Mad Skillz

Babykins has developed (and rediscovered) some mad skillz lately.  Her talking repertoire now includes the wawawa sounds, mixed with the occasional bababa and (I swear!) a very rare mama - mostly when she's crying.  She's also starting to get the hang of the crawling motion.  She's not cruising around yet, but she's starting to push off with her feet in an effort to scooch forward.  Unfortunately, at the moment, this activity usually just causes her to face plant, but that hasn't deterred her from continuing to give it the old college try.

We've also been working with Babykins to rediscover rolling.  After an early start, rolling from her tummy to her back at 3 months, and one miraculous roll from back to tummy at 5 months, Babykins gave up on the whole rolling concept in favor of sitting.  Personally, I think sitting's pretty awesome (not to mention holding onto furniture and standing!), but at her 6 month check up, the doctor put the term "Infrequent Roller" in Babykins' chart, so we're back to extensive tummy time.  After many fun rolling games (I roll her across the floor, roll her over in a tube at play group, and clap like crazy anytime she looks like she might consider rolling), Babykins has deigned to roll over 5 more times on her own.  I count this as success and hereby officially declare her a "Frequent Roller." 

Perhaps more exciting, Babykins has finally learned how to put her head down without suffocating herself.  For some unknowable reason, Babykins has always insisted on putting her head down face first when on her tummy.  This has a tendency to smash her nose and mouth into the floor.  Although she usually props her head up on her hands, leaving some breathing room, I've always worried a bit about her ability to breathe in this position.  This week, the head has finally turned!

Congratulations Babykins! 

The Big D

This week, Babykins and I took a big and terrifying step.  We went to tour our first daycare.  The original plan was that I would stay home with Babykins for the first year, then return to work full time.  Recently, though, I've been thinking it may be better to head back to work part time after the holidays, then work my way to full time over a couple months.

Which brought Babykins and I to the daycare.  On the plus side, I think she'll like it.  Babykins loves going to play group, and really, daycare is just one long play date.  On the down side, I'm not sure I'm ready to leave her.  More than anything else, the thought of going back to work and leaving Babykins with other people all day brings on conflicting emotions of excitement (I can talk to other grown ups!), sadness (I love being with Babykins), and guilt (what if she never forgives me for abandoning her?).

Luckily, we have some time for both of us to adjust to the idea.  And if Babykins doesn't learn how to drink her milk from an alternative source soon, it'll be a moot point, anyway.  In the meantime, we'll keep visiting day cares and making the most of our time together now.

Dear Random Stranger

Dear Random Stranger,

I know I'm the most adorable baby you've ever seen.  And I know that now that I'm a big, bad 6-monther who can sit up all by herself, you think I'm a big girl.  But please remember that I'm really just a little baby, and you're a random stranger I've never seen before, and that makes you SCARY.

If you make loud noises and fast, sudden movements, I will cry.  When I start to cry, please don't continue to make weird faces and sounds at me.  MOVE BACK and let my mommy pick me up.  Also, I know my chubby cheeks and squishy thighs are irresistible, but seriously, I'm going to ask you to exercise a little self control and resist.  It's one thing to poke my foot - it's another to touch my face or grab my hands.  My hands go directly into my mouth, and I don't know how recently you touched something dirty without washing your hands afterward.

And to the sales lady who actually picked me up without asking, you are so lucky daddy didn't tell mommy what store you work at, because mommy's been thinking things about you that could get her in serious trouble.

To all you other wonderful random strangers who stand back and wave and tell me what a cute baby I am, keep the love coming!!  I send you kisses.

Love,
Babykins

Weeee!!!!

Last week I signed Babykins up for a local play group called Wee Play & Learn.  We had stopped in for a free trial, thinking it would be a one-day, fun diversion, but 1 hour and an infants pricing special later, we were hooked.

The obvious question, of course, is, "What exactly does a 6 month old do at a play group?  Drool on the other babies?"  It turns out they can do a lot (in addition to drooling on other babies, which actually happened to Babykins her first day).  There are shakers and songs and stories.  Parachutes and bubbles and puppets.  Bouncy balls and games and toys galore!  And most importantly, huge smiles and lots of belly laughs from Babykins!!

Honestly, I stopped even thinking about the price when I saw how much Babykins loved that hour of play (and it doesn't hurt that afterward she's so tuckered out from all of the fun that she immediately takes a nap).  She loves watching the other kids and joining in the activities.  And the hubbykins and I have learned that she has skills we didn't know about.  Who would have guessed you can play wheelbarrow with a 6 month old?  And we were shocked to discover that Babykins can use a toy to hold herself in a standing position without us supporting her! 

