Well, today I am the mommy of a toddler. She went from those few deliberate steps to taking many steps between things and even purposefully walking to get to something she wanted.
While we were out today at Hallmark, she wanted to be put down again. Once I did, she started pulling me around the store to look at stuff. Eventually, I didn't want to let her near a display so she pulled her hand out of mine and just walked over to it. She had taken a few steps earlier that morning, but this was impressive.
Once Chrys got home, it was apparently time to really show off the new 'skillz'. She decided to walk almost everywhere - around the kitchen, the living room, between rooms. I guess if I'm going to get some video or pix of her crab lady crawl I better get her on a hard surface tomorrow.
She's very close to having another tooth. I think her left front top tooth is about to break through. She's gnawing on anything she can get her hands on, including the foot rail to our bed (which now has LOTS of little baby teeth marks on it). I think this is also the cause for her snifflies. Poor baby! I just hope it clears before we get on the plane.
I need to go get some simply stuffy tomorrow and see if that will help her nose so she can get some better rest. The past couple of nights she's woken only because she can't breathe. After almost a week of sleeping 7:30p to 6:00a, this was quite a blow.
She went through a period of chewing on her blanket while she went to sleep. While not all that bad, she liked to get her bottom teeth hooked in the weave and tug. I don't want her to hurt her blankets from Grandma so I try to distract her with her teether bunny. The ears seem to make an acceptable alternative.
Also, she doesn't seem to like the feel of grass on her legs. We were at Kity's a few weeks ago and Kity kept putting her down in the grass. She would sit with one leg up in the air or try to balance on Kity's legs (which since she's about half the size of Kity is impressive). She wanted to play in it, though, so not wanting to sit in it while she played presented something of a challenge. She even holds her feet funny when we let her walk in it. Such an odd child.
Only a few more days until I head out of town with R on my own. I'm still semi-worried about how this is going to go. Lucky(?) for me, she's still very mommy-centric so we won't have too much separation anxiety to deal with. I think R will be fine (other than deciding to walk RIGHT before we get on a plane...ugh!), but I have no idea how I'll do. Between wanting to walk, teething and stuffy noses, this could be quite a miserable experience. I'm hoping for the best, though.
Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers
Monday, August 30, 2004
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Not quite a duck
R has started getting very excited seeing birds in the street or parking lot. She calls them all ducks. I correct her to birds - not having any clue beyond that what most of them are. Nevertheless, the duck label perseveres.
Chrys noticed this morning that it seems most things she likes start with a 'd' sound - duck, down or done (can't differentiate yet), 'dat' (which is either cat or what), dada, dog. It makes it very difficult right now to understand what she's talking about, unless it's nini. I realize that it's very early, but we're so close to communication, I think I'm starting to feel some of her frustration because she wants to tell us what's going on and we have to guess through the list to figure it out.
I was also reflecting today on how her nap structure has evolved. For her early months - until 6 to 7, I think - she lived on 4-6 30 minute naps spread througout the day. While it meant we didn't get much time to ourselves during the day, it was what worked best for her. Slowly, her naps got a bit longer; she started sleeping better at night; and lo and behold, she's down to 2 (sometimes 3) naps a day. Even better, they're pretty scheduled. She takes one around 10a and one around 2p. Those may adjust if she wakes before or after 8a, but that's pretty rare.
Chrys noticed this morning that it seems most things she likes start with a 'd' sound - duck, down or done (can't differentiate yet), 'dat' (which is either cat or what), dada, dog. It makes it very difficult right now to understand what she's talking about, unless it's nini. I realize that it's very early, but we're so close to communication, I think I'm starting to feel some of her frustration because she wants to tell us what's going on and we have to guess through the list to figure it out.
I was also reflecting today on how her nap structure has evolved. For her early months - until 6 to 7, I think - she lived on 4-6 30 minute naps spread througout the day. While it meant we didn't get much time to ourselves during the day, it was what worked best for her. Slowly, her naps got a bit longer; she started sleeping better at night; and lo and behold, she's down to 2 (sometimes 3) naps a day. Even better, they're pretty scheduled. She takes one around 10a and one around 2p. Those may adjust if she wakes before or after 8a, but that's pretty rare.
Friday, August 27, 2004
Yash
Today Ryanne was trying to get into a pile of papers on the end table and I told her "no". She looked at me and said "yash" and went back to doing it. Eventually she stopped, but GOSH, I had no idea this would start this soon. I just got my first book about dealing with toddler behavior in the mail, though. I guess I better start reading.
