I wish I had an amusing anecdote to add to Babykins' blog this week, but she has been a very sick baby. Between high fevers, throwing up, and a white tongue, we have spent most of the week cuddled on the couch.
Although I hate to see her sick, it's been sweet to see the progression of Babykins' snuggling. When she was first born, cuddling wasn't a guaranteed way to quiet her down. Within days, though, Babykins realized the joy of being held and rocked (she especially enjoyed this at 3 am). It was an amazing day when Babykins was able to reach out her arms when she wanted to be picked up. It's simultaneously heart-breaking and overwhelmingly sweet to see your crying baby reach out for you. Fast forward a couple more months, and instead of just cuddling when she was upset or hurt, Babykins started giving hugs. What a wonderful feeling to have your baby put her arms around your neck, not because she's sad, but because she's so happy to see you.
This week, I've been so worried about Babykins' illness that I've had her sleep in with us so I could keep an eye on her. In the past, I've found that if she's restless, she'll often quiet down if I snuggle her in to my side. These last few nights she's realized the same thing. Instead of lying there fussing until I pull her next to me, Babykins has started rolling over and cuddling into my side. It's moments like these that cause us to forget the pain of childbirth.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Fashionista
When I pick Babykins up from daycare, I try to sneak in quietly so that I can spend a few minutes watching her play before she notices me. Last week, I walked in to find her prancing around the Wobbler room in a fluffy pink princess skirt.
When I called her name, Babykins was thrilled to show off her new skirt. The teachers told me that during dress-up time, Babykins had immediately picked out the skirt and carried it over to them for help in putting it on. When dress-up time ended, she refused to take it off and spent the rest of the day swishing in sparkly pink tulle. Add to this the green purse that Babykins has started carrying around all day, every day at daycare, and it seems we have a fashionista on our hands.
To encourage Babykins' budding fashion sense, Hubbykins and I have started letting Babykins pick out her own outfit in the morning. For the most part, this is a success. She has an affinity for onesies and seems to like pink, which could partly be due to the fact that that accurately describes 90% of the clothing in her dresser. Admittedly, she doesn't have a large range to choose from. Babykins does occasionally like to be cutting edge, though. Friday she wanted three different colored barrettes in her hair, and proudly went to daycare with them accessorizing her outfit.
Yesterday I watched as Babykins patiently stood still while the teacher fitted her with the hand-painted hula skirts they've been working on for a week. And last week Babykins came home with her hair in two "palm tree" pig tails on top of her head. Although she'll often run away half way through a diaper change, it seems that even Babykins is willing to make exceptions when it comes to fashion.
When I called her name, Babykins was thrilled to show off her new skirt. The teachers told me that during dress-up time, Babykins had immediately picked out the skirt and carried it over to them for help in putting it on. When dress-up time ended, she refused to take it off and spent the rest of the day swishing in sparkly pink tulle. Add to this the green purse that Babykins has started carrying around all day, every day at daycare, and it seems we have a fashionista on our hands.
To encourage Babykins' budding fashion sense, Hubbykins and I have started letting Babykins pick out her own outfit in the morning. For the most part, this is a success. She has an affinity for onesies and seems to like pink, which could partly be due to the fact that that accurately describes 90% of the clothing in her dresser. Admittedly, she doesn't have a large range to choose from. Babykins does occasionally like to be cutting edge, though. Friday she wanted three different colored barrettes in her hair, and proudly went to daycare with them accessorizing her outfit.
Yesterday I watched as Babykins patiently stood still while the teacher fitted her with the hand-painted hula skirts they've been working on for a week. And last week Babykins came home with her hair in two "palm tree" pig tails on top of her head. Although she'll often run away half way through a diaper change, it seems that even Babykins is willing to make exceptions when it comes to fashion.
The Number 1 Reason I Love Daycare
Babykins and I are both finally starting to adjust to her daily trips to daycare. She has fabulous teachers, they do fun activities, and every time I walk in there, someone's cleaning something. The number 1 thing I love about daycare, though, is the art projects Babykins brings home. There's just nothing cuter than seeing the end result of her daily foray into art time.
