This is a Video of her first bite of food!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU_K3n1KDFY
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End of an Era
3 months ago
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I'll Take That Now
Sunday - Today was a really good day, we fed Holly rice cereal, it was very different then I expected, We made too much. First we put two scoops in a bowl, and then you can add water, juice, formula. We decided to add Formula, At first it was sticky and mushy, but then we added more formula to it and eventually it was more like a thin smooth yogurt, I am not sure what I expected but she didn't exactly eat it. She was quite uncertain of it, curious about the texture, and the taste and sorta made a face.
It got on her lips and tongue and I suppose it somehow made its way to her throat, so I guess she swallowed some, but it was like not when a big person eats food. I suppose she has to learn how to eat and swallow and use her tongue, plus she was a little curious not only the taste of this new rice stuff but also it must have felt funny in her mouth, she kept making these faces at me like mom, what is this stuff, and wasn't sure that she actually liked it, but I kept her from crying and getting too upset, she was hungry and it wasn't very filling I suppose since it wasn't like she was munching down on it. She really did like the spoon though, she wanted to chew on that, so when she put that in her mouth, and it happened to have food on it, she got some more to eat.
After a few baby bites, I gave her a big one, and that time she decided to grab the spoon, and got it all over her fingers - squishy - she made a bit of a mess, but not really, I was able to keep her fingers and face clean. Once she was done, and too fussy we gave her a bottle to fill her up.
It got on her lips and tongue and I suppose it somehow made its way to her throat, so I guess she swallowed some, but it was like not when a big person eats food. I suppose she has to learn how to eat and swallow and use her tongue, plus she was a little curious not only the taste of this new rice stuff but also it must have felt funny in her mouth, she kept making these faces at me like mom, what is this stuff, and wasn't sure that she actually liked it, but I kept her from crying and getting too upset, she was hungry and it wasn't very filling I suppose since it wasn't like she was munching down on it. She really did like the spoon though, she wanted to chew on that, so when she put that in her mouth, and it happened to have food on it, she got some more to eat.After a few baby bites, I gave her a big one, and that time she decided to grab the spoon, and got it all over her fingers - squishy - she made a bit of a mess, but not really, I was able to keep her fingers and face clean. Once she was done, and too fussy we gave her a bottle to fill her up.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
At the Mall
Holly and Daddy baked Mommy some brownie bites for breakfast this morning, Since I was up late playing with Spore, They let me sleep in until noon, and the smell of the brownies woke me. After a few of them, Daddy made me a healthy breakfast of eggs and tofu bacon. Joel and Holly had a fun morning playing, and she took a good nap. She was excited for me to wake up and happy to see me. In the afternoon we played, her new bouncy jumping game made her laugh, and was a lot of fun. We also read one of her new books. Mommy likes this one a lot, and so does Holly, so we read it three times. It was an ABC Animal Tails book, each page was a few animals with fold out pages, levers, and textures with furry tales, scaley skin scruffy scratchy wings. Holly loves to reach out and touch all of the different textures and is so intrigued when I fold open and up the different pages, the giraffe is super tall, and the Tamarinds and Zorrillas both have soft furry tales. The Quong Clam is squishy under its shell, and the Kangaroo's hop. In addition to the large animals that the book's story tells you about all the background pictures are in the same ABC letters for the page, so there is a Ladybug on a leaf near the leopards, and a dandelion and duck on the D page, so one of the times we read the story, Mommy tired to figure out what all the other animals on the page were, like the Otter swimming near the octopus, It was so much fun and Holly really liked it.
Later in the afternoon after both Holly and Joel took a nap we went into the city to visit our friends Dave & Tracey and Lucian. Before we left, Holly got a baby massage, and a change of clothes. We decided to bring her stroller rather then just the car seat so when we walked around the mall, she could sit up and look around. We were going to the Sony store to get daddy a new e-reader book, and our friends were getting a new TV. Before that we went to the Westfield mall food court for an early dinner. Holly was pleasant on the drive over, and then mommy made the mistake of trying to find street parking, we got stuck in traffic in downtown San Francisco and it took us an extra 15 minutes to loop around the block and back to the garage, she got grumpy, and we thought she was wet. So Mommy decided to change her in her car seat once we parked in the garage. To my dismay it was a poopie diaper, and before I knew it, holly had kicked her legs and got her little socks all soiled.
I had Daddy open my bag in the trunk, and changed her there. It was very cute, we had a chuck in the bag, and it was easy once she was laying flat int he trunk to clean her up and change her. I wished I had waited to check her diaper once we arrived at the mall, as the family room in the Westfield is very nice, there are 3 nursing rooms, several couches with a large screen TV and 4 changing tables with sinks, it was realizing and quiet and very nice., I got a chance to use it anyways after dinner, this time she was only wet. Holly really enjoyed walking around. She was a little over stimulated at the food court, and hungry, so she had a bottle and went to sleep for about 40 minutes. The stroller we have sits her upright but then tips all the way back like a sleeper. So she was very cosy during her nap.
Lucian is now just over 12 weeks and he is 10 lbs, and was such an adorable little butterball. He was so cute and squishy, I loved holding him, he wriggles and stretched and made cute little faces, he would peak out with one eye and make a scrunchy face then a little sideways yawn. I was waking him up to eat, so it was fun to try and rile him up. He looks so much like his daddy, I told his mom he has his daddy's core with a mommy accent on top.
After dinner we walked to the Metreon where the Sony store is, Holly enjoyed the cool air of the city night, and was entertained by the cars driving by on the busy street. She enjoyed exploring the Sony store, and all the colors from the TV's. We took her out of her stroller again, and relaxed in some easy chairs in one of the TV Display areas and she ate another bottle.