Right now, she's playing catch with one of the cats on the stairs. I throw the ball up the stairs, Spot bats it back down, Ryanne gets it from behind the gate and hands it to me - Repeat! I think all 3 of us are having fun. Ryanne is also learning about how to pick up the big object through the gate bars and not get her hand stuck. She's also realizing that the gate is sturdy enough that she can pull herself up and not have to balance on the step to avoid falling so she just ends up hanging there - Monkey!
Earlier, she was playing fetch with herself. She'd get a ball, roll it across the floor, crawl to catch it and roll it again. It's so funny watching her entertain herself. She already comes up with little games - amazing to watch the creativity develop.
Well, she just moved on to eating bits of carpet off the scratching post again. Off I go to stop that. :)
Right now, she's playing catch with one of the cats on the stairs. I throw the ball up the stairs, Spot bats it back down, Ryanne gets it from behind the gate and hands it to me - Repeat! I think all 3 of us are having fun. Ryanne is also learning about how to pick up the big object through the gate bars and not get her hand stuck. She's also realizing that the gate is sturdy enough that she can pull herself up and not have to balance on the step to avoid falling so she just ends up hanging there - Monkey!
Earlier, she was playing fetch with herself. She'd get a ball, roll it across the floor, crawl to catch it and roll it again. It's so funny watching her entertain herself. She already comes up with little games - amazing to watch the creativity develop.
Well, she just moved on to eating bits of carpet off the scratching post again. Off I go to stop that. :)
Steps
Ryanne has taken about a dozen very deliberate steps this morning. She gets someplace with a toy, stands up, takes a few steps and then sits back down. I think her self-confidence is finally on the rise. I sort of hoped that Gymboree would really encourage her to walk, seeing all the other kiddies walking. I have no idea if that's it or if she's just finally ready, but every day we're a little closer.
In fact, the other day at the mall, she didn't want to be carried or put in the stroller. She would go ballistic until I put her on the ground and held ONE hand and let her walk. She refuses that other hand and really doesn't need it unless she's tired, which she was. I kept having to pull her back up with the one hand so it made the walking rather awkward. Couple that with the fact that she wanted to walk most of the length of the mall and it was a tiring trip. Too bad she didn't think so.
Poor little girl woke up all sneezy, sniffly and snorty this morning, too. I don't know if she's got another cold or if it's more teeth. She's had cold symptoms before all of her other teeth, but usually Chrys or I (or both - ugh!) show some symptoms, too. I hope that's not the case this time. Chrys has been really tired, but I hope he's not getting sick.
In fact, the other day at the mall, she didn't want to be carried or put in the stroller. She would go ballistic until I put her on the ground and held ONE hand and let her walk. She refuses that other hand and really doesn't need it unless she's tired, which she was. I kept having to pull her back up with the one hand so it made the walking rather awkward. Couple that with the fact that she wanted to walk most of the length of the mall and it was a tiring trip. Too bad she didn't think so.
Poor little girl woke up all sneezy, sniffly and snorty this morning, too. I don't know if she's got another cold or if it's more teeth. She's had cold symptoms before all of her other teeth, but usually Chrys or I (or both - ugh!) show some symptoms, too. I hope that's not the case this time. Chrys has been really tired, but I hope he's not getting sick.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Yuck
Last night, Chrys went to give R a bath and she saw the rubber ducky on the window sill. She yelled "yuck" and then started calling it a "du". Oh well, I guess we take what we can get.
Right now, she gets very excited over seeing dogs. She correctly identified the bulldog statue at Benny's Bagels this morning. She also saw the dog on Homeward Bound at Sears today and kept saying "daw" whenever it came on the screen. The link in the title goes to her new Sears pix.
The language explosion is truly remarkable. As Chrys said, "Now we just need to work on enunciation."
Oh...and we had a first today that goes along nicely with the new word. She decided that the bathtub would be an excellent place to forget she wasn't wearing a diaper. Why she can't do this when daddy bathes her, I don't know. All mommy could say, though, was "YUCK." ;)
Right now, she gets very excited over seeing dogs. She correctly identified the bulldog statue at Benny's Bagels this morning. She also saw the dog on Homeward Bound at Sears today and kept saying "daw" whenever it came on the screen. The link in the title goes to her new Sears pix.
The language explosion is truly remarkable. As Chrys said, "Now we just need to work on enunciation."
