure how to respond to this one, because most babies actually do like being cradled in a baby carrier as it's pretty close to the womb environment. Most moms, however, have never seen somebody put a baby in a sling or practiced it, and it does take some getting used to on both parts. I was sweating with nerves by the time I got Elizabeth into her sling for the first time when she was about a week old. She slept through the whole thing. Now I can pop her into and out of it with barely a moment's thought, and she smiles when she sees me put the sling on. The first few times, though, it was imperative that both she and I were relaxed and happy.
I feel like I should offer some help; I felt much more comfortable with various carriers and carries when experienced moms showed me how to use them correctly. On the other hand, I don't want to come off as pushy or preachy. I love babywearing and it's a practice with a lot of positive outcomes for both parent and baby and I do feel pretty passionately about it. Plenty of stores have started carrying baby carriers because they're becoming more mainstream; Target carries Hotslings and some Targets have Maya Wraps. What they don't have are people who are knowledgeable about the arcana of babywearing and can help new babywearers feel more comfortable and enjoy it more.
The other response I've gotten is "Nobody can see the baby's outfit when she's all wrapped up in that thing!"
Can't win 'em all. :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)