For Mother's Day, she finger painted paper plates, which they turned into a bouquet of flowers. All together now...Awwww :)
For Mother's Day, she finger painted paper plates, which they turned into a bouquet of flowers. All together now...Awwww :)
 |
| Babykins' Handmade Mother's Day Bouquet |
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
I Wanna Hold Your Haaaaaand
Now that Babykins is a walking machine, we got her new shoes that she can wear outside.
To celebrate this new purchase, Babykins and I decided to take a walk to the Post Office. This consists of leaving our building, crossing the street, and walking across a parking lot. On my own, I can make it in 5 minutes. Thirty minutes later, we arrived.
In that half hour, we discussed why cigarette butts are yucky and not for eating, chased a flock of birds, almost caught a bird and had a fright, stopped to examine the dirt in the crack in the sidewalk, walked back and forth between the sidewalk and the grass to figure out why they feel different under our shoes, and detoured into Sears for a quick ride up the escalator. It was a major adventure.
After finishing at the Post Office, I was feeling brave and decided we could quick stop at the grocery store next door. Within seconds I realized my mistake. Walking Babykins quickly yanked her hand free from mine, made a break for it, and began pulling everything she could off the bottom shelf. As I tried to put everything back in its place, she fled across the aisle and plastered herself to the door of the frozen foods, fascinated by how cold it was. I got there just in time to see her lick the glass.
At this point, I tucked her into the one-armed football hold and made a dash for the produce section. As we moved down the aisle of fruit, she started calling, "Nana, Nana." I grabbed a bunch of bananas, broke one off, and gave it to her to hold. It was like magic. Babykins proudly cradled her banana and followed me through the store, thrilled that she was carrying her own Nana like a big girl.
An hour and a half after we left, we were back in the building, heading for our apartment. As we walked down the hallway, Babykins reached up her little hand and grabbed my finger, holding on until we reached the door. Now that Babykins doesn't need help to walk, there's something extra sweet about her choosing to hold my hand. I know a day will come when she won't be seen in public holding my hand, so for now I'm cherishing every moment of having her little hand wrapped in mine.
 |
In that half hour, we discussed why cigarette butts are yucky and not for eating, chased a flock of birds, almost caught a bird and had a fright, stopped to examine the dirt in the crack in the sidewalk, walked back and forth between the sidewalk and the grass to figure out why they feel different under our shoes, and detoured into Sears for a quick ride up the escalator. It was a major adventure.
After finishing at the Post Office, I was feeling brave and decided we could quick stop at the grocery store next door. Within seconds I realized my mistake. Walking Babykins quickly yanked her hand free from mine, made a break for it, and began pulling everything she could off the bottom shelf. As I tried to put everything back in its place, she fled across the aisle and plastered herself to the door of the frozen foods, fascinated by how cold it was. I got there just in time to see her lick the glass.
At this point, I tucked her into the one-armed football hold and made a dash for the produce section. As we moved down the aisle of fruit, she started calling, "Nana, Nana." I grabbed a bunch of bananas, broke one off, and gave it to her to hold. It was like magic. Babykins proudly cradled her banana and followed me through the store, thrilled that she was carrying her own Nana like a big girl.
An hour and a half after we left, we were back in the building, heading for our apartment. As we walked down the hallway, Babykins reached up her little hand and grabbed my finger, holding on until we reached the door. Now that Babykins doesn't need help to walk, there's something extra sweet about her choosing to hold my hand. I know a day will come when she won't be seen in public holding my hand, so for now I'm cherishing every moment of having her little hand wrapped in mine.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tricks of the Trade
I love the daycare Babykins is going to. The facility is new and clean, there are fun activities and crafts everyday, and most importantly, the women who run the Wobbler Room (where the 12-18 monthers stay) are fabulous.
