chasing kira

In just 2 days, Kira has become mobile. We knew it was coming. We saw her making more and more efforts to get across the room. She was up on all fours rocking back and forth one day and was cruising around the living room the next. I had read all the baby books and knew the sequence. First, she was going to experiement with tummy time. Then, she would progress to scooting on her belly. After that, she would lift her belly off the ground and rock back and forth. After learning to balance, she would begin to crawl. I even learned that most adults crawl "wrong." Try it. Bet you used the same arm and leg together. Babies use opposites to balance bodies and gather more momentum. After the crawl, babies still have to learn to go from sitting to crawling and from crawling to sitting. The books gave all kinds of hints as to how to encourage them. They didn't tell me that some babies don't need encouraging.
I knew Kira could crawl and I knew Kira could sit. I left her sitting on her rug in the living room to get the phone in the next room. I felt something funny on my foot. It was Kira. She had rocked forward by herself and crawled right behind me.
I called for an emergency childproofing of the house. I covered all the plugs, moved all the breakables, and swept all the floors clean. Whew! Disaster averted.
So, I was prepared for the new milestone. Crawl to sit. But, she doesn't seem to need to learn that, either. She crawled right over to her toy train yesterday and folded her chubby little legs right underneath her and plopped right down to play. Makes me wonder how long it's gonna take her to learn to use those chubby little legs to walk...or will she progress right to the RUN!?!

the scoop on poop

I guess I was prepared for pretty much anything that could arise in the first few months of living with a newborn. I was warned about the sleepless nights, encouraged to try Baby Einstein videos to mesmerize a cranky kid, and educated on the ups and downs of breastfeeding. What no one mentioned, though, was the interesting effect the introduction of solid foods has on poop. Yup, we're talking diapers here...and a lot of them. Now, around here, we measure a diapers worth by the number of wipes that are needed to complete the diaper changing task. As in "that was a FIVE wipes diaper!". Let's just say that we are not in single digits anymore, folks.
I can remember her first real poop after we brought her home. She was minding her own business in her swing and we discovered her diaper had not been able to contain it. She was up to her armpits in poop. That was the day I invested in several bottles of Pre-Wash. The good stuff that gets anything out. We thought it was bad back then.
Fast forward a few months. Momma is getting tired of worrying about a baby who won't eat while she is at work (and becoming exhausted from all the "make-up" feedings on the other days). Kira has 2 teeth and is showing a growing interest in food. The pediatrician says any time after 5 months is good to start on veggies and fruits. The oatmeal is staying down, so off to the store we go. We buy peas, bananas, squash, pears, apples, and anything else that is in a small jar labeled "Beech Nut Stage One."
And Kira LOVES it! She has a new taste to try out every 3-5 days (as the food allergy experts recommend) and she gobbles each one down each day.
At first, I didn't notice the difference. Then, it happened...as the amount of food she ate increased, so did the poop. And not just normal poop, but the rainbow colored poop of dreams (or rather, nightmares!). So, why am I just now deciding to write about poop? The diaper disaster of them all. The one that makes you shudder when you think about it. The one that makes you want to CUT a baby out of her cute little onesie. I've never seen so much poop in one spot in my life...and when I say "in one spot" I use that term loosely...that poop was EVERYWHERE! I had to gingerly remove the onsie while holding the now wiggling and giggling baby with my fingertips (so as not too get too much poop on myself) and then take her directly to the bath. How in the world does poop get into her HAIR? I curse the day I only bought ONE changing table cover.
Of course, my stock of Pre-Spot does the trick, and the poop came out of her hair. Kira loved her daytime bath and was upset when it was over. And, yes, I still feed her baby food. Only now I think I'll check her diaper a little more often.

The incredible progression

No words are necessary for this entry. Kira is 6 months old as of yesterday! Where has the time gone?
I have taken her picture on her "month" birthdays every month:
Birth:

One Month:

Two Months:

Three Months:

Four Months:

Five Months:

Six Months:

I hate car seats

Kira that is. She has never really liked her car seat, and since she is rapidly growing out of her infant carrier, it was time to shop for a new one. Daddy and I loaded her up this afternoon with the researc already done with Baby Bargains and Consumer Reports. Now, the car seat has to pass the momma test. It must be durable (check), fashionable (check), affordable (check) and easy to use (check). We ended up NOT going with the most sought after car seat like momma had planned (mostly due to the oh, so cute leopard print seat cover) but going with a more basic Evenflo Triumph. After taking her in and out of car seats, we went for the ease of use over the fashion accessory. And it's much cheaper, too! Since momma is quite the internet shopper, we also found a great deal online for $10 cheaper than the store with free shipping!
I will miss our stylish and functional Peg Perego, but poor Kira has reached the top with her head and her pudgy little feet are dangling off the end! No more carrying her inside while she is sleeping...but she will be riding pretty in her new ride!