She is still having some stranger issues, she cried when David held her at the Mall, and when Tracey held her she was ok for about a minute then wanted to come back to mommy. then at the Sony store, I asked Tracey's mom who was visiting to hold her while I made a bottle and she cried then too. I feel bad, but it is so adorable, as she doesn't cry right away she makes a grumpy pouty face that is so cute then begins to whimper and then if I still don't respond she cries. Once I take her back and look into her eyes she is fine again.
She was over tired on the drive home, and began to fall asleep when I sang to her, but Joel had me stop, since she hadn't taken her evening dose of Amoxicillian, so he didn't want her to get too sleepy. We fed her when we got home, and tried to put her to bed twice. She was exhausted, but not settling. Joel walked her around the kitchen, after I sang to her when she was in the crib. Finally Joel brought her into the computer room where I was working, and told me to sing to her again. this time, not three words into her Holly song, Joel said he felt her entire body relax and she immediately drifted off to sleep, after a few verses he was sure she was out and was able to put her back into the crib.
Tomorrow I have a massage, and really need it, being back to work has been stressful and I am having headaches, so I have been looking forward to it.
Later in the afternoon after both Holly and Joel took a nap we went into the city to visit our friends Dave & Tracey and Lucian. Before we left, Holly got a baby massage, and a change of clothes. We decided to bring her stroller rather then just the car seat so when we walked around the mall, she could sit up and look around. We were going to the Sony store to get daddy a new e-reader book, and our friends were getting a new TV. Before that we went to the Westfield mall food court for an early dinner. Holly was pleasant on the drive over, and then mommy made the mistake of trying to find street parking, we got stuck in traffic in downtown San Francisco and it took us an extra 15 minutes to loop around the block and back to the garage, she got grumpy, and we thought she was wet. So Mommy decided to change her in her car seat once we parked in the garage. To my dismay it was a poopie diaper, and before I knew it, holly had kicked her legs and got her little socks all soiled.I had Daddy open my bag in the trunk, and changed her there. It was very cute, we had a chuck in the bag, and it was easy once she was laying flat int he trunk to clean her up and change her. I wished I had waited to check her diaper once we arrived at the mall, as the family room in the Westfield is very nice, there are 3 nursing rooms, several couches with a large screen TV and 4 changing tables with sinks, it was realizing and quiet and very nice., I got a chance to use it anyways after dinner, this time she was only wet. Holly really enjoyed walking around. She was a little over stimulated at the food court, and hungry, so she had a bottle and went to sleep for about 40 minutes. The stroller we have sits her upright but then tips all the way back like a sleeper. So she was very cosy during her nap.
Lucian is now just over 12 weeks and he is 10 lbs, and was such an adorable little butterball. He was so cute and squishy, I loved holding him, he wriggles and stretched and made cute little faces, he would peak out with one eye and make a scrunchy face then a little sideways yawn. I was waking him up to eat, so it was fun to try and rile him up. He looks so much like his daddy, I told his mom he has his daddy's core with a mommy accent on top.After dinner we walked to the Metreon where the Sony store is, Holly enjoyed the cool air of the city night, and was entertained by the cars driving by on the busy street. She enjoyed exploring the Sony store, and all the colors from the TV's. We took her out of her stroller again, and relaxed in some easy chairs in one of the TV Display areas and she ate another bottle.
She is still having some stranger issues, she cried when David held her at the Mall, and when Tracey held her she was ok for about a minute then wanted to come back to mommy. then at the Sony store, I asked Tracey's mom who was visiting to hold her while I made a bottle and she cried then too. I feel bad, but it is so adorable, as she doesn't cry right away she makes a grumpy pouty face that is so cute then begins to whimper and then if I still don't respond she cries. Once I take her back and look into her eyes she is fine again.
She was over tired on the drive home, and began to fall asleep when I sang to her, but Joel had me stop, since she hadn't taken her evening dose of Amoxicillian, so he didn't want her to get too sleepy. We fed her when we got home, and tried to put her to bed twice. She was exhausted, but not settling. Joel walked her around the kitchen, after I sang to her when she was in the crib. Finally Joel brought her into the computer room where I was working, and told me to sing to her again. this time, not three words into her Holly song, Joel said he felt her entire body relax and she immediately drifted off to sleep, after a few verses he was sure she was out and was able to put her back into the crib.Tomorrow I have a massage, and really need it, being back to work has been stressful and I am having headaches, so I have been looking forward to it.
Monkey Toes
This picture is of Holly's new rattle socks, they were a gift from her Oma. There is a red Monkey and Blue Elephant, she likes to chew on them.
Friday I worked from home. Holly and daddy had a fun morning, letting mommy get a little extra sleep. Daddy always does a great job of wearing her out before he leaves for work, so she is ready for a nap. Mommy simply had to feed her, sing to her, and put her in the swing and she was out. I was able to check email and catch up on some report reading. She woke up just at 12:15 time to eat and get changed before Katie and Sally were to arrive for a combined Therapy session. I had assumed that since she spent the morning with mommy, and at home that Holly would be amicable, she was happy and playing on my lap, but just like Tuesday, once I handed her over to Katie, she was crying.
Mom jumped on the floor, to work with her on her therapy, starting with practicing how to sit. She was facing Mommy who handed her toys, and Katie worked on supporting her back, thighs, and stretching back her shoulders. A few minutes later Sally arrived. When working on her sitting skills, Holly was not getting her legs/thighs down to the floor, for this reason she was pushing back. When she was a position to get seated properly, she could support herself, and several times Katie was to let go and she would right and balance herself. She let her tip to see if she would extend her arm to catch herself. A few times she did, but not consistently, so it is something we need to continue to work on. We also had her reach side to side twisting and turning.