Oh...and we had a first today that goes along nicely with the new word. She decided that the bathtub would be an excellent place to forget she wasn't wearing a diaper. Why she can't do this when daddy bathes her, I don't know. All mommy could say, though, was "YUCK." ;)
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Ni Ni
Well, I'm convinced that Ryanne knows what "ni ni" means. Yesterday afternoon she was getting really whiny. After a few minutes of me trying to calm her, she looked at me and said, "ni ni." I took her upstairs and she was down for a nap within 10 minutes. It's SO cool having her begin to communicate.
Last night, we worked on going to sleep. She actually crawled off my lap and went to her books while I was trying to get her to nurse. We looked at a book for a few minutes and she nursed later. We've tried reading to her since that's the recommended thing to do, but usually she doesn't have the patience for it and wants nothing to do with the books. It was very cool to know that, even though we haven't followed through completely, she still knows they're there and wants to look at them on her own.
She also has put herself to sleep the past two nights. On Sunday, Chrys had to talk to his parents so he let her cry for a few minutes and eventually noticed she had stopped. Upon checking on her, she was asleep and he realized she had only cried for about 15 minutes. Now, we've never been big fans of "Cry It Out," but I want her to learn to put herself to sleep. The fact that we kind of stumbled across it is interesting. Last night, we put her in her crib and I think she was quiet within about 10 minutes. I looked in on her and she was awake, just stretched out in her crib staring at the wall and blinking kind of slow. I ran out of the room and wasn't caught. When I went back later, she was out. I guess we'll try it for a few more days and see how she does. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of her learning to put herself to sleep more reliably. Now, I just have to hope that travelling doesn't break it too much.
Speaking of travelling, I booked tickets to go to the Boston area for Labor Day. This is just Ryanne and me. I'm terrified. I wonder how I'll get a shower, whether she'll be able to sleep next to me in the bed, how I'll get through the airport, whether she'll be a wreck when we get back - AUGH! Oh well, I guess I just have to hope for the best. I'm sure I can do this...I've been alone with her before, but she was a month old. Man...what was I thinking? I guess Chrys and I were just discussing how she hasn't slowed us down so we'll just have to put that to yet another test.
I have to comment on how independent R is. There was a poll on my mom's board about kids playing by themselves. R has always done pretty well playing alone. She used to sit in her swing or bouncy for 10-20 minutes as a tiny babe and just be content rocking and bouncing. Now, she crawls around and plays with stuff in the house for what seems like forever. I guess she periodically comes to check on me, but it's not very often. I guess she just knows I'm there and doesn't worry about it. She expects me to respond to sneezes and stuff, but not much else, it seems. I don't think we did anything to promote this. We've just always put her down to play frequently and she's been happy. At the same time, she spent a great deal of time being held those early months because she didn't like being put down and we were ok with that, too. Maybe we're lucky and she's just a good kid. Maybe we unknowingly did something to promote it. Either way, I think she's turning out ok.
Last night, we worked on going to sleep. She actually crawled off my lap and went to her books while I was trying to get her to nurse. We looked at a book for a few minutes and she nursed later. We've tried reading to her since that's the recommended thing to do, but usually she doesn't have the patience for it and wants nothing to do with the books. It was very cool to know that, even though we haven't followed through completely, she still knows they're there and wants to look at them on her own.
She also has put herself to sleep the past two nights. On Sunday, Chrys had to talk to his parents so he let her cry for a few minutes and eventually noticed she had stopped. Upon checking on her, she was asleep and he realized she had only cried for about 15 minutes. Now, we've never been big fans of "Cry It Out," but I want her to learn to put herself to sleep. The fact that we kind of stumbled across it is interesting. Last night, we put her in her crib and I think she was quiet within about 10 minutes. I looked in on her and she was awake, just stretched out in her crib staring at the wall and blinking kind of slow. I ran out of the room and wasn't caught. When I went back later, she was out. I guess we'll try it for a few more days and see how she does. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of her learning to put herself to sleep more reliably. Now, I just have to hope that travelling doesn't break it too much.
Speaking of travelling, I booked tickets to go to the Boston area for Labor Day. This is just Ryanne and me. I'm terrified. I wonder how I'll get a shower, whether she'll be able to sleep next to me in the bed, how I'll get through the airport, whether she'll be a wreck when we get back - AUGH! Oh well, I guess I just have to hope for the best. I'm sure I can do this...I've been alone with her before, but she was a month old. Man...what was I thinking? I guess Chrys and I were just discussing how she hasn't slowed us down so we'll just have to put that to yet another test.