Now, if only there was a Wee Play & Learn for mommies, too.  Wishing you all big smiles and belly laughs! 

There's No ( ) in Mommyhood!

In "A League of Their Own," Tom Hanks famously yells at one of the women, "There's no crying in baseball!"  It turns out the same is true in mommyhood.  Babykins gets 5 shots and I just want to cry along with her.  Babykins falls over and bumps her head, I'm just about in tears with worry.  But there's no crying in mommyhood.  You have to smile, and sing a song, and tell Babykins everything is ok. 

I'm finding there are a lot of other things that don't exist in mommyhood.  There's definitely no sick days in mommyhood.  I felt a little sick Thursday night.  Woke up Friday morning feeling like I'd been run over by a large truck.  But Babykins doesn't care.  She still needs to eat, and get dressed, and be entertained. 

I'm sure there are lots of other things that don't exist in mommyhood...uninterrupted showers, sleeping in, nights on the town.  So fill in the blank for me..."There's no (   ) in mommyhood!"

Next blog...all the wonderful things that do exist in mommyhood that I didn't have before Babykins!

Too Young for Dairy Queen?

Babykins had her 6 month check up today.  She's growing, healthy, and happy and now, after the appointment, completely traumatized.  I knew she would need to get her immunizations today, but when the doctor walked in with 5 needles, I just about cried. 

I held Babykins while she got her shots (2 in one thigh, 3 in the other), and as expected, she grabbed my arm, buried her head in my neck, and screamed until she turned red.  When the shots were done she eventually calmed down, although any time she looked at the doctor, she started crying again.

All of which made me wish that she was old enough to enjoy the bribe my parents used with me on shot days - a trip to Dairy Queen.  Few things in the world take away the pain of a shot as well as a small bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and rainbow jimmies (sprinkles, for those of you not from Philly).  I considered having a bowl on Babykins' behalf, but soon realized that while she can't yet have that wonderful, creamy treat, she was quite content to have a nursing feast in its place.

Little Miss Independent

Babykins has become very coordinated.  Last night, with one quick, fluid motion, she pulled her pacifier out of her mouth and popped it into hubbykins mouth before we had any idea what she was planning.  This new found coordination has a lot of great results.  She rarely cries for us to help her with a toy these days, fewer toys are accidentally poked into her eye, and she can usually get her sippy cup into her mouth without assistance.

The new coordination has also made her more independent, which,while a major goal of parenting, also requires us to be on our toes all of the time.  Yesterday, Babykins decided that as a big six-month-er, she no longer needs my help holding slices of cantaloupe (one of her favorite foods).  Unfortunately, it's a slippery melon and now instead of using my time to hold it while she eats, I'm spending all of my time picking it up from the (rented, white carpeted) floor.  Luckily, she has yet to realize that this could become an extremely fun (for her) game.

Her independence and coordination have also extended her reach.  Things that I once deemed in safe locations are now being torn, thrown to the floor, and chewed on.  My to-do list, left on the floor seemingly a safe distance away, barely survived the morning.  The tin that holds my keys has dive bombed the floor more than once as we walked by.  And two days ago while walking through a store in the mall, I looked down to discover that Babykins had grabbed a shirt and was pulling it along behind us.

All of which greatly pleases the little one.  You can watch her focus on something that she's decided to go after, start to lean toward it, and a little gleam comes to her eye that announces, "Look out world, here comes Babykins!"

Babies!

This weekend we watched the documentary, "Babies."  This cute little movie follows four babies from birth until a little past 1 year: Hattie from San Francisco, Ponijao from Namibia, Bayarjargal from Mongolia, and Mari from Tokyo.  It had more than its share of adorable, funny, and touching moments, and I cooed, awwwwed, and laughed my way through it.

At the end, though, my strongest emotion was relief.  Surely, if these babies can survive to be happy and healthy, then I can worry just a little less about Babykins.  The baby from Mongolia was using a pig's tongue with a match stick through it as a pacifier.  The baby from Namibia was chewing on a stick.  Little Bayarjargal got stepped on by a cow with no ill effects.  Ponijao was covered in flies from birth and did just fine.

And absolutely no one's mother seemed concerned that maybe her baby was bored during a walk through the mall.