Sally brought a vibrating pillow, and Katie brought a bolster. We used the bolster first for tummy time, to support Holly's chest so she would use her arms to reach out for toys, and hold herself up with a little extra support. Then we put the bolster on the vibrating pillow and she sat on it like a horse or a see-saw. In this position she was able to get her back in the correct posture, where she was sitting forward on her legs and weighted correctly, so she was not tilting or pushing back. She had a very strait and strong back and balanced herself very good. When Sally pressed down on the pillow below the bolster the whole thing would vibrate. I don;t know the details why, but the vibration helps with her moving in the correct way, I will ask Sally more specifically about it when I see her next week.
We also pulled out the ball, and holly stood, leaning on the ball, and then when we rotated it, she got some tummy time. She later sat directly on the vibrating pillow, and practiced some more sitting.
Then we tried some arm stretches, first we used the figure eight cloth brace. This is like a shrug, where her arms go into the two eight holes and the cross of the eight, is behind her back. Sally had it much looser then she realised so we pinned it tighter, but it dug into her arm pits rather then pulling back her shoulders and she wined when it was on, so we didn't use it very long. Next we tried the Kinesio tape, which is just like the tape they used in beach volleyball and swimming during the Olympics, we had some that was brown fleshy colored and some that was pink. We taped from the front of her shoulder around to the middle of her back, and then a few across her back. The idea is that when she reaches forward with her arms it creates some slight resistance and gives her back muscles a work out. Her back muscles are weak making it hard for her to hold up her head or push up when in prone (tummy time) and also hold herself when she tips from sitting, or even get into a sitting position. She didn't seem to mind the tape at all, and she could easily keep it on for 2 days, if it doesn't peel on its own, though in her case she gets sweaty when she sleeps, so I think it would peel the next morning.
Holly worked with her therapists for almost 90 minutes which is really good for her, often she gets tired after 45 minutes with Sally, maybe an hour with Katie, so they were both shocked so much time had passed. She had been slightly cranky the entire time, due to the mommy/stranger anxiety separation thing, but not so much that she didn't work or participate, but by this time, she was getting over tired and ready for a nap. When they left she did not want to go to sleep, I had to sing to her rock her, get her somewhat tired and then finally put her in the swing.
I had another few hours for some more work, then it was time to go to swim class. I thought we were running late, because I had to pump, and then wake and change holly, but we got there just as the doors were opening. I fed her a snack (half bottle) while we were waiting in line to pay and sign in. I was worried she might be cranky, since she had been fussy much of the day, but she was great.
At first the pool was empty, and I didn't know if it was because they started a Saturday Morning, 10:00 AM class, or because it was September, and Summer was over, but I didn't recognize anyone and there were like only 10 other babies there. But by the time the song circle began there was the regular large crowd of maybe 25 babies. Still most were faces I did not know, Sophie, Iko and Brody, who had been there every week like me before, were not there, but I did see Lili, and also Aleutia and Cole were there. So it was nice to see them again. Aleutia's friend Isis was visiting from Vermont, with her 6 year old Julia, who was great fun. She kept handing Holly a rubber ducky pool thermometer, and Holly would immediate start chewing on the duckies head. I would let her for a second then take it away and it would float off then a few minutes later Julia would give it back. It was very cute. There were a few other toddles, 18 months, 2 1/2 that were very energetic and kicking. Cole was splashing and he really likes the water.
Also my Friend Isabel and her baby Sarah were there, I met her at the mother's group. Sarah was just 3 months old, and she was as big as Holly, but she was much more sleepy, and not very active yet, but that is normal for her age. She did seem to like the water though. When we sang Old Mac Donald has a boat, Holly loved chasing and reaching for all the toys, we found her favorite big red lobster (I think there is a theme here) and she chewed on its claws. She had fun trying to touch Cole and Sarah's face, and liked holding Julia's hand. She didn't mind getting splashed, but I didn't put her under today, because she is getting over her earache. Near the end she was getting sleepy, and rubbing her eyes, she didn't mind laying back and resting on mommies shoulder and overall had fun. The water was warmer then usual, and when I brought her out her teeth were clattering and her feet looked purple, for a moment I was worried, I quickly took her bathing suit and swim diaper off (this is the first time she wore the suit at swim class, which she was complemented on) and got her under a hot shower, which seemed to help, and then once I dried her off and dressed her she was fine, and her feet were back to normal, but I was worried she might have gotten a chill, or was feverish, but she had a normal temperature when we got home.
Since she spent most of the day with Mommy, she played for a while with Daddy as Mommy did some more work. My Tivo was still acting up so I decided to call in and exchange it, I think there is a corrupt Hard-Drive, I was on hold for 55 minutes before they answered, and it was another 45 to complete the process, but I am happy it is getting exchanged / replaced, this time for free. Joel said he would build me a media server that I can watch Internet downloads on without having to transfer them to Tivo, which is why I think it keeps breaking.
Holly was up late, and playing with Mommy while daddy ate, and we decided to build a creature together in spore. She had fun watching the laptop screen, it is a very colorful game, and she was tired, so she sat on one side of my lap, laying back in the crook of my arm, and on the other side of my lap was the laptop with spore. she was content just to be held, and didn't want to engage me, but wasn't ready to be by herself in bed yet, so after her long day we let her veg out. Sadly, she fell asleep and Mommy stayed awake most of the night playing with her creature!