I have to comment on how independent R is. There was a poll on my mom's board about kids playing by themselves. R has always done pretty well playing alone. She used to sit in her swing or bouncy for 10-20 minutes as a tiny babe and just be content rocking and bouncing. Now, she crawls around and plays with stuff in the house for what seems like forever. I guess she periodically comes to check on me, but it's not very often. I guess she just knows I'm there and doesn't worry about it. She expects me to respond to sneezes and stuff, but not much else, it seems. I don't think we did anything to promote this. We've just always put her down to play frequently and she's been happy. At the same time, she spent a great deal of time being held those early months because she didn't like being put down and we were ok with that, too. Maybe we're lucky and she's just a good kid. Maybe we unknowingly did something to promote it. Either way, I think she's turning out ok.
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Nicknames
There was a poll on the board I frequent the other day about nicknames for your child. Chrys and I have been trying to figure out all of the little names we have for Ryanne. Here's our list so far:
R, RC, Rye, RyRy, Sleeper, Bitey, Fang, Little one, Banshee, Parasite, Pumpkin, Baby, Stinky, Stinkerbelle, Tinkerbelle, Whiny baby, Angel, Poopy baby, Stinky baby
I'm sure there are others, but that's what we've come up with.
Aunt Lisa is visiting us this weekend. Last night, she stayed with R while Chrys and I went to see Bourne Supremacy. That was SO nice. We got bad seats, but we were together, alone and watching a real movie. It rocked! As much as I love R is was just wonderful to have a night out with my hubby.
Lis said that when she tried to put R to sleep last night, R was just screaming "Na na, da da." Every night, we tell her something like, "Dada's going to go put you night, night." I have no idea if she's actually made the connection, but it seems almost too coincidental.
R has also decided that cruising is the way to go. She crawls to stuff to stand up and use it to walk. Getting closer to a walker every day, I think.
Lis also pointed out this morning that R seems to be asking 'dat'? It sounds a lot like 'dog', which she knows, so I kept telling her that there wasn't a dog. Lis pointed out that she seemed to say it when she found something weird so maybe it was, "What's that?" She seems to appreciate that much more.
Lastly, yesterday we went to Dave & Buster's. They have a claw game with this HUGE claw and big stuffed animals. Chrys and I worked together and R went home with a stuffed dog the size she is. It's SO cool and I was pretty proud of myself for moving the claw and Chrys for giving directions.
R, RC, Rye, RyRy, Sleeper, Bitey, Fang, Little one, Banshee, Parasite, Pumpkin, Baby, Stinky, Stinkerbelle, Tinkerbelle, Whiny baby, Angel, Poopy baby, Stinky baby
I'm sure there are others, but that's what we've come up with.
Aunt Lisa is visiting us this weekend. Last night, she stayed with R while Chrys and I went to see Bourne Supremacy. That was SO nice. We got bad seats, but we were together, alone and watching a real movie. It rocked! As much as I love R is was just wonderful to have a night out with my hubby.
Lis said that when she tried to put R to sleep last night, R was just screaming "Na na, da da." Every night, we tell her something like, "Dada's going to go put you night, night." I have no idea if she's actually made the connection, but it seems almost too coincidental.
R has also decided that cruising is the way to go. She crawls to stuff to stand up and use it to walk. Getting closer to a walker every day, I think.
Lis also pointed out this morning that R seems to be asking 'dat'? It sounds a lot like 'dog', which she knows, so I kept telling her that there wasn't a dog. Lis pointed out that she seemed to say it when she found something weird so maybe it was, "What's that?" She seems to appreciate that much more.
Lastly, yesterday we went to Dave & Buster's. They have a claw game with this HUGE claw and big stuffed animals. Chrys and I worked together and R went home with a stuffed dog the size she is. It's SO cool and I was pretty proud of myself for moving the claw and Chrys for giving directions.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Sit & Spin
I think I know where they came up with the idea for the Sit & Spin. Lately, when R gets on the tile floor, she just sits there and moves her feet to turn herself around in circles while keeping her tush stationary. It's pretty funny to watch and seems to wear her out a bit.
"Cat" is becoming much clearer. She was saying it as I woke up this morning and the 'c' and 't' were becoming much more defined as she repeated it. Such cool stuff. That reminds me, I need to call the people at UT back. They invited us to participate in some speech research for 9m to 5y. No money or anything, but I thought it might be a neat learning experience for both of us.
Speaking of the cats...I think she tried to meow today. Spot was walking through the kitchen talking and suddenly R let out a 'm' with some noise after it that almost sounded like Spot. I guess she's going to grow up knowing what a meow sounds like as opposed to just saying Me-Ow. (On a side note about the cats, Chrys found out that we get to take them all to Japan! HOORAY!!)
