33 Weeks - Stand up!

This week you perfected another great skill.  One that really cements your status as a walker.  You mastered the ability to stand up on your own, without the support of a wall or chair or anything.  You may be thinking to yourself, this doesn't sound like such a big deal, but it really is.  Before this week when you walked you started by pulling yourself up on something.  Climbing to the couch or to a chair or the wall or even using some small toy that was just a few inches up off the ground.  And when you fell you would have to crawl to another similar location to start walking again, thus making you more of a walker/crawler hybrid.  But with the ability to now stand anywhere, you can start walking immediately after falling down.  So now you are primarily a walker who occasionally crawls.  Just another sign of you growing up and not being our little girl any more.

Your mom talks about how she misses you being our little new-born from the hospital.  I probably don't miss this as much, but there are times when I see the pictures of you and I find it hard to imagine that you have already grown up that much.  And I hope that we will always be able to remember you in every phase of your life.  As our helpless little angel, as our adventurous early walker and whatever comes next.

32 Weeks - Teething, maybe?

This week was rather interesting.  Some fussiness and some crankiness that may be teething.  We are never sure.  The pediatrician, Dr. Wiseman, said when you were three months old that you were teething.  It is generally accepted that drooling is a sign of teething.  Other alleged signs include rosy cheeks, runny noses the afore mentioned crankiness.  You were exhibiting all of these signs this week.

Getting a tooth would be great for you.  Mostly because of your eating habits.  You love to eat those finger foods your mom cooks and cuts up for you.  If you got some teeth we could introduce even more finger foods for you that were not cooked and therefore even more healthy.  What those foods would be, I have no idea.  But they would be healthy and you would LOVE to eat them.

The down side of teething is that you don't want to spend a lot of time with your mom and I.  Let me explain that a bit.  You don't spend a lot of loving time with us.  You cry and whine a lot and still want to move from place to place.  You don't let us console you very much, or at all really.  You will cry and then come crying to one of us (usually your mom) and then when we pick you up and try to love and comfort you, you push us away wanting to go on to something new while still crying up a storm.  Honestly it is the WORST feeling I have felt as a parent.  The feeling of not being able to soothe, comfort and console you when you are hurt or upset is just heartbreaking.

So, here's to a better week and getting some teeth!

31 Weeks - Sleeping and Zrbrrts

This past week you worked on perfecting your walk.  Your Great Grandma Perkins (G-G) was in town so of course you had to show off for her.  We were over at Grandma and P-Pa's Friday (briefly), Saturday, Sunday and Monday! so you got to see a lot of G-G and get to know her.  G-G was actually convinced that you didn't like her at first, but you seemingly "warmed up" to her so she was quite happy by the time you left.

So what I want to talk about now are some things that happened in the last few weeks that are fairly minor.  Your sleeping habits and making you laugh.

Your sleeping - To begin with I am sad that I can no longer bounce you to sleep.  At least as easily.  You have to be REALLY tired to let that happen.  We have resorted to letting you cry yourself to sleep in your crib.  So the crying is not only sad, but the time I spend not holding you and putting you to sleep is also very sad.  But what makes up for it (not really) is how you sleep.  First, you sleep for a good long while.  Usually.  Your mom tells me that you usually sleep for a good 8 hours plus now.  It isn't always and it is usually when I am telling everyone that you are such a good sleeper that you choose not to sleep well.  But totally can and do sleep for long enough for both your mom and I to get a good night's rest.  Second, you are a bit like me in that you like to sleep by the wall/edge of the crib.  When I was younger I would ALWAYS sleep on the very edge of the bed/couch.  And I would use the outermost portion of the pillow if I used it at all.  And that is how you sleep.  Right up against the rails flat on your stomach (which by the way you used to not like at all).  Finally, the way you wake up is rather cute as well.  When your mom and I are quick enough to get to you, you are on your hands and knees squawking a bit.  Add a little more time to that and you are crawling to the corner nearest the door.  Add even a little more time and you are standing in the corner demanding to be removed.  And (to my experience) always the corner by the door.  It's like you know.  Now I have to say, you don't always wake up crying.  Sometimes you are quite sweet in either the crawling or standing position.  It is when you are happy and standing after your naps that it is the most fun to come and take you out.