Grandma

Kira had a great visit with grandma this week! We met her at the airport so Kira could give her a great big grin as grandma came down the escalator. Momma had planned to spend the whole week relaxing while grandma took care of baby, but she found lots of projects that needed to be done instead. They were in tow the first night while I taught my childbirth class and Kira made google eyes at all the pregnant ladies.
The next day we all went to the library where momma got lots of books to read...to Kira. All those books made my head spin until I was ready to run out the door. I managed to get one book for myself...only because grandma found it for me! The rest of the books were for Kira's storytime. As if she can sit still that long. But, I try to be a good momma and read to her anyway. She loves to try and eat the books!
That night, we all went to a childbirth class reunion at OU. I was an instructor, but since Kira and grandma were again in tow, it was the perfect opportunity to brag a little! Kira was the cutest baby there. Of course.
Thursday was babysitting day. I managed to call no less than 3 times to check on her (and it may have been 4!). Kira even ate all her peas!
The last morning, we went to the zoo where Kira was able to visit with her friends the fish at the aquarium. She was so mesmerized that we now call them the "baby einstein fish." Her favorite exhibit, though, was "the children." Forget the monkeys that we traveled across the entire park for. Kira just wanted to watch the huge loads of children that continued to pour off the school buses and into the park.
Kira spent more time with grandma the last night, and was in her crib still asleep when grandma left in the morning. Probably better for everyone involved since grandma and momma find it hard to keep their emotions in check when baby K smiles her precious smile.

Peekaboo

Last night, after a long day at work, I nursed Kira to sleepy-time and layed her down in her crib for the night. Normally, this would result in her playing quietly in her crib for a few minutes before drifting off to sleep. Not last night. I came into the other room to hop on the computer for a minute or two and could hear her rustling around for quite a while. Suddenly, I got a strange feeling...like the kind you get when someone is watching you from behind. I peeked into the room and found her peeking right back at me! Little sneaky girl has figured out how to pull down the bumpers in her crib and look around her room from her newly found vantage point. Guess it's time to move the mattress down!

Daddy was right

She's almost there! Last night I put Kira down on her blanket on one end of the living room and settled in to watch a new episode of "Lost." A few minutes later, I realized that her babbling was awfully close to my feet...sure enough, she was right beside me! I put her back at the other end and watched her get up on all 4s, push up onto her tippy toes and inch across the floor. About halfway, she got tired, layed her cheek on the carpet and then pushed up to try again. This time, she furrowed her brow, raised her left eyebrow onto her forehead (just like her daddy) and deliberately hiked her leg up and forward! Woohoo! Now if she could just figure out how to lift her hand up without tipping over, we'd have a real crawl!
After so much activity and "performing" to our enthusisatic cheers last night, I fed her and put her down in her crib for the night. Not 30 minutes later, I hear a terrifying scream from the nursery...I rush to the scene, take a good head to toe look and find nothing wrong. We walk, we rock, we bounce around, but still she screams. Daddy comes rushing downstairs to investigate. We give her "the cocktail"...saline drops (with a good snot sucking to follow), baby tylenol, a dose of baby gas drops, and a good burp and a back rub. Still she screams, only now it's more of a breathless sobbing. Mommy says she has a cold, daddy says she has gas. We walk, we rock, we bounce around...and we look in the mirror. She spots herself crying and she stops momentarily before letting out a shriek and a wail. And still she screams. It is now an hour since the sobbing began. Suddenly, without warning...BUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRPPPPPPP! She looks at me, she looks at daddy...and the screaming turns into a steady cry. And again...BUUUUUUUUURRRRRRPPPPPPPP! I lay her down on the bed and begin to rub her tummy like the massage therapist suggests for gas pains. She stops crying and looks at me sadly while she tries to catch her breath. And then, Kira lifts her legs right up in the air and out comes the gas! In little bursts and accompanied by the tinyest sighs from the once sobbing baby, the toots are massaged right out with each circle I make on her tummy. Ahhhhhhh! Relief!
Like nothing ever happened, Kira rolls over and wants to play. Daddy goes back up the stairs. Mommy collapses in a tired heap. What a night. Looks like daddy was right!

Zoo babies

Today was mother's day and like all new mommas, I wanted to take my baby somewhere fun for the occasion. Never mind the 70% chance of severe storms that had been darkening my plans for the weekend...I wanted to go to the zoo! So, we packed up the umbrellas, a blanket to throw over the stroller and headed out the door. Jeremy took one look at my purple flip flops and said "you are going to wear some other shoes, right?" (I changed into my birkenstocks, remembering my last flip flop disaster.) The rain chances didn't keep the sun from coming out, though, and we had the perfect day for peering in at the animals and taking lots of pictures.
Kira loved to look around, although she was more interested in the people than the animals themselves. We spent lots of time trying to show her the elephants, rhinos, and monkeys...she wanted to check out the kids next to us. Oh, well. She looked mighty cute in her "going to the zoo" outfit. Her favorite exhibit was the aquatic center (and we have fish at OUR house!). She giggled and kicked her chubby little legs all around and watched as the fish darted about in the tanks.
The clouds stayed far to the West of us all day and Kira managed to nap enough that Jeremy and I went out to dinner (seafood, in case Kira wanted to watch the lobsters in the tank!). Home, tired, and full, the clouds are just now rolling in...
For pictures of our day, visit the slideshow at:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/share/welcome?i=EeANmThyzcOWzDCg¬ag=1&x=1&sm=1&sl=1

