Banana

I gave Hannah 1/3 of a banana to hold and munch. She broke it into no less than four pieces, dropped all but one to the ground, then scooted her butt forward over them for full coverage. Attagirl.

Nutrition course

Baby and I attended a baby nutrition course on the weekend. She was the only baby there, ooops. I didn‘t know I was supposed to leave her at home. Then again, all the other moms have older babies. Unfortunately she didn‘t just sit and hang out quietly like at the rock club meeting last month.

It‘s amazing how things have changed. All the feeding practices my folks used on me are no more, as they lead to poor relationships with food, power struggles over a basic necessity of life.

“Just three more bites.“
“Try one spoonful of each thing on your plate.“
“When you‘ve finished your spinach, you can have more macaroni.“
“Good job! You ate all your beans. What a good little eater.“
“Open the garage, here comes the car, vrrrrmmm“

She advised none of ther above. Make healthy food available. The kids can take it or leave it. Provide snacks that cover 2-4 food groups. If the child doesn‘t eat something (ate veg and starch, skipped chicken at meal), offer a protien you know they like at the next meal. Don‘t build up expectations over what kids will like. One day they‘ll love it, next they will hate it, they‘re kids.

This is going to be interesting.

I ate three

Plus 10 from the last batch.

Red velvet cupcakes with natural red colour, om nom nom

I used beets and raspberries, extra beets this time. Perfect colour. Lots of flavour. So good.

Tonight, red velvet breastmilk.

Learning to crawl

Hannah is on the move. We place the clicker in front of her whenever we want some crawling practice. Something about a black candybar covered in glowing buttons is irresistable.

Turnover Champion

I was so excited when Hannah first turned over at 3 months. She did it ONCE. Hasn't really done it much since, until the 7 month mark. Now she's a pro.

I just put her diaper on backwards because she turned herself over on the change table. Just hold still while I insert the liner, geez!

AND she's on the move now. Doesn't crawl on her hands and knees quite, but she manages to pull and push herself far enough to reach the clicker, my knitting needles, some tissue paper.

Lentil soup

Hannah has been wanting to try food for the past few days. Last night I made lentil soup for dinner, with sweet potato and butternut squash. It was fantastic. I sat Hannah on my knee, and fed her lentil by lentil. She loved it! No gagging or yuck faces. Tonight she had more, as I served it for dinner a second time.

Pictured: I‘ve been changing her on my bathroom counter. She picks up my deodorant and toothpaste, sucks on them, bangs then together, carries them into other rooms as prizes.

“and we take home as prizes
Funny bugs of handy sizes“

Made red velvet cupcakes tonight using natural colour. They‘re a bit raspberryish and soooo good.

Recovery day

Yesterday was LONG. Today we took it easy, comparitively. Hannah slept in until after 10, which gave me a whole hour to myself. I wasted it on the computer, as always. Came upstairs, watched a little Once Upon A Time, knitted a little more of my ongoing project. I am liking Once Upon A Time more than I feel I should based on the ridiculous premise. Doesn‘t help that it is filmed locally in Langley/Steveston.

Class this morning was Gymboree, and we are booked for our first class there tomorrow. The instructor showed us a frogleg push move to get baby crawling, and whoa. I showed my husband, Hannah did it maybe 10 times (which is about how many cookies I‘ve had this evening) and she started moving on her own.

On our way home from class, she was yelling at me from the back seat. I decided to stop off and buy some yogurt, and found a dirty baby. Poor thing. When we arrived home, I popped her in the bath. After, we had naked nursies (her, in a blankie sans diaper, not me), and she passed out in my arms for a few hours. I happily stayed put and relaxed, caught up on tv.

All evening she has been fantastic. She has a sudden interest in solids. Yogurt, a little cucumber as a spoon. Then as I made cookies, she asked for tastes of the overripe bananas. I let her chew on a green bean from our dinner too.

Now she is yelling into my chest and coating it with drool.

Long day, from alibrunch to oma

Poor baby. I made her socialize all over the lower mainland today. Dragged her to brunch with redditors, think she enjoyed it. But then we should‘ve come home and kicked back. Instead, we stopped by my dad‘s then had dinner with my oma. Didn‘t get in until 11. Poor baby cried on the way home, despite me sitting next to her and trying everything short of leaning over and inserting a boob in her mouth. Sometimes it would be nice to have long floppy granny boobies, like milk telescopes.