Making you laugh - Your mom mentioned "I'm-gonna-get-you" with the crawling on her blog, I think.  Where she gets on all fours and pounds the ground slowly coming towards you.  You really enjoy that.  Even when Grandma Perkins plays with you.

And as you can see you really enjoy that.  Your mom also does a counting game with you that is guaranteed to get you to smile.  She simply counts to five holding up her fingers with each number and then tickles you.  She came upon that merely by accident but you love it well enough.  But what I do to you that you can't help but laugh is what Bill Cosby called "zerberts."

According to Wikipedia, zerbert is a term coined from The Cosby show in 1986 meaning the sound made when lips are pressed against skin and air is blown sounding similar to flatulence.  Pretty much every baby (and most kids) has this done to their tummy during diaper changes.  That is where I started and you squealed with glee.  I have since given you zerberts on your cheeks (laughter), neck (loud laughter) and side (some laughter).  I have even done this when you are cranky and you laughed in between cries.  Like I said, you can't help but laugh.  And your mom and I do LOVE the sound of you laughing.  You are not a very vocal child and that includes laughter.  But when we can get you to laugh, it just makes us all smile and remember why we love you.  You are just such a precious, innocent, sweet child.  Who wouldn't love that?

7 Months - Officially Walking

I have wondered when it is appropriate to say that you are walking.  I mean at what point does taking a few steps away from the couch and falling become walking?  4 steps? 5 steps?

Perhaps it isn't about the number of steps, but more about the amount of control exhibited.  This is what you did on your 7 month-iversary (like an anniversary but for months instead of years, only took me 7 of them before I made up the name) and especially on the day after your 7 month-iversary.

30 Weeks - Happy New Year!

Not a whole lot has changed since Christmas.  You keep on trying to walk, taking a few steps at a time.  We did have a little fun for the new years though.  And by we I mean your mom and I.  We stayed up late watching some movies eating pizza.  Pretty uneventful because we had a sleeping baby in the next room.

New Year's day was a bit more fun.  We dropped you off with Grandma and P-Pa so we could buy some amenities for the house - a ceiling light, some shelves for the kitchen, things like that.  Then we headed back to P-Pa's place to have the annual Root Beer Tasting.  I believe we are up to the 4th Annual iteration.  You probably know this by now, but Root Beer is pretty amazing stuff.  My Mom's Dad (Grampa Barney) used to make it for family picnics/reunions and that to me was the epitome of Root Beer.  Some store bought stuff comes close.  What makes the annual tasting fun is the variety.  P-Pa doesn't just go out and buy Barq's, Dad's A&W and Mug.  He buys Sioux City, Frosteez and other obscure brands.  He has even ordered some online for the tasting.  While main stream society has wine tasting, we have Root Beer tasting.  Not that I am a connoisseur of Root Beer, yet, but I really do enjoy the tradition and I hope that you some day enjoy it with the same enthusiasm.  Your Aunt Lyssa and Dani do not enjoy carbonation much so a tasting like this would not be so much fun.  PLEASE do not be like that.  I would have to disown you.

Kidding.

Probably.

Anyways, I am babbling a bit because there really is nothing new to report on you. You remain the light of our lives.  I don't get to spend a whole lot of time with you anymore.  I can't put you to sleep.  You don't get swaddled anymore.  You just get put into your crib whether you thin you are ready or not and if you need to you cry yourself to sleep.  It sounds terribly mean when you say it that way, but when you understand that babies cry when they are tired and don't know that they need to go to sleep it makes more sense.  So I lose that time I used to have putting you to sleep.  Plus since you have your own room you are in our room less so I don't see you in the morning as much.  And I am not driving home, I am taking the train/bus so I get home a little later.  So that takes away from my time with you as well.  But what time I do have with you, the time when you smile at me and love me, that time I cherish and love.  And I look forward to the days when you enjoy it as much as I do.  Days when you will want to cuddle and just be my precious little girl.  So I guess that is something to report.  Maybe more on that later.