Friday I worked from home. Holly and daddy had a fun morning, letting mommy get a little extra sleep. Daddy always does a great job of wearing her out before he leaves for work, so she is ready for a nap. Mommy simply had to feed her, sing to her, and put her in the swing and she was out. I was able to check email and catch up on some report reading. She woke up just at 12:15 time to eat and get changed before Katie and Sally were to arrive for a combined Therapy session. I had assumed that since she spent the morning with mommy, and at home that Holly would be amicable, she was happy and playing on my lap, but just like Tuesday, once I handed her over to Katie, she was crying.
Mom jumped on the floor, to work with her on her therapy, starting with practicing how to sit. She was facing Mommy who handed her toys, and Katie worked on supporting her back, thighs, and stretching back her shoulders. A few minutes later Sally arrived. When working on her sitting skills, Holly was not getting her legs/thighs down to the floor, for this reason she was pushing back. When she was a position to get seated properly, she could support herself, and several times Katie was to let go and she would right and balance herself. She let her tip to see if she would extend her arm to catch herself. A few times she did, but not consistently, so it is something we need to continue to work on. We also had her reach side to side twisting and turning.Sally brought a vibrating pillow, and Katie brought a bolster. We used the bolster first for tummy time, to support Holly's chest so she would use her arms to reach out for toys, and hold herself up with a little extra support. Then we put the bolster on the vibrating pillow and she sat on it like a horse or a see-saw. In this position she was able to get her back in the correct posture, where she was sitting forward on her legs and weighted correctly, so she was not tilting or pushing back. She had a very strait and strong back and balanced herself very good. When Sally pressed down on the pillow below the bolster the whole thing would vibrate. I don;t know the details why, but the vibration helps with her moving in the correct way, I will ask Sally more specifically about it when I see her next week.
We also pulled out the ball, and holly stood, leaning on the ball, and then when we rotated it, she got some tummy time. She later sat directly on the vibrating pillow, and practiced some more sitting.Then we tried some arm stretches, first we used the figure eight cloth brace. This is like a shrug, where her arms go into the two eight holes and the cross of the eight, is behind her back. Sally had it much looser then she realised so we pinned it tighter, but it dug into her arm pits rather then pulling back her shoulders and she wined when it was on, so we didn't use it very long. Next we tried the Kinesio tape, which is just like the tape they used in beach volleyball and swimming during the Olympics, we had some that was brown fleshy colored and some that was pink. We taped from the front of her shoulder around to the middle of her back, and then a few across her back. The idea is that when she reaches forward with her arms it creates some slight resistance and gives her back muscles a work out. Her back muscles are weak making it hard for her to hold up her head or push up when in prone (tummy time) and also hold herself when she tips from sitting, or even get into a sitting position. She didn't seem to mind the tape at all, and she could easily keep it on for 2 days, if it doesn't peel on its own, though in her case she gets sweaty when she sleeps, so I think it would peel the next morning.
Holly worked with her therapists for almost 90 minutes which is really good for her, often she gets tired after 45 minutes with Sally, maybe an hour with Katie, so they were both shocked so much time had passed. She had been slightly cranky the entire time, due to the mommy/stranger anxiety separation thing, but not so much that she didn't work or participate, but by this time, she was getting over tired and ready for a nap. When they left she did not want to go to sleep, I had to sing to her rock her, get her somewhat tired and then finally put her in the swing.I had another few hours for some more work, then it was time to go to swim class. I thought we were running late, because I had to pump, and then wake and change holly, but we got there just as the doors were opening. I fed her a snack (half bottle) while we were waiting in line to pay and sign in. I was worried she might be cranky, since she had been fussy much of the day, but she was great.
At first the pool was empty, and I didn't know if it was because they started a Saturday Morning, 10:00 AM class, or because it was September, and Summer was over, but I didn't recognize anyone and there were like only 10 other babies there. But by the time the song circle began there was the regular large crowd of maybe 25 babies. Still most were faces I did not know, Sophie, Iko and Brody, who had been there every week like me before, were not there, but I did see Lili, and also Aleutia and Cole were there. So it was nice to see them again. Aleutia's friend Isis was visiting from Vermont, with her 6 year old Julia, who was great fun. She kept handing Holly a rubber ducky pool thermometer, and Holly would immediate start chewing on the duckies head. I would let her for a second then take it away and it would float off then a few minutes later Julia would give it back. It was very cute. There were a few other toddles, 18 months, 2 1/2 that were very energetic and kicking. Cole was splashing and he really likes the water.Also my Friend Isabel and her baby Sarah were there, I met her at the mother's group. Sarah was just 3 months old, and she was as big as Holly, but she was much more sleepy, and not very active yet, but that is normal for her age. She did seem to like the water though. When we sang Old Mac Donald has a boat, Holly loved chasing and reaching for all the toys, we found her favorite big red lobster (I think there is a theme here) and she chewed on its claws. She had fun trying to touch Cole and Sarah's face, and liked holding Julia's hand. She didn't mind getting splashed, but I didn't put her under today, because she is getting over her earache. Near the end she was getting sleepy, and rubbing her eyes, she didn't mind laying back and resting on mommies shoulder and overall had fun. The water was warmer then usual, and when I brought her out her teeth were clattering and her feet looked purple, for a moment I was worried, I quickly took her bathing suit and swim diaper off (this is the first time she wore the suit at swim class, which she was complemented on) and got her under a hot shower, which seemed to help, and then once I dried her off and dressed her she was fine, and her feet were back to normal, but I was worried she might have gotten a chill, or was feverish, but she had a normal temperature when we got home.Since she spent most of the day with Mommy, she played for a while with Daddy as Mommy did some more work. My Tivo was still acting up so I decided to call in and exchange it, I think there is a corrupt Hard-Drive, I was on hold for 55 minutes before they answered, and it was another 45 to complete the process, but I am happy it is getting exchanged / replaced, this time for free. Joel said he would build me a media server that I can watch Internet downloads on without having to transfer them to Tivo, which is why I think it keeps breaking.