She also decided yesterday that it wasn't a big deal to take steps from the coffee table to the ottoman. It's 3-4 steps depending on how big she makes them. I'm sure other objects will soon be close enough to just not worry about. YIKES!
"Cat" is becoming much clearer. She was saying it as I woke up this morning and the 'c' and 't' were becoming much more defined as she repeated it. Such cool stuff. That reminds me, I need to call the people at UT back. They invited us to participate in some speech research for 9m to 5y. No money or anything, but I thought it might be a neat learning experience for both of us.
Speaking of the cats...I think she tried to meow today. Spot was walking through the kitchen talking and suddenly R let out a 'm' with some noise after it that almost sounded like Spot. I guess she's going to grow up knowing what a meow sounds like as opposed to just saying Me-Ow. (On a side note about the cats, Chrys found out that we get to take them all to Japan! HOORAY!!)
She also decided yesterday that it wasn't a big deal to take steps from the coffee table to the ottoman. It's 3-4 steps depending on how big she makes them. I'm sure other objects will soon be close enough to just not worry about. YIKES!
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Duck!
I have read that language development skyrockets around 9 months, but whoa! R has been saying cat pretty well ('ca' or 'dat') and has recently been working on fan, but the f is hard for her (sounds a lot like 'da', but she says it very deliberately and points at the ceiling fans). Tonight, she's working on duck. She was looking at the duckies on the feet of her pajamas and saying 'du' so I went and got the duckie she got at McDonald's today and she carried it around saying 'du'. Chrys said she was working on bear while he got her into her PJs, too. Pretty amazing stuff...
We went to QuarterNotes today. It's Gymboree's music class. R seemed to have a good time. I think she was hungry, though, since she napped up until about an hour before class and we were lucky to get there in time, much less eat - hence, McDonald's today. We danced and sang and clapped and played instruments (shakers and drums) and bounced a ball. Aside from being in post-nap stupor and then hungry, it went wonderfully and I think we'll try to go back.
She's been an eating fiend today. After the bean explosions - there have been multiple - I'm pretty happy to see her refilling. She ate 3 of the 4 nuggets in her meal, some fries and some juice. That's on top of her Cheerios (that I had to refill) and dried bananas for breakfast. Then, she topped it off with a decent amount of stroganoff for dinner. It's always good when she eats well. It makes me worry less about having her on table foods.
I also finally got video of her crawling tonight. She has such an odd crawl. I'll have to get it uploaded somewhere so I can post a link.
We went to QuarterNotes today. It's Gymboree's music class. R seemed to have a good time. I think she was hungry, though, since she napped up until about an hour before class and we were lucky to get there in time, much less eat - hence, McDonald's today. We danced and sang and clapped and played instruments (shakers and drums) and bounced a ball. Aside from being in post-nap stupor and then hungry, it went wonderfully and I think we'll try to go back.
She's been an eating fiend today. After the bean explosions - there have been multiple - I'm pretty happy to see her refilling. She ate 3 of the 4 nuggets in her meal, some fries and some juice. That's on top of her Cheerios (that I had to refill) and dried bananas for breakfast. Then, she topped it off with a decent amount of stroganoff for dinner. It's always good when she eats well. It makes me worry less about having her on table foods.
I also finally got video of her crawling tonight. She has such an odd crawl. I'll have to get it uploaded somewhere so I can post a link.
Nooooo
Ryanne has discovered that she can shake her head "no". She loves to do this. It has no meaning, but she laughs lots when I say, "No?" Then she laughs more when I nod my head in response and say, "Yes!" I tell you, every step gets a little more fun as she develops more of her own personality.
We've been trying to teach her the signs for more and done so that we could understand the cries at mealtime. She may be starting to sign done. She puts her hands up by her shoulders and waves when I start taking the tray away. That or she claps...I guess the meal must have been good! :) I guess it makes sense that she claps since I clap when she does something good and if she's done, my getting the tray out of the way would be good.
Chrys was playing with her last night. For lack of a better name to call it, it was fetch. He would roll the ball across the floor and she would chase it and then he'd say, "Bring the ball to dada," and she'd grab it and crawl back over to him (most of the time). Sometimes she'd get this devilish little grin on her face and crawl away. When he'd roll it without her noticing, he could say, "Where's the ball?" and she'd start looking around until she laid eyes on it. It amazes me the words she's starting to understand, even if she can't find the way to say them all.