It was wonderful for baby to visit with oma, her great grandmother. Oma was transfixed on her all evening. It was hilarious watching my 83 year old grandmother being whacked in the face (lightly) by my baby, grab the spoon in her teeth, growl at baby, baby laughs.

Baby tried tzatziki dip. Loved it. No yuck faces. Is her father‘s child with this early love of garlic.

Baby tea

Every Thursday I do Baby Tea with my inlaws. Hannah has a toddler cousin and a baby cousin to play with, and I hope the tradition stays!

Today‘s Tea included a bit of lunch. To keep Hannah busy while I ate, I gave her a chunk of chicken to gnaw on. She tore a bit off and chewed it extensively, then gagged until tears came. My MIL was like, should we mash it up? And I‘m all ahhhhh baby led weaning it is just gagging not choking she is okay this is normal lemme just fix it, guh. I felt like such a putz. Some online forum reading has bouyed my spirits though, and the baby led weaning experiment will continue. She did swallow the chicken, in the end, and I suspect I will find undigested bits tomorrow. Yay.

Pictures: she fell asleep in my lap doubled over, head between her feet, stayed that way for half an hour. And those cheeks! Also, her cousin has warmed up to her and now snuggles her, hams it up a bit for the camera.

Sideways, cousin

Hannah has been cocking her head to the side, giving us funny looks like a little owl. I melt every time, so adorable.

Tonight we had a family dinner. Sat her next to her girl cousin. Chewed on the chair a bit. Tried chicken for the first time. I think she liked it. At least the flavour is milder than fruit and vegetables.

Grocery cart

Today was Hannah‘s first time sitting in the grocery cart. The first five minutes were totally fun, until the cart started to fill and she was more interested in the things piling up behind her. We switched back to the sling, which solved the frustration of not being able to reach the avocados.

Bitty bump - in progress

I finally gave in and bought the pattern for the bitty bump sweater, and giant needles to go with. I‘ve had this odd chunky yarn sitting around since I was pregnant. I really must have known she‘d be a girl, with choices like this. It is knitting up super fast, but I am concerned now I will run out of yarn. I am only 10 rows in and already on the second ball, eep!

Apples as bath toys

I find this baby led weaning thing is easier in the tub, where there is no mess for me to clean up after. For the last few minutes Hannah has been holding an apple spear in each hand, waving them around, gnawing the ends. The flavour is so mild, she is making the least yuck faces of all the foods so far.

Ah, she has lost interest. Two floating apple boats now being attacked by a yellow pouring duck. Baby just deposited a piece of apple from mouth to duck‘s beak.

Find my own teething toys

Baby finds her own teething toys. Today, the stand from her stack ‘em toy. Also, my toes and chin. Wish I hadn‘t lost her teething ring.

Also on the menu were my mother‘s silver bangles, a grape, and my hairbrush. She plays the hairbrush like a guitar.

I was pleased to discover today that her bald spot from laying on her back is growing in.

Glorious nap

She‘s been out for two hours. But if I move my arm, she wakes up. So I watch some Bomb Girls and let my arm fall asleep. Dishes can wait.

Fantastic new toy

Why does she even have toys? All she wants is a plastic bag with something inside she can toss around. Pictured with bag of trail mix.

Laundry day

When the diaper pail looks like this, it is TIME. I probably shouldn‘t leave it so long (4 days this time, oops), or wash so many at once, but it always works. I love cloth! It doesn‘t smell too badly, and the diapers come through clean, even if I wash too many or forget the soap cycle.

It takes 5 minutes to unstuff the pocket diapers and stick the velcro together. If there‘s poop, we rinse it when it happens. Since baby has is often pottied, we may only get one poopy diaper per load.

I thought baby‘s poops and peeps would be the bane of my existence as a new mom. Instead, I find pottying the baby to be absolutely fascinating, and a welcome break where we can go to the washroom and smile at each other whilst peeing. And the cloth diapers are adorable, I need to stop myself from buying any more. I love the variety we have, and am happy when my favourites are clean and baby gets to wear them.