Holly was up late, and playing with Mommy while daddy ate, and we decided to build a creature together in spore. She had fun watching the laptop screen, it is a very colorful game, and she was tired, so she sat on one side of my lap, laying back in the crook of my arm, and on the other side of my lap was the laptop with spore. she was content just to be held, and didn't want to engage me, but wasn't ready to be by herself in bed yet, so after her long day we let her veg out. Sadly, she fell asleep and Mommy stayed awake most of the night playing with her creature!Must Chew Things Now
Thursday was Holly's 6 month Birthday. We had a slow morning, relaxed, ate breakfast, Joel had Coffee, she got to Daycare late, after a short nap, because she woke up so early. I picked her up just at 5:29 running late from a meeting at work, but just in time. She had an explosive poopie diaper 15 minutes earlier, so my timing was perfect. Her teacher's love her, and were happy to see her when I dropped her off, worried she might be out for the day. I told them she would be out on Friday, and they were sad.
We had so much fun when we got home. She was very energetic, and I changed her from her school cloths into a cute new Blue Hawaiian dress. We played in ocean time, had some quality Naked Baby time, and a fun massage, and she practiced crawling, she does this with her face planted, and tries to push with her feet, but then I help her push up and she stays up for a few moments. She loves to lounge forward and reach for her toys.
She has two main toys that she is motivated to get. Her lobster, and a rattle that lights up and plays music when she shakes it, shaped like a triangle. She also likes to play with her prism shaped toy, it has five sides of fun, a mirror, and some flaps that spin are the two she likes the most right now, but its cool because as she gets older there are more parts she can learn to use. It also has sides that are easy for her to grab.
She has been practicing learning to sit. She had so much energy, and when Daddy got home she just wanted to play some more. It was a really fun night. I read her pop-up fish book and her color ocean book to her before bed, and by the end of the night, Daddy fed and rocked her to sleep.
We had so much fun when we got home. She was very energetic, and I changed her from her school cloths into a cute new Blue Hawaiian dress. We played in ocean time, had some quality Naked Baby time, and a fun massage, and she practiced crawling, she does this with her face planted, and tries to push with her feet, but then I help her push up and she stays up for a few moments. She loves to lounge forward and reach for her toys.
She has two main toys that she is motivated to get. Her lobster, and a rattle that lights up and plays music when she shakes it, shaped like a triangle. She also likes to play with her prism shaped toy, it has five sides of fun, a mirror, and some flaps that spin are the two she likes the most right now, but its cool because as she gets older there are more parts she can learn to use. It also has sides that are easy for her to grab.She has been practicing learning to sit. She had so much energy, and when Daddy got home she just wanted to play some more. It was a really fun night. I read her pop-up fish book and her color ocean book to her before bed, and by the end of the night, Daddy fed and rocked her to sleep.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
What...Evvver!
Holly lays on the bed next to mommy, she kicks her in the belly, and giggles.
"Those are some sharp nails you have, I need to trim those toes," mommy says.
Holly is drooling and it drips all over her fingers, she reaches out to Mommies cheek and grabs her face,
"Gently says mommy," getting a little scratch, "I just cut those little fingernails three days ago."
Holly grabs her Mommy's fingers and pulls them to her mouth,
"Ouch!" says mommy biting her lip to keep her voice down, "those teeth are sharp."
Mommy smiles at Holly,
"You're my claw scratching, sharp talon having, verocous fang biting Goblin, But I love you so much!"
Mommy picks up her little Goblin, and smothers her with Kisses@!
"Those are some sharp nails you have, I need to trim those toes," mommy says.
Holly is drooling and it drips all over her fingers, she reaches out to Mommies cheek and grabs her face,
"Gently says mommy," getting a little scratch, "I just cut those little fingernails three days ago."
Holly grabs her Mommy's fingers and pulls them to her mouth,
"Ouch!" says mommy biting her lip to keep her voice down, "those teeth are sharp."
Mommy smiles at Holly,
"You're my claw scratching, sharp talon having, verocous fang biting Goblin, But I love you so much!"
Mommy picks up her little Goblin, and smothers her with Kisses@!
Friday, September 12, 2008
6 months old
On Thursday September 11th at 1:13 AM Holly turned 6 months old! I am shocked and amazed at how much time has gone by, she is so big now, she has such a little personality, and really isn't a baby but a little person. She isn't crawling or walking, but wants to be mobile, she is just starting to sit on her own, but has sat supported for quite a while. She loves to lunge and grab things, she is thoughtful, and moves with intent, she can drink and hold her own bottle, but sometimes needs help staying focused, as she loves to chew on the nipple. She has two little teeth (fangs) and her favorite past time is chewing on things. She smiles, and Laughs, and she babbles to herself. She makes new and different sounds all the time. She likes her pacifier, but doesn't have to have it.
She chews on her fingers and toes. She doesn't like stretching her arms or bearing to much weight on them yet, but when she wants something she certainly can reach for it. She is quite proud of herself when she gets something she wants (like Daddy's Glasses) and can be verocious, when she is using those fangs. She likes to sleep on her side, and cuddles her blanket. She almost always sleeps through the night (except when she is sick) usually waking around 5-6 if she fell asleep by 8:00, but later if she was up late. She usually takes two naps during the day, and can be rested after 20 minutes, but sometimes will sleep 2-3 hours after a long day.