Another thing we observed on Thursday night after our dinner at Cheesecake Factory was that she may talk in her sleep. She was sitting in the car seat as we drove home, and we thought she was sleeping. It sounded sort of like she was carrying on a little conversation, though. She would babble and change the tones of her voice and everything. Very interesting and I almost hope she does it again just so I know I'm not imagining things.
She was up every 2 hours or so last night. We aren't really sure why, but there were lots of yesterdays lunch time beans in her diaper this morning so I almost suspect it was some severe gas. I think she ate most of Chrys' portion of black beans at the Mexican restaurant. Stomach the size of her fist - HA!
Lastly, the cats apparently don't hate her as much as they thought. I just got some quick videos of her playing with one of their toys. They were FASCINATED by her and came very close to her. She had bunches of fun!
We've been trying to teach her the signs for more and done so that we could understand the cries at mealtime. She may be starting to sign done. She puts her hands up by her shoulders and waves when I start taking the tray away. That or she claps...I guess the meal must have been good! :) I guess it makes sense that she claps since I clap when she does something good and if she's done, my getting the tray out of the way would be good.
Chrys was playing with her last night. For lack of a better name to call it, it was fetch. He would roll the ball across the floor and she would chase it and then he'd say, "Bring the ball to dada," and she'd grab it and crawl back over to him (most of the time). Sometimes she'd get this devilish little grin on her face and crawl away. When he'd roll it without her noticing, he could say, "Where's the ball?" and she'd start looking around until she laid eyes on it. It amazes me the words she's starting to understand, even if she can't find the way to say them all.
Another thing we observed on Thursday night after our dinner at Cheesecake Factory was that she may talk in her sleep. She was sitting in the car seat as we drove home, and we thought she was sleeping. It sounded sort of like she was carrying on a little conversation, though. She would babble and change the tones of her voice and everything. Very interesting and I almost hope she does it again just so I know I'm not imagining things.
She was up every 2 hours or so last night. We aren't really sure why, but there were lots of yesterdays lunch time beans in her diaper this morning so I almost suspect it was some severe gas. I think she ate most of Chrys' portion of black beans at the Mexican restaurant. Stomach the size of her fist - HA!
Lastly, the cats apparently don't hate her as much as they thought. I just got some quick videos of her playing with one of their toys. They were FASCINATED by her and came very close to her. She had bunches of fun!
Monday, August 16, 2004
Sleep crawling
Well, it appears that part of our sleep issues are related to the fact that R crawls in her sleep. It seems that she crawls herself up the bed and, when she gets to the top and can't go any further, she wakes up and starts crying. At the recommendation of some of my friends, we've started putting her to sleep at the top of her bed and I have some temporary padding up there to keep her from bonking her noggin on the slats. I guess I need to put her bumpers back in. We pulled them out when she started rolling, but still wasn't quite strong enough to get out of a tangle. At this point, I'm certain that if she got up against them and had problems breathing, she could move so I guess I'll put them back to protect her head and see if we get any more sleep. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she's doing this - Chrys was a sleep walker. I guess I'll have to keep an eye out and see how far it progresses.
She, at least, seems to be back to sleeping on and off for about 12 hours a night. She wakes at least once, around 6am to get fed. Other than that, everything seems variable and we're struggling to find the patterns and find solutions. Gas seems to be a big issue and Mylicon is a saving grace there. Part of it seems to be temperature related so we leave her fan on and cover her. I think she has my temperature sensitivities where I need lots of covers and layers and a cold room. Anything else is a mystery and maybe just bad habit.
Tomorrow we'll go to the music class at Gymboree. She loves music and dancing so hopefully this will be a good time.
She, at least, seems to be back to sleeping on and off for about 12 hours a night. She wakes at least once, around 6am to get fed. Other than that, everything seems variable and we're struggling to find the patterns and find solutions. Gas seems to be a big issue and Mylicon is a saving grace there. Part of it seems to be temperature related so we leave her fan on and cover her. I think she has my temperature sensitivities where I need lots of covers and layers and a cold room. Anything else is a mystery and maybe just bad habit.
Tomorrow we'll go to the music class at Gymboree. She loves music and dancing so hopefully this will be a good time.
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Applause
We went to Gymboree with Chrys today. He had fun playing with Ryanne and, as usual, she's now down for a marathon after play nap. For this, I will happily pay $10-$15 a week.
Last night R clapped for the first time that I've seen. She was sitting in Kity's lap and put her hands together, but no fists. There's still no noise when she claps, but she finally has the right motions. She was clapping more today at Gymboree - they do a lot of clapping with the songs. It's so cool and she gets so excited doing it.