Inconsolable

I was down to the last foot of space as baby completed her 7 hour roll from back to stomach, in my direction. I elected to carefully lift my face-down baby onto her towelled sleeping pad in the middle of the bed, lest she peed.

Bad idea. Wakes up screaming.

Cries all through the bathroom visit. No talking or patting will solve her woes. Only nipple.

Back in bed, I am thankful that she woke up upset. Had she woken smiling, she‘d have been up for the day far too early.

All-you-can-eat highchair

At the all-you-can-eat sushi today, we had a high-chair brought as I needed both hands to shove food into my mouth. First thing she does, face down, sucking on the crotch strap. It was all gooky to start from every other kid doing the same thing. Eeeeeew. After unsuccessfully offering her a toy or rag of her own (disregard Sophie, lick manky old chair), I took her into my lap where she proceeded to make pterodactyl noises. HONEY. Come on. Have a boob, NO BOOB. Here, look out the window, old lady waves back and makes faces at you. Take to toilet, DRY. Let pee. Return. Give to my friend. Suddenly happy. WHAT?

Sometimes she sits on my lap so easily as I play computer. Helps if I play music and dance her to the tune, give her my thumbs to hold. Of course, this prevents me from getting anything done.

Silly baby. Why couldn't you have had fussy time as I played computer, and calm stare-y time when we were out in public?

Getting baby to sleep

There is some magic in getting baby to fall asleep.

Do not expect sleep.
As we drove to the park for a hike this afternoon, I thought for sure the baby would nod off in the car. Every time I looked back, she‘d look up at me as if to say, ‘sleep? Me?‘
Strapped baby to my back and started the walk, memories of her two baby backpack naps earlier this week twinkling. After 5 minutes of smiling up at daddy, I gave up and let her ride on his shoulders, chasing me down the path. The walk back was no better.

Give up.
Baby slept while we drove home, and for a little while after.

Nurse.
Squeezed another nap out of her before dinner.

Stay put.
I‘m sure it seems ridiculous, me watching Seinfeld reruns in the dark while baby sleeps in my arms, head flopped back, but if I move she‘ll wake up! Not entirely true - I did manage to walk over and turn the light on, eventually, but had I tried to lay baby down somewhere, she would have woken. 4/5 chance.

Slow down. Lights out.
Baby falls asleep best when I‘m feigning sleep. Unfortunately she‘s too interested in what I‘m doing now, I can no longer knit behind her as she nurses in bed. Can read 2/5, works best if I let her work her grabbies out first. And she knows when I‘m frustrated, as it agitates her too and makes the whole thing worse.

Stick around.
Baby may wake within the first half hour of sleep. If you‘re there, 5 seconds of knuckle. If you‘re not, good luck.

Sleep begets sleep.
Contrary to adults, the baby who naps well will sleep well too. My worst days in putting baby down have been the nap-free ones.

Yet today had awesome naps, and so the sleepening was completed in good time.

Good night, baby Goo.

Androids

Picked up a new LG Eclypse today, with the little pop out keyboard and everything. It's a huge step up from my old Motorola Razr, circa 2006. Why on earth did I wait so long? Maybe I thought my only option for smartphone would be iphone or blackberry.

I've stepped into the future! Bloggin' all over the house, here I come!

Smoked carrot

I put a carrot in the vegetable steamer on the stove, not thinking how long it would take. Pick up baby for a nursie, ask husband to keep an eye on the carrot. He checks on it, it's fine, not done yet. Puts eyes back on the TV. I check on it a few minutes later, to find the pot smoking, no water left in the bottom, and blazing hot. It belted out steam as I poured cold water onto it, and I come up with black water every time I scour it.

Now I can't even use the carrot, because it smells burnt, and I don't know if a carrot cooked by a burning saucepan is entirely safe.

I think it's time I take a walk outside, get this acrid odour out of my nose.

Paper

Baby Goo LOVES paper.

I was washing dishes the other day, when I heard her choke-coughing from the other room. Peeked in to see her devouring a receipt that I never even knew was on the floor, let alone within her reach. This little piece was stuck to her head, the rest of it rolled up in her fist in a wet suckable glob.

It wasn't all there, of course.

I found the last of it this evening.