Unfortunately, Babykins isn't quite as thrilled. We're on day 8 of her attending without me, and she still cries and reaches out her arms to me as I leave (go ahead, let that tear out - it's a very sad sight). The teachers tell me she's crying less each day, but for some reason, she has started on a hunger strike and refuses to eat during the 4 hours she's there.
To combat this hunger strike, the blessedly patient teachers have resorted to some fabulous tricks. It started with the Pacifier Bait and Switch. First they pop out Babykins' pacifier, and when my little one opens her mouth to get it back, they quickly insert a spoonful of yogurt. As soon as it's swallowed, they reinsert the pacifier before Babykins begins to cry. This method is long and messy (Babykins usually comes home with her hair plastered to her head with yogurt), but highly effective.
I was impressed with this tactic, but they weren't done, yet. For solid foods, these saintly women have developed the Drive-By Feeding. They wait until Babykins is sitting quietly in the high chair, focused on what's happening around her, then they casually walk by and drop food on her tray in the hopes that she'll eat it if she doesn't think it came from them. This doesn't have quite the same success rate as the bate and switch, but it does drastically reduce the amount of food that goes flying across the room.
Finally, in an effort to get Babykins to drink something, Teacherkins pulled out all of the stops yesterday with the Stealthy Straw maneuver. Over the weekend, Babykins learned how to drink from a straw. I was hoping that if I sent her drink in with a straw this week, she'd drink it down just for the pleasure of practicing her new skill. I was wrong. After Babykins refused her drink multiple times, Teacherkins tried putting the straw and the pacifier in Babykins' mouth at the same time, figuring that in the course of sucking on the pacifier, Babykins would end up swallowing some juice, too. Unfortunately, Babykins quickly figured out this trick and spit out the straw, but I was still very impressed with the concept.
If there's anything I've learned this week, it's that you should never go head-to-head with a daycare teacher in any game involving strategic maneuvering.
Unfortunately, Babykins isn't quite as thrilled. We're on day 8 of her attending without me, and she still cries and reaches out her arms to me as I leave (go ahead, let that tear out - it's a very sad sight). The teachers tell me she's crying less each day, but for some reason, she has started on a hunger strike and refuses to eat during the 4 hours she's there.
To combat this hunger strike, the blessedly patient teachers have resorted to some fabulous tricks. It started with the Pacifier Bait and Switch. First they pop out Babykins' pacifier, and when my little one opens her mouth to get it back, they quickly insert a spoonful of yogurt. As soon as it's swallowed, they reinsert the pacifier before Babykins begins to cry. This method is long and messy (Babykins usually comes home with her hair plastered to her head with yogurt), but highly effective.
I was impressed with this tactic, but they weren't done, yet. For solid foods, these saintly women have developed the Drive-By Feeding. They wait until Babykins is sitting quietly in the high chair, focused on what's happening around her, then they casually walk by and drop food on her tray in the hopes that she'll eat it if she doesn't think it came from them. This doesn't have quite the same success rate as the bate and switch, but it does drastically reduce the amount of food that goes flying across the room.
Finally, in an effort to get Babykins to drink something, Teacherkins pulled out all of the stops yesterday with the Stealthy Straw maneuver. Over the weekend, Babykins learned how to drink from a straw. I was hoping that if I sent her drink in with a straw this week, she'd drink it down just for the pleasure of practicing her new skill. I was wrong. After Babykins refused her drink multiple times, Teacherkins tried putting the straw and the pacifier in Babykins' mouth at the same time, figuring that in the course of sucking on the pacifier, Babykins would end up swallowing some juice, too. Unfortunately, Babykins quickly figured out this trick and spit out the straw, but I was still very impressed with the concept.
If there's anything I've learned this week, it's that you should never go head-to-head with a daycare teacher in any game involving strategic maneuvering.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!
If you read books on genetics, the so-called "experts" will tell you that babies get one half of their genes from their mother and one half from their father. They have obviously never met Babykins, who I swear inherited approximately 90% of her genetic material from Hubbykins.