I'm going to try to make her Halloween costume this year. I found a pattern for a Cinderella dress. I'm hoping it will be double duty and she can wear it to a wedding in March. Our friends are getting married and their theme is Disney. Chrys and I are in the wedding. The wedding colors are blue so I figured making her Cinderella will be perfect since she's the one in blue. That way, if she gets clingy and needs to be with me in the wedding (which the bride and groom have no problem with) she'll look like she fits in. I haven't done any real sewing in about 20 years, since I used to make clothes for my Cabbage Patch dolls with my grandmother in the summer.
She's also starting to take more little baby steps when she's not holding on to anything. The confidence isn't quite there, but it's growing quickly. Most days she won't let us hold more than one hand as she toddles around.
Last night R clapped for the first time that I've seen. She was sitting in Kity's lap and put her hands together, but no fists. There's still no noise when she claps, but she finally has the right motions. She was clapping more today at Gymboree - they do a lot of clapping with the songs. It's so cool and she gets so excited doing it.
I'm going to try to make her Halloween costume this year. I found a pattern for a Cinderella dress. I'm hoping it will be double duty and she can wear it to a wedding in March. Our friends are getting married and their theme is Disney. Chrys and I are in the wedding. The wedding colors are blue so I figured making her Cinderella will be perfect since she's the one in blue. That way, if she gets clingy and needs to be with me in the wedding (which the bride and groom have no problem with) she'll look like she fits in. I haven't done any real sewing in about 20 years, since I used to make clothes for my Cabbage Patch dolls with my grandmother in the summer.
She's also starting to take more little baby steps when she's not holding on to anything. The confidence isn't quite there, but it's growing quickly. Most days she won't let us hold more than one hand as she toddles around.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Peek a boo!
RC has started initiating games of peek-a-boo. I guess this is a great thing about dresses! She'll lift her dress up over her face and then pull it down and grin. That's the cue to say, "Where's Ryanne?" next time she does it. Then she pulls it down as fast as she can and just laughs. It's SO funny to see.
She's had a peaceful day today. We stayed home because Chrys took the car so he could go to the dentist. She's played mostly by herself all day. Periodically, she wanders over to check on me and get a hug, then it's back to her toys. She's explored and crawled all over the living room and kitchen. I think this was good for us.
Other good news - I think I'm safe saying that she doesn't seem to have inherited the lactose intolerance that plagues both our families. Chrys had it as a child and my dad and uncle were both hit with it pretty hard later in life. She seems ok right now so we just have to hope it doesn't get her later. On a related note, she seems to love yogurt! :)
She also loves her sling. I wore her at Target yesterday and she ended up falling asleep in it as we walked around. It was great to pull it up over her head to support her and just keep on shopping. I wasn't exhausted from carrying around a baby on one arm when we left, either. So far, so good!
Well, back to my monkey child. She climbs on everything and right now, she's trying to figure out how to get on top of the ottoman. Plenty of boxes around so it's time for distraction.
She's had a peaceful day today. We stayed home because Chrys took the car so he could go to the dentist. She's played mostly by herself all day. Periodically, she wanders over to check on me and get a hug, then it's back to her toys. She's explored and crawled all over the living room and kitchen. I think this was good for us.
Other good news - I think I'm safe saying that she doesn't seem to have inherited the lactose intolerance that plagues both our families. Chrys had it as a child and my dad and uncle were both hit with it pretty hard later in life. She seems ok right now so we just have to hope it doesn't get her later. On a related note, she seems to love yogurt! :)
She also loves her sling. I wore her at Target yesterday and she ended up falling asleep in it as we walked around. It was great to pull it up over her head to support her and just keep on shopping. I wasn't exhausted from carrying around a baby on one arm when we left, either. So far, so good!
Well, back to my monkey child. She climbs on everything and right now, she's trying to figure out how to get on top of the ottoman. Plenty of boxes around so it's time for distraction.
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Cat!
Ryanne is very close to saying her first word. She loves to look at the cats and point at them. She used to just squeal when she saw them. Well, last week, she looked at me when I said the word cat and tried to form her mouth to it. She got out 'Ca'. Now, it's sometimes 'dat' and sometimes 'ca' and sometimes just 'at', but she always says something like it when she sees one of the cats. She even did the same at Kity's house tonight with her cat. I'm continuously impressed by how smart such a small person can be. Unfortunately, Kity's dogs are also 'dats', but they're small and fuzzy so I can forgive her that. Oh...she even said the word when she heard Kity's cat meow, didn't even see him, but did start looking around for him. Just amazing!