She can roll off of her tummy onto her back, but sees no usefulness in rolling onto her tummy yet, as that is not her favorite position. She reaches and twists and turns. She has bopped her head twice learning to sit. She has been in daycare for 2 weeks now, and loves to watch other babies, she has had her first fever, and her first earache. She knows her mommy, and smiles when she sees me. She has favorite toys, and shows preference for which she wants to chew on. She loves to read, she loves to dance and sing, she is starting to get distracted if the TV is on. She loves her bouncer, and still likes to nap in her swing. She is 14 1/2 lbs, and just over 25 inches. She is growing out of her 6-9 month onezies already, because she is long wasted. She has more cloths then any child could ever need, but always looks amazingly cute, and wears every outfit at least once.
Her ears have been pierced almost 2 months, she likes to go to swim class, and doesn't mind getting water in her face. She has learned to entertain herself, at least for a few minutes. She communicates and lets us know what she wants and is engaged. She tries to get my attention if I am busy and not focused on her. She has met 2 Great Grandmothers, 3 Grandmothers, and 1 Grandfather. She has fun playing with her PT and her OT/IDS, except when they make her work too hard, or after a long day. She loves getting baby massages, and taking baths, and has tickley spots on her chest, legs and neck. She has dark brown eyes, and red highlights in her brown hair. She loves to go on walks, and is very curious, absorbing everything. She can blow little raspberries and sticks her tongue out at mommy. She likes the little baby in the mirror. She is my little holly and she is 6 months old!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Happy Morning
Well Holly has had a rough few days. She is starting to display some more of that mommy separation anxiety. Tuesday started ff as a good day, she got to daycare on time, and I was at work early. This was especially good because Katie called to schedule a make-up appointment in the afternoon at 4:15. So I was able to pick her up, and was only a few minutes late, leaving work on time proved to be a challenge. When I came in to get her, the teacher had just finished feeding her and walked by me. I had to collect her bottles so could not take her immediately. She had the biggest smile when she saw me, but the teacher walked away and sat with her waiting for me to get ready, she immediately started to cry, like why is my mommy over there and not holding me. So I came over to get her, and she helped me collect her items. As soon as I picked her up she was happy, smiling, touching my face, pulling my hair, and cheerful. She was happy to be in the car seat, and played with her loopy toy, and we got home without incident. Then upstairs i held her for maybe 5 minutes while Katie washed her hands, and then when I handed her over, she looked over at me and gave me the Holly pouty grumpy face, and that was it, tears! I took her back and she touched my face and then laughed, Katie took her she cried. So we started to do some of her session from my lap, then I got onto the floor with her and Katie, and sat her in my lap. Katie would try and get her to do her stretches and turns, and she would look back at me, grab my skirt, then look at Katie and hesitantly reach for the toy. But if Katie got too close she would get mad, or if Katie touched her too much, like when she tried to do some leg stretches she cried. So we were able to get through about an hour, but each step was a challenge, and we had to take it very slowly with lots of mommy breaks so she knew I was still there.
After all of this she was so very tired, and fell asleep at 7:00 just minutes before Joel got home. Since she had been up since about 3:45 we decided to let her sleep, and had a good dinner and watched a new show called Fringe, but she had not taken her Antibiotics yet, so we had t wake her for a bottle at 10:00 she was rested, happy to see daddy and playful. On the other hand, mom was exhausted from being up since 7:00 am, and went to bed. making sure daddy would be ok with Holly on his own for the night. She played until around 11:30, since she had just had a 3 hour nap, and then went peacefully to bed, until 6:30 the next morning.
since mommy was so tired from the night before, Joel got up with her and after a poopie diaper change they fell asleep in the living room on his chair. mom got up, and pumped, and let them sleep until just before it was time to leave for daycare, we were actually ready to go just around 9:00, fed her her antibiotics, and dropped her off without incident. Today, she only had 1 nap from 12-2:45, it was a long one, and mom picked her up just at 5:30, running late, walking in 1 minute before they would start to charge me. We were off to a parent meeting at the other daycare, where she will start in January, it was sorta an orientation, and though it was optional, I wanted to meet some other parents and get a feel for the community there. The meeting went well, it is definitely a hippy daycare, green, healthy snacks, like carrot sticks and muffins for monthly birthday parties, but mostly we really like it, and especially the diverse and inclusive student population.
I think Holly is starting to exibit stranger anxiety, which I suppose is a good thing because it is a milestone, but I am not sure, so I will talk with Katie on Friday about it. Today at the parents meeting she was cheerful and happy playing with me and hugging me, but two other moms were trying to engage her and smile at her, and she looked at me and then them and started to cry. It only took a hug and a kiss to bring her back, but she did not want to engage. Now, perhaps it is not a good thing, and she is showing social anxiety or shyness, but she hasn't done this with other babies yet, so I'm just not quite sure how it will continue to manifest.
After the meeting we went to pick up Joel at work, and she saw some of his co-workers, and she was happy to say hello to them, but has met them before, so perhaps remembered there faces, and of course we didn't try and hand her over, I didn't want to risk it.
Joel was very possessive tonight, I think he was missing her, he wanted to feed her and play with her, and we looked at some baby pictures of him, that his mom had sent. Then it was time for hm to make dinner, and Holly was getting sleepy, since she had been awake since 2:45 it was almost 5 hours from her last nap, and around 8:00 she fell asleep. We moved her into the crib after dinner, and she stayed asleep, and is still asleep now.
The night has gotten away from me, reading email, and other blogs, and I still need to pump, so I am off to finish the night, so I am not too tired tomorrow.