The flip has fallen off the flop (long)

Baby K and I decided to go for a walk today. The weather has finally perked up…the sun is out, the temperature is warm and there is a light breeze. Even better, today is garage sale day for our neighborhood! Out came the stroller and the sun hat and off we went. My neighborhood is a large historic district with very few sidewalks, but we strolled down the streets looking at all the loot. Without realizing it, I managed to get about a mile away from home. Looking at the time, I realize that I had better head back before the sun gets too strong for Kira’s delicate baby white skin. I spin the stroller around, and disaster strikes…the flip comes detached from the flop! Who knows how on earth I got so far away from home wearing flip-flops anyway. Those who know me know that I am usually prepared for just this time of disaster, but I am garage sale-ing. All I have are nickels, dimes, and quarters, a baby, a stroller, and a cell phone. I call all my friends who might be in the vicinity, but no one answers their phone. My husband simply says that there is no possible way I could have gotten a mile away from home in flip flops and that I must be exaggerating (besides, he can’t leave work just to bring me a shoe, anyway!).
I realize I am in trouble. I calmly walk (shoeless) up to the garage sale lady and eye a roll of duct tape at her feet. "How much for the duct tape?" She looks at me funny. "My flip has come detached from my flop." She laughs. I show her the shoe. "Oh, dear, how far away do you live?" I tell her. "Oh, dear…that’s far." She rigs the shoe with duct tape. Neighbors offer to drive me home, but I have a baby and a stroller. Being the safety nazi that I am, I cannot accept a ride unless they just "happen" to have a spare car seat in their car. (I, of course, did not snap the car seat in the stroller today because I wanted to show off my "big girl" and she is riding in the stroller forward facing.) The duct tape lasts for about a block. I manage to restick the tape every block for a few more blocks, gingerly lifting my right foot each time to try and keep the shoe from falling apart again. Meanwhile, my shoulders are tingling and I look over to see redness creeping into my skin. I look down at my baby’s chubby white legs. Good thing I just bought a pair of pants for 50 cents. I stick the yellow pajama pants on her under her summery coral dress. So much for showing off my baby. About 2 blocks from home, the flip gives one last hurrah and falls off the flop completely. Frustrated, hot, and tired of stopping every block for shoe repair, I toss the broken shoe with its partner into the stroller basket. A man passing by says "nice day for a walk!" I just smile. I make it home, thankful that I managed to avoid broken glass, nasty puddles or oil in the road or any stickers from the plants. I unlock that front door and my cell phone starts ringing. It’s my friends wanting to know where I am and if I still need a shoe.

Sweetly Sleeping

Sometimes I wonder how such a beautiful, innocent being came from me. But, this whole week was definitely one of the more challenging. Not that I have any reason to complain, as she is normally the angel baby that all the textbooks talk about and all the parents wish there children were. Sometimes, though, her halo gets a little crooked up top.
It's not that she turned into the devil overnight, but her normal routine has been upset by some unknown force. Everyone keeps telling me that it means some big developmental milestone is on its way...like she might just take off and run like a toddler at any minute now. But, I will have to admit that this week, in the midst of the sleepless nights and napless days, she has started to sit on her own. Yes, she can find that balance spot in the middle of that little round rear-end of hers and actually stay there for 3 minutes. A mother's pride. Three WHOLE minutes (and you thought I had better things to do than watch the timer while my baby sat in the middle of a blanket surrounded by toys that she couldn't quite reach). Not only that, but she has discovered that if she pushes that round rear-end of hers up in the air, she can actually rock back and forth on her hands and knees. Maybe she'll crawl after all.
Ah, yes, after the days of being awake nearly around the clock, she is now tucked into our bed...sweetly sleeping with her daddy at her side. And where am I? Finding some quiet time in the midst of it all.

My squirmy wormy...

Wasn't it just a few days ago that I was mentioning to my friend that Kira didn't seem to be as mobile as other babies her age...or maybe it was much longer ago than I care to remember. As I sit here typing and she tries to follow my fingers with her pudgy little hands. Slap, slap. I just love the sounds of her novice typing. With all the wiggling around in my lap, I am surprised she can even see that I am typing. And here come the toes...cute little fat feet wiggling their way up from under the keyboard until she can grab them with her hands and hoist them up over the shelf. She is quite the roly poly little ball now! If I were to put her down, she would be gone in an instant. And this is all BEFORE the crawling stage! It's just inching along, little by little until she reaches that coveted toy in the corner! Daddy and I actually had to buy an 8x10 carpet to place on top of the hard wood floor. It was just too much to watch her scooting along and banging her head into the floor to move. So now she can move on a softer surface with the benefits of TRACTION! Woohoo! Can't stop me now!