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Wasabi
I am apparently a bad mommy. Last night, we went for Japanese and R would NOT keep her fingers out my plate, specifically the big lump of wasabi on the corner of it. Well, I decided to go for it and put a touch of it on the end of my chopstick. She freaked - crumpled up her face and starting spitting and sputtering. I don't think she liked it much...she didn't eat much after that. Luckily, she'd already had a huge meal so I didn't feel too bad. Man, it was funny, though.
Last night I also made a Maya Wrap. Ryanne seems to still want to be held a lot and it's just a pain not being able to do anything else all day because I've only got one hand. She's long been too big for me to carry in the Bjorn so I'm going to try this. It was much cheaper to make than to buy one (about 1/3 the price) and if she hates it, I won't feel as guilty. If, however, she loves it, I have many other fabrics picked out for nicer ones and wintry ones and...
She had her 9 month appointment on 7/30. She was 18lbs 1.1oz (40%), 26 3/4 inches long (25%). Her growth has slowed down, but the doctor assures me that's normal and it's not like she comes from tall genes. The doc was worried about her refusing baby food because of the extra iron it provides, but her hematocrit levels were 'great' so I was told just to keep doing what I'm doing and keep lots of variety coming at her.
R's eating exclusively finger foods now. She does really well on table food. She gets some extra iron from the toddler breakfast foods and Gerber puffs that we feed her. I don't really feel bad about the switch, with one exception...
Ryanne has always been a pretty good sleeper. For the last 3 months, though, she's had a cold or been teething or we've moved or travelled or whatever and her sleep has suffered. Well, the ped told us to work on this so Chrys, wonderful man that he is, has been getting up with her. I had always gotten up with her, but when she wakes up at night for whatever reason, and smells me, she wants milk and goes ballistic until she gets it. Well, the last few nights, whenever she wakes up, she's REALLY gassy. Two nights ago, she didn't wake up at all. This tells me that the night waking is gas, which stinks. If the only reason she wakes up is gas, then I wonder if gas is caused by the finger foods and then I wonder if we're moving too fast...this stuff is hard!
She's taken a few more steps, but still not really walking yet. I don't think we have too much longer, though.
She's also working on words. She tries hardest to mimic 'cat' and we sometimes get 'ca' and this morning I got a 'dat'. She's also pointing and I've started identifying whatever she points at.
Tomorrow morning, we're going to a walkers class at Gymboree. She's a month younger than they recommend, but seemed WAY beyond the crawlers class definition. I guess we'll see.
Last night I also made a Maya Wrap. Ryanne seems to still want to be held a lot and it's just a pain not being able to do anything else all day because I've only got one hand. She's long been too big for me to carry in the Bjorn so I'm going to try this. It was much cheaper to make than to buy one (about 1/3 the price) and if she hates it, I won't feel as guilty. If, however, she loves it, I have many other fabrics picked out for nicer ones and wintry ones and...
She had her 9 month appointment on 7/30. She was 18lbs 1.1oz (40%), 26 3/4 inches long (25%). Her growth has slowed down, but the doctor assures me that's normal and it's not like she comes from tall genes. The doc was worried about her refusing baby food because of the extra iron it provides, but her hematocrit levels were 'great' so I was told just to keep doing what I'm doing and keep lots of variety coming at her.
R's eating exclusively finger foods now. She does really well on table food. She gets some extra iron from the toddler breakfast foods and Gerber puffs that we feed her. I don't really feel bad about the switch, with one exception...
Ryanne has always been a pretty good sleeper. For the last 3 months, though, she's had a cold or been teething or we've moved or travelled or whatever and her sleep has suffered. Well, the ped told us to work on this so Chrys, wonderful man that he is, has been getting up with her. I had always gotten up with her, but when she wakes up at night for whatever reason, and smells me, she wants milk and goes ballistic until she gets it. Well, the last few nights, whenever she wakes up, she's REALLY gassy. Two nights ago, she didn't wake up at all. This tells me that the night waking is gas, which stinks. If the only reason she wakes up is gas, then I wonder if gas is caused by the finger foods and then I wonder if we're moving too fast...this stuff is hard!
She's taken a few more steps, but still not really walking yet. I don't think we have too much longer, though.
She's also working on words. She tries hardest to mimic 'cat' and we sometimes get 'ca' and this morning I got a 'dat'. She's also pointing and I've started identifying whatever she points at.
Tomorrow morning, we're going to a walkers class at Gymboree. She's a month younger than they recommend, but seemed WAY beyond the crawlers class definition. I guess we'll see.
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