I don't think this was necessarily the point of the movie, but I certainly found it liberating.  I have a feeling, though, that Babykins might not be as pleased with my interpretation of the movie's moral.

Cuteness alert!!!  Babykins has recently learned how to blow raspberries.  She gets a big smile, sticks out her tongue, and blows.  You get covered in baby spit, but with a baby this adorable, you don't really mind.

You Know You're a First Time Parent When...

The other day at the store, I was talking to the lady behind me in line when she said, "This must be your fist baby."  What gave me away?  I like to think that I just look too young to have more than one child.  But I'm pretty sure there are some other major giveaways.

You know you're a first time parent when...

• You have 10 books on how to raise your baby and you try to simultaneously follow the advice from all of them
• Instead of just letting your baby cry in the store, you stop to sing 5 Little Ducks 
• You not only sing 5 Little Ducks, you do it in sign language, too
• You call the doctor the first time your baby sleeps 8 hours to make sure nothing's wrong
• You insist that your child will not eat any junk food until she's 5 
• You actually stop and listen when strangers offer advice
• You start every other sentence with, "The book says..."

And perhaps the most telling...you still have time to write a blog :)

Everything's a First at 6 Months

Since Babykins has only been in the world for 6 months, almost everything she does is a first.  Eat a Cheerio?  A first!  Roll over?  A first!  There have been some big firsts since coming to Hawaii, though, and yesterday was one of them.

Babykins got her first passport photos.  Being an international baby, our little Australmerican must be ready to jet at a moment's notice.  Unfortunately, to get her picture taken she had to sit by herself in the middle of a big white mat, which quickly led to tears and resulted in a picture with red-rimmed eyes and a slightly dazed look.  It turns out even adorable babies don't get to have perfect passport pictures.  I'm hoping she'll have another first before heading to Australia - I'm working on getting her to say, "G'day Mates" in a little Aussie accent.

In even cuter "first" news, the Babykins has been working hard lately to be able to put her own pacifier in her mouth.  It's hit or miss, but today I looked over to discover her trying to put the pacifier in her dolly's mouth.  Dolly's a cat with a sewn on mouth, so it didn't work, but it was awfully sweet watching Babykins try to share - a very important "first".

Happy 6 Month Birthday, Babykins!

Today is Babykins 6 month birthday.  We have a tradition of having a special dessert on each of her month birthdays.  This month brings us to dessert number 7 (we ate the top of our wedding cake when she was born).  That got me thinking about how often we've done other activities over the last 6 months.  There have been approximately:

• 7 special birthday desserts
• 8.5 pounds gained
• 10 trips to the pediatrician
• 155 baths
• 183 sleepless night
• 300 miles walked
• 458 outfit changes
• 600 pictures taken (just by me and hubbykins)
• 641 hours of nursing
• 800 repetitions of "Doe-a-Deer" and "If You're Happy and You Know It"
• 1830 diaper changes
• 4575 wipes used
• 1 million kisses

Happy 6 month birthday, Babykins!
Love,
Mama

Pink Stripes and a Ruffled Skirt

First, the big news.  Babykins has her first tooth!!!  For those of you who heard this same news a month ago only to discover it was not actually a tooth, I guarantee that this time it's the real deal.

Even before her tooth, I would say, completely objectively, that Babykins is the cutest baby ever.  But despite the chubby, rosy cheeks, sparkling blue eyes, fluffy blond hair, and captivating smile, I accept that Babykins, like most infants, is fairly androgynous.  Put her in a green onesie or her blue and white striped outfit, and I can understand why people need to ask whether she's a boy or girl.

Sometimes, though, people are just dumb.  A list of outfits my child has been wearing recently when someone told me what a cute little boy I have:

1) A onesie that, although green, read "Daddy's Princess."
2) A t-shirt with neon pink and green lady bugs with a skirt edged in pink.
3) A light violet onesie with purple hearts.
4) And my favorite, yesterday she was wearing a pink and white striped shirt with a ruffled denim skirt.  Two people commented on my little boy's eyes.

Seriously people.  I'm not a cruel mommy.  I wouldn't do that to a boy.

Oddly enough, women tend to be the biggest offenders.  Most men carefully word their compliments, simply remarking on the cute baby.  Meanwhile, an amazing number of women will follow up their blunder by saying that people often thought their baby girls were boys, too.  Apparently, that experience didn't make them any more carefyk when talking to other people's babies.