After all of this she was so very tired, and fell asleep at 7:00 just minutes before Joel got home. Since she had been up since about 3:45 we decided to let her sleep, and had a good dinner and watched a new show called Fringe, but she had not taken her Antibiotics yet, so we had t wake her for a bottle at 10:00 she was rested, happy to see daddy and playful. On the other hand, mom was exhausted from being up since 7:00 am, and went to bed. making sure daddy would be ok with Holly on his own for the night. She played until around 11:30, since she had just had a 3 hour nap, and then went peacefully to bed, until 6:30 the next morning.
since mommy was so tired from the night before, Joel got up with her and after a poopie diaper change they fell asleep in the living room on his chair. mom got up, and pumped, and let them sleep until just before it was time to leave for daycare, we were actually ready to go just around 9:00, fed her her antibiotics, and dropped her off without incident. Today, she only had 1 nap from 12-2:45, it was a long one, and mom picked her up just at 5:30, running late, walking in 1 minute before they would start to charge me. We were off to a parent meeting at the other daycare, where she will start in January, it was sorta an orientation, and though it was optional, I wanted to meet some other parents and get a feel for the community there. The meeting went well, it is definitely a hippy daycare, green, healthy snacks, like carrot sticks and muffins for monthly birthday parties, but mostly we really like it, and especially the diverse and inclusive student population.I think Holly is starting to exibit stranger anxiety, which I suppose is a good thing because it is a milestone, but I am not sure, so I will talk with Katie on Friday about it. Today at the parents meeting she was cheerful and happy playing with me and hugging me, but two other moms were trying to engage her and smile at her, and she looked at me and then them and started to cry. It only took a hug and a kiss to bring her back, but she did not want to engage. Now, perhaps it is not a good thing, and she is showing social anxiety or shyness, but she hasn't done this with other babies yet, so I'm just not quite sure how it will continue to manifest.
After the meeting we went to pick up Joel at work, and she saw some of his co-workers, and she was happy to say hello to them, but has met them before, so perhaps remembered there faces, and of course we didn't try and hand her over, I didn't want to risk it.
Joel was very possessive tonight, I think he was missing her, he wanted to feed her and play with her, and we looked at some baby pictures of him, that his mom had sent. Then it was time for hm to make dinner, and Holly was getting sleepy, since she had been awake since 2:45 it was almost 5 hours from her last nap, and around 8:00 she fell asleep. We moved her into the crib after dinner, and she stayed asleep, and is still asleep now.The night has gotten away from me, reading email, and other blogs, and I still need to pump, so I am off to finish the night, so I am not too tired tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
I got my toes
Monday!
Well today I got off to a pretty late start, I think it was almost 10:30 by the time I dropped Holly off. She was having a good morning. I dropped her off to play on the bean bag, and went to make her daily bottles. her teacher seemed to be out sick today, and I thought I heard her crying/fussing in the other room, no one was going over to her. There seemed to be a sub, who went over and sorta looked at her, but didn't really pick her up or do anything. Once I finished making the bottles I went over and I picked her up. She was tired and a bit cranky. At this point one of the main teacher's from the other room came in, and she saw me and she took Holly and said, I bet she likes being rocked to sleep, and sat with her in the glider. This made me feel better. I told her about Holly's ear ache and to call me if it seemed like she was in pain and could not be comforted, as I did not give her any Motrin this morning, she had settled, and seemed fine so I left for work.
She was still asleep when I arrived to pick her up, and a different sub teacher I guess woke her and went to change her diaper to get her ready to go home with me, but didn't really know how to change the gDiaper's and was trying to pull them down, not undo the Velcro. The Velcro is in the back, so she can;t undo it herself. So I showed her how to do it and finished, and she went to change another baby.
Since Holly had just woken up and I was waiting for Joel to get off work so I could pick him up, I decided to give her her bottle there, and play a bit. They have these large cylinder cushions, and I put it in front of her, and she stood up leaning on it. Jack a little I think 14 month old came wondering over to play with us. Each week at
Daycare, there is a star of the week. This is jack's week, and his story and family pictures are posted, it was cool to read that jack has an Oma and an Opa just like Holly (German for Grandma/Grandpa) He was taller then holly, and she would look up at him, then back at me and had the biggest grin and was watching him. He would pat her hand and try to roll the cylinder that was supporting her and try and give us toys. So then Chloe the 9 month old wanted in on the action and she crawled over to join the fun. Holly was so excitable, that she could not eat more then about 2 ounces, and was having too much fun playing. Jack was sick with a runny nose and a bit of a cough, so I am hoping Holly doesn't catch something new. Eventually her immune system will fight off all these germs. Soon it was time to go and pick up daddy, and we said goodbye to all Holly's new friends.
We decided to go to Bay Street and get a new computer game called spore. Joel fed her the rest of her bottle in the car, and then we decided to eat out at Fudruckers, as we both wanted burgers. Holly seemed in good spirits, she played while we ate, and then we went to the bookstore. Holly is such a spoiled baby, we got her an ABC Animal Book, that each page has some type of interaction you can do, a pop-up ocean, underwater book, and a pull out colors sea life book, and Joel got her the story of Icarus and the end of the universe, with pictures that looked like they were from Hubble. There were like 5 more that I wanted and put back, and Joel said we could get next time.
They didn't have my game at Gamestop, so we went to best buy, Holly had fun walking around the store, and was fascinated with Guitar hero. We would play this all the time when I was pregnant, and she loved the music, and today she loved it again. I think it is a great game for little kids because they can learn there colors and hand eye coordination, so watch out, in just few years, Holly will be our little guitar here. We are thinking about getting Rock Band, and then she can learn rhythm and timing on the drums!