Let's start with the physical attributes. Aside from her very pale skin and blond hair (I'll admit Hubbykins had blond hair as a baby, too, but I need to claim credit for a few things!), Babykins is the spitting image of her daddy. She has beautifully curly hair, and everyone who sees the two of them together exclaims over how much she looks like Hubbykins.
The similarities don't stop there, though. The other day we were in our bedroom, and Babykins was playing on the bed. She crawled to the edge and, without looking, threw herself off the mattress, landed in a big pile of blankets, rolled down the pile, and ended on the floor on her back, arms splayed out, laughing and smiling. As I hyperventilated, Hubbykins just laughed, explaining that she'd discovered the conveniently positioned pile of blankets days before and had been pulling this daredevil maneuver ever since.
As she got up and ran off to pull all of the clothes out of her dresser, I swear I heard Babykins laugh in an Australian accent.
Oy, oy, oy!
Let's start with the physical attributes. Aside from her very pale skin and blond hair (I'll admit Hubbykins had blond hair as a baby, too, but I need to claim credit for a few things!), Babykins is the spitting image of her daddy. She has beautifully curly hair, and everyone who sees the two of them together exclaims over how much she looks like Hubbykins.
The similarities don't stop there, though. The other day we were in our bedroom, and Babykins was playing on the bed. She crawled to the edge and, without looking, threw herself off the mattress, landed in a big pile of blankets, rolled down the pile, and ended on the floor on her back, arms splayed out, laughing and smiling. As I hyperventilated, Hubbykins just laughed, explaining that she'd discovered the conveniently positioned pile of blankets days before and had been pulling this daredevil maneuver ever since.
As she got up and ran off to pull all of the clothes out of her dresser, I swear I heard Babykins laugh in an Australian accent.
Oy, oy, oy!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Happy Birthday, Babykins!
Babykins turned 1 year old on Thursday, a momentous occasion that we celebrated with presents, and cupcakes, and much video recording. It's hard to believe that it's already been a year since our baby entered the world. It feels like she's always been a part of our lives, and while I can remember lazy days of sleeping in, reading books, and driving with the top down, I can no longer imagine a life where our family only consists of two.
As always, Babykins had some surprises in store for us. After opening some presents, we took a break for dinner and cupcakes. We were completely shocked when, after sticking out her tongue and giving the vanilla icing a little lick, Babykins pushed away the cupcake. Considering the vast quantities of sugar I consume, I was expecting Babykins to gobble down her dessert. I'm not going to complain, though, about a baby without a sweet tooth.
The next day I took Babykins in for her 1 year check-up. She weighed in at 19 pounds and measured a towering 28 inches. Watching her everyday, we knew she was growing, but it's still mind blowing to think that in one year Babykins has grown 8.5 inches and gained 12 pounds!
Every day Babykins continues to grow and amaze us, whether it's discovering this morning that her magnetic balls will stick to the metal legs of our dining room chairs, or expressing her independence by pulling away when we try to hold her hand as she walks (ok, that one makes me a little sad). It's been a wonderful first year, and I thank you all for following Babykins' life story.
Happy Birthday, Babykins! Daddy and I love you :)
As always, Babykins had some surprises in store for us. After opening some presents, we took a break for dinner and cupcakes. We were completely shocked when, after sticking out her tongue and giving the vanilla icing a little lick, Babykins pushed away the cupcake. Considering the vast quantities of sugar I consume, I was expecting Babykins to gobble down her dessert. I'm not going to complain, though, about a baby without a sweet tooth.
The next day I took Babykins in for her 1 year check-up. She weighed in at 19 pounds and measured a towering 28 inches. Watching her everyday, we knew she was growing, but it's still mind blowing to think that in one year Babykins has grown 8.5 inches and gained 12 pounds!
Every day Babykins continues to grow and amaze us, whether it's discovering this morning that her magnetic balls will stick to the metal legs of our dining room chairs, or expressing her independence by pulling away when we try to hold her hand as she walks (ok, that one makes me a little sad). It's been a wonderful first year, and I thank you all for following Babykins' life story.
Happy Birthday, Babykins! Daddy and I love you :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)