CRAWL

Hannah is officially crawling. Not tummy dragging, not crawling a few paces before dropping to her belly, she is full on crawling on hands and knees. It started tonight while Andrew was on the phone with his mom, and I was trying to start a shower. She followed me from the kitchen, down the hall, into my bedroom, to the bathroom door. So fast! I picked her up, gave her a chance to pee (she did), then sent her on her way. She was so tired this evening though. Barely napped today. It seems she has only one or two big nursies during the day, the rest being distracted and either full of nipplephone or leg bucking, scratching at me, that sort of thing. at least she's going to bed earlier. She was doing BIG MOUTH today. I tried to put her down for a nap, to no avail. She wanted to sit up and play with things. Play with the pillow, the lamp, my book, bookmark, ME, anything. So I made it fun and gave up on reading and sleeping. Dangled things over her head so she'd look up with her wide open mouth, and I inspected her incoming top teeth. So far: Left middle bottom Right middle bottom Left 2nd top Left middle top I wonder if she'll lose the teeth in this same order? I seem to recall left-middle-bottom being my first lost tooth. I am amazed at how she maneuvers herself off the couch and bed. She pushes legs first, slides down, lands on her feet. Though she was particularly upset later in the day and nearly rolled herself off sideways. I wonder if it is instinctual to go feet first? I wonder how many of these things come pre-programmed. I was shocked that she came with peekaboo installed. What else? WHAT ELSE?

Early Bedtime

I've been trying to put Hannah to bed early. Early as in 9pm instead of midnight. She gets tired and cranky starting around 8, so it works. Except, it takes 2 hours to get her to sleep some nights. So I get out of there, FINALLY, around 11, and no longer have an evening of baby-free whatever ahead of me. Such is life. She has the front left tooth coming in now. Last night, she had a LATE bedtime. I couldn't believe how good she was all evening, as we attended a dinner party and the in-laws with some of their neighbours. We didn't leave until almost 11, and she was not only cheerful as we placed her in the carseat and into the car, but she promptly fell asleep for the entire ride home. We nursed to sleep, and she was up with me at 8:30, off to another swap meet with her auntie and cousin. I made her nap around 3 in the afternoon, until 5:30. I NAPPED WITH HER. It was lovely. I had weird dreams. She took her first steps the other day, pushing on a desk at moms group.

Pop pop, teeth incoming

I notice today that baby has swollen gums in the front, and can see the white of her two front teeth under the gums. Poor thing! No wonder she is so cranky. At least the fever is gone, and she was in better spirits much of the day.

She had her first taste of banana bread this evening. I ground up coconut into this one, it is SO delicious.

Standing, more sick, more teeth

Hannah stood on her own for the first time this week. It was just for five seconds or so, her bum hovering above my knee.

She is barfing again tonight. So is her dad. Fortunately i am well, after a long weekend of the tummy bug. She is sleeping with her head on a cloth diaper insert, a towel below. I do not want to be stripping my bed at 4am again.

The upside of all this sick is that I am getting lots of time to read. I am now 200 pages into A Clash of Kings from the Song of Ice and Fire series. I haven‘t read this voraciously since that Lord John book in the fall, and it feels good to be so immersed in a whole new world.

The downside is having a cranky baby the rest of the time. I miss her usual cheerful self (though now at midnight she is at least calm, though awake).

Her third tooth appeared today. Left top but not middle, canine maybe. She keeps chewing my finger.

Stomach bugs

I was sick last Thursday night, haven't been sick like that since Japan. Took some Gravol in the night to get some sleep and stop the vomiting. Ugh. Spent the next day having chills and feeling very weak. Woke up Saturday and felt better. Hoped that was the end of it.

NOPE. Last night I put the baby to bed as soon as we got in from my parents', where we spent Easter. She slept for a few hours, but I noticed she was kinda crawling about the bed and sleeping on her stomach with her legs tucked underneath her, it was unusual. And at 3:30am, she has some wet coughs, aaand barfs. In the bed. And we cosleep. But where else does a 9 month old barf? Do you ask them to hold it an escort them to the washroom? Blech.

My husband helped clean her up while I cleaned the sheets and replaced them, putting down towels just in case. I nursed her a bit, she puked again. Changed the towel, wiped her down again. The third time was just a little, so I folded the towel over and continued rubbing her back to put her to sleep. I didn't except her to sleep the next 7 hours with just a layer of towel between the bit of vomit and herself, which she did. Oops. But she did sleep well, and woke up full of beans. I woke up feeling ill again, and I really hope that was the last of it.


Saturday we had Easter with Hannah's cousins, with a little easter egg hunt for the 2 year old and all. Toward the end of the night, we get to talking about pinworms, and Andrew starts singing "There's a worm in my bum tonight," (to the tune of The Eagles' "Hole in the World") ... and on and on, with the guitar and all. I haven't laughed so hard in ages.

Crispy rice

Whenever I have work to do in the kitchen, I let Hannah explore the cupboards and pantry, to keep her occupied. Today she pulled out rice crispies and scattered a handful over the floor. Now she is working on her fine motor skills by hunting them down and devouring them one by one.