By the time we got home she was exhausted, and basically ate her medicine and went to bed for the night, early at around 7:45.
Katie called and we will have a make up session tomorrow which makes me very happy, I was getting worried with all the missed appointments lately.
Also, thanks for the notes about not worrying with her lack of saying Ba. and everyone is right, I will put it out of my mind, and I am sure she will say it again.. In fact, today she has been going mmmmmmm mmmmmm so maybe a new word is on our horizon..
I am grumpy tonight, as my Tivo is acting up again, and it missed recording all of my shows tonight. I took out the cable cards to try and fix it and will have to call tech support tomorrow, if i have to send this one back too, I will be really upset.
Well today I got off to a pretty late start, I think it was almost 10:30 by the time I dropped Holly off. She was having a good morning. I dropped her off to play on the bean bag, and went to make her daily bottles. her teacher seemed to be out sick today, and I thought I heard her crying/fussing in the other room, no one was going over to her. There seemed to be a sub, who went over and sorta looked at her, but didn't really pick her up or do anything. Once I finished making the bottles I went over and I picked her up. She was tired and a bit cranky. At this point one of the main teacher's from the other room came in, and she saw me and she took Holly and said, I bet she likes being rocked to sleep, and sat with her in the glider. This made me feel better. I told her about Holly's ear ache and to call me if it seemed like she was in pain and could not be comforted, as I did not give her any Motrin this morning, she had settled, and seemed fine so I left for work.
She was still asleep when I arrived to pick her up, and a different sub teacher I guess woke her and went to change her diaper to get her ready to go home with me, but didn't really know how to change the gDiaper's and was trying to pull them down, not undo the Velcro. The Velcro is in the back, so she can;t undo it herself. So I showed her how to do it and finished, and she went to change another baby.
Since Holly had just woken up and I was waiting for Joel to get off work so I could pick him up, I decided to give her her bottle there, and play a bit. They have these large cylinder cushions, and I put it in front of her, and she stood up leaning on it. Jack a little I think 14 month old came wondering over to play with us. Each week at
Daycare, there is a star of the week. This is jack's week, and his story and family pictures are posted, it was cool to read that jack has an Oma and an Opa just like Holly (German for Grandma/Grandpa) He was taller then holly, and she would look up at him, then back at me and had the biggest grin and was watching him. He would pat her hand and try to roll the cylinder that was supporting her and try and give us toys. So then Chloe the 9 month old wanted in on the action and she crawled over to join the fun. Holly was so excitable, that she could not eat more then about 2 ounces, and was having too much fun playing. Jack was sick with a runny nose and a bit of a cough, so I am hoping Holly doesn't catch something new. Eventually her immune system will fight off all these germs. Soon it was time to go and pick up daddy, and we said goodbye to all Holly's new friends.We decided to go to Bay Street and get a new computer game called spore. Joel fed her the rest of her bottle in the car, and then we decided to eat out at Fudruckers, as we both wanted burgers. Holly seemed in good spirits, she played while we ate, and then we went to the bookstore. Holly is such a spoiled baby, we got her an ABC Animal Book, that each page has some type of interaction you can do, a pop-up ocean, underwater book, and a pull out colors sea life book, and Joel got her the story of Icarus and the end of the universe, with pictures that looked like they were from Hubble. There were like 5 more that I wanted and put back, and Joel said we could get next time.
They didn't have my game at Gamestop, so we went to best buy, Holly had fun walking around the store, and was fascinated with Guitar hero. We would play this all the time when I was pregnant, and she loved the music, and today she loved it again. I think it is a great game for little kids because they can learn there colors and hand eye coordination, so watch out, in just few years, Holly will be our little guitar here. We are thinking about getting Rock Band, and then she can learn rhythm and timing on the drums!
By the time we got home she was exhausted, and basically ate her medicine and went to bed for the night, early at around 7:45.
Katie called and we will have a make up session tomorrow which makes me very happy, I was getting worried with all the missed appointments lately.
Also, thanks for the notes about not worrying with her lack of saying Ba. and everyone is right, I will put it out of my mind, and I am sure she will say it again.. In fact, today she has been going mmmmmmm mmmmmm so maybe a new word is on our horizon..
I am grumpy tonight, as my Tivo is acting up again, and it missed recording all of my shows tonight. I took out the cable cards to try and fix it and will have to call tech support tomorrow, if i have to send this one back too, I will be really upset.
That's My Tounge
Someone also wondered where I got Holly's Chewy Tube. I in fact got it from Katie, her OT, however there is a story behind them. One day Joel was walking to lunch, a few blocks from our house, near his work, and walked by this big warehouse he had never noticed before, filled with toys. On the door in small letter's was the word's beyond play. We had never heard of them before, but promptly looked them up on the Internet. They are amazing: http://www.beyondplay.com/They have so many Early Intervention products, toys, games, and tools for Special needs children, everything looked like so much fun. The Chewy tubes I found under oral Motor, and on page 3 of that section you can purchase them in Bulk (tho they are not inexpensive) it was fun to look at a lot of the squishy balls, and fine motor skill toys, they were things I had on my office at work to relieve stress, and in general it was cool to get lots of ideas of things we could do with holly, not even spending Money on all the toys, or sometimes finding something similar for less, like a Giant Koosh Ball at Walgreen's, for 5$ and its good for sensory integration! We did order the language builder cards from here, simply because we like flashcards and wanted a complete set. I ordered a bunch of catalogs and gave them to all of Holly's Therapists, and what was cool is that her PT Sally had heard of them before, and said that there is a local advisory board of child specialists that vet all the products, so you know that they are useful and recommended by professionals. Hope you enjoy.
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