Luckily, Babykins doesn't seem to mind.  She's a sucker for a compliment, and she smiles just as widely when people tell her she's a cute little boy as she does when they tell her she's a pretty little girl.  And all I really want is to see Babykins smile, so keep the cooing coming, accurate or not.

A Letter from Babykins

Dear Mommy,

Please stop taking me to the doctor to have my ears checked.  They don't hurt.  They just happen to be the exact right size for my thumbs - not too tight and not too loose.  This is an exciting discovery, and I will continue to stick my thumbs in them all day and even at night while asleep.  One day, when I realize that my nose is also the perfect size for little fingers and all sorts of other items, you can take me back the doctor to have the Cheerios removed.  Until then, I'm just having fun.

Love,
Babykins

This holiday weekend we're going on a guilt trip!

When Babykins was 3 months old, she started sleeping 10 straight hours through the night.  Although we tried not to show it too much, we were smugly gleeful.  At 4 months, she started waking up once a night to eat.  The doctor said it was because she was growing, and we started solid food.  By 5 months karma had come back to kick us, and Babykins was waking up twice a night to nurse, twice a night after spitting out her pacifier, and once or twice just for a cuddle.  I have learned my lesson about smugness.

With leads us this weekend to the great debate - how do we get her to sleep through the night?  Do we Ferber-ize her (the so-called Cry It Out method)?  Go with the Sears method (which as far as I can tell involves co-sleeping and cuddling)? Or just suck it up and accept that we'll never sleep again?

We went Ferber(ish).  I'm not sure who cried more - Babykins or Mommykins.  But after two 10 minute cycles, Babykins slept for 9 1/2 hours, and tonight it only took 4 minutes of crying before she fell back asleep.  Which leaves Babykins sleeping like a baby, and me wracked with guilt about the emotional damage I've caused this weekend.  Guilt stricken, but also slightly smug :)

A Few of Our Favorite Things

I recently started a gratitude journal.  Each night you're supposed to write down three things that happened that day that you're grateful for (all the cynics can stop making faces - it's a nice idea).  If Babykins and I each had to fill out just one day in the journal, I think it would look something like this:

Mommykins:
Thank you for...
1) a happy, healthy Babykins
2) my wonderful Hubbykins
3) finally letting me fit back in my shorts

Babykins:
Thank you for...
1) showing Daddy how to fly me like an airplane
2) giving Mommy the milk machines
3) making me so darn cute!

The Great Race

Recently, Babykins has discovered that under her diaper she has a heiney.  As with all great discoveries, it must be explored, and diaper changing time provides her only opportunity.  This has led us to the Great Race between Mommykins, armed with a wipe, and Babykins, armed with gleeful curiosity.

Babykins, although not yet fully coordinated, has speed and two free hands on her side.  While I have dexterity and planning on my side, I'm sleep deprived and slow.  We're pretty evenly matched.  For awhile, a clean diaper served as a distraction, keeping both of Babykins' hands occupied.  She seems to have figured out the trick, though, waiting until my hands are full then throwing down the diaper and making a mad grab.  Apparently, Babykins also has superior intellect on her side.

Thanks to Babykins' outstanding win record, I have perfected the Catch and Wipe, getting her hand wiped off before it reaches her mouth.  This always brings on hearty bouts of laughter from Babykins.  I can't tell whether she just enjoys the feel of the wipe, or whether she's celebrating her win.  I have a feeling it's a little of both.

Does is count as a lie if they can't understand?

Now that Babykins is able to sit up on her own, she is vehemently against being strapped into her car seat.  If she could talk, her argument would be something along the lines of, "Mother, when you strap me in, I can't see what's going on around me.  Plus, it's harder to play with my toys, and I would appreciate the opportunity to practice my new independent sitting skills."  Since she can't talk, she starts screaming and continues to cry until we get where we're going, making our 5 minute drive to the grocery store feel much, much longer.

So the other day I hear myself saying, "Babykins, I have to strap you in.  The President says all babies have to be buckled in and we have to do what the President says."  A blatant lie, right up there with, "This will only hurt a little" and "Of course there's a Santa Claus."  But does it count as a lie if Babykins can't understand what I'm saying?  I vote "no."  Of course, I can't be sure she doesn't understand.  I constantly try to get her to understand when she's crying and I tell her I'll feed her right now that she can stop crying (it doesn't work).  And James Frey blamed his alcoholism on earaches from when he was a baby, so who knows what permanent damage I may be doing.






I promise I'll stop blaming the seat belt on the president in a couple months, and in the meantime, we may just give up on car trips.