Finger foods

We've started finger foods. Wait, let me amend that - we've started finger foods with success. I have offered her puffs and small bits of soft fruit for awhile now, but in the last week or two, the Critter now wants to play that game.

She thinks finger foods are the coolest thing now.

Her pincer grasp has really developed - maybe that's why she likes finger foods now - so she can really pick up little things well. She still misses her mouth sometimes, or thinks she is putting the food in, but it sticks to her hand and doesn't end up in her mouth (puffs!). And about 1/3 to 1/2 ends up in her lap, but she still loves it. Fun stuff!

She has begun to not like being fed by a spoon, by me. She wants the finger foods! Which is fine for most foods, but things like oatmeal don't translate well to finger food - not without a huge mess (and very little actually in the Critter). I'm still figuring that out - how to get enough food in her while still allowing her to be an independent feeder. I'll sometime sneak in a few spoonfuls as she opens her mouth to feed herself something. She tolerates that fairly well, and I'm speedy!

New finger foods are puffs (she likes the banana Happy Baby the best, but the Plum Organics mango-sweet tater are good too), mild cheddar cheese shreds (shredded cheese is perfect for finger food!), peas, mango, pasta with butter. I'm going to offer her sweet tater, broccoli and fall fruits soon.

Feeding now takes longer for sure, so our schedule has adjusted a bit. But she just loves feeding herself, and it is fun to watch her figure it all out. Such a big girl!

Shopping

I finally did some clothes shopping! Hooray!

Now that my body is settling into its new self (although I don't think my tummy will ever be the same) I needed some new clothes. I have a bunch of stuff coming up that calls for something other than sweatpants - fancy baby shower, anniversary dinner, theater tickets - so I needed dresses.

I spent 3 hours at the store, I must have tried on 40 dresses at least. And I am pleased to report I came home with 3 dresses! Success!

And I got a few casual shirts, good with jeans for more casual date nights and other times I don't want to wear sweatpants (yeah, I wear them a lot in my mommy life). I feel all brand new! I even hit up D.SW and got some new boots to wear with my dresses.

I sorta look hot.

odds and ends

We are still here, enjoying the last few days of summer before the 8 months of winter begin. Lots of park time, swinging and playing on our blanket. Taking walks and ooohing at all the dogs we see (Critter has a thing for dogs).

We have completely recovered from the fall - the Critter much faster than me. But now, a week later, we are both totally fine. No marks on her at all, me with fading bruises. All good.

Exciting this week is that Critter Girl is getting her top two teeth. I'm not sure why her teeth come in pairs, but they do. The top left one broke through Monday, pretty uneventfully. She had been chewing on things more, but wasn't too cranky and slept really well throughout. The right one is almost through, maybe today, and again, she is a chewing machine.

Which brings me back to the woodchuck chew-on-crib-slats issue. I just couldn't fork over like $200 for those wonder bumper things, so I decided to try the breathable bumper first. Which totally didn't work. She is really too old for bumpers it turns out. Pretty much when the kid can sit up on their own, bumpers no longer work, because the kid can just pull them down. Which she did. I put them on while she was playing in her crib, and she immediately showed me that she could pull them down. And maybe off altogether if I gave her enough time. So right off they came, and I'm back at square one.

And you better believe she has chewed some paint off the crib this week, with those 2 teeth coming in. Sigh, if it doesn't kill her it will make her stronger, right? Just say yes.

Yogurt is a no-go

The Critter doesn't like yogurt. Well, it is not that she doesn't like it - she will eat a few bites.

But then she makes The Face, and it is all over. You know The Face - the Ewwww Face. Scrunched up eyes, mouth. If she could talk, she would say "Blech" in conjunction with making this face.

And while it is a yucky face, meaning she is unhappy with yogurt, it is also awfully cute. Mean Mommy, feeding that baby yogurt so I can see The Face.

We have done a few different types of yogurt - plain yogurt with her favorite fruit mixed in, then with some added sugar, and then the already-flavored stuff. None is good. We've done this for about a week, and she is less and less thrilled every day. Oh well, we'll try again in a few weeks. Or months.

In other news, thanks for all your well wishes after our fall. Critter is fully back to normal, crankiness gone. I look at the back of her head and I think I see a mark still, but it is hard to be sure. So clearly not a big bruise or anything. I'm ok too, still a touch sore, but much better this morning. And I never wear socks anymore (I was wearing socks on our carpeted stairs) and I walk like an old lady on the stairs.

We fell

It is the biggest nightmare of every new mom and mom-to-be and anyone-thinking-about-being-a-mom-someday. Or at least it is high up there on the "I sure hope that never happens to me" list. Or on the "oh shit, please never let these things happen on my watch" list.

Critter and I fell yesterday. Down some stairs. I was holding her and I slipped and we fell.

Worst. Moment. Ever.

Ever.

Long story short, we are both ok. I held on to her until I hit ass to stair, and by that point we were at the bottom of the stairs, so when she fell out of my arms (OMG!) she only tumbled like a foot and a half into the wall. She hit the moulding (baseboard?) with the back of her head. Ouch.

She began crying, howling, louder than I've ever heard. I tried to remain calm, so as not to freak the Critter out more, and I called Mr. P. Interrupted a conference call he was on, and scared the living daylights out of him and his coworker, hearing the Critter screaming on the other end. He came right home. Thank God he works 10 minutes away. By the time he got home, the Critter had calmed down and she was having her bottle, what we were coming downstairs to have in the first place. She seemed mostly ok, maybe a little sleepy, and had a lump on the back of her head.

We went to the ER, and she was seen pretty fast - it wasn't that busy. By that point she was acting pretty normal, smiling and playing. I, on the other hand, could not stop crying. I would be ok for a bit, then someone would ask a question about what happened, or about the Critter in general, and I'd choke up. I was a mess.

Critter checked out alright with the doc, and they felt they didn't even need to keep her for observation. They told us what to watch for over the next 24 hours, and sent us on our way. Got home, fed that hungry girl and put her to bed. And you better bet your ass I watched her all night long. We have a camera in her room, so I can watch her on my computer. I slept (sorta) with the computer on next to my bed, and checked to make sure she was breathing all night long.

And she was fine. She is a bit cranky today, and I gave her some Ty.len.ol which sort of helped. Her head looks great given what happened, hardly a bruise or mark, just a little one in under her hair.

Me? My ass hurts like nobody's business. I'm feeling very shaken, like I didn't do enough for my girl. I know that's silly, it was an accident, I slipped, it happens. And I protected the Critter best I could. But in my heart, I ache. My poor baby. And it was on my watch.

She was with me and she got hurt. Ugh, it feels awful.

How much wood can a....

...Critter chuck if a Critter could chuck wood?

My daughter is now a woodchuck. She is eating her crib. Ewww. And eeek, as in its not safe to eat wood and (please let it be truly) non-toxic paint. I discovered this because yesterday after she got up from her nap, I was changing her, and noticed white flecks on her chin and lips. Looked at the crib, and sure enough, bite marks and chipped paint.

She can't stand up yet, so she is not teething on the top rail of the crib. She is chewing on the side slats of the crib, laying on her side, chomping away. And if you ask omnipresent Google about teething on cribs, you will only find info on the top rail. They only sell stuff for protecting the top rail. How can this be? Is the Critter the only baby on the planet who teethes on the side slats of her crib?

So I ask you, oh wise interwebbies. What do I do? I know bumpers are evil (they just banned the sale of them in my city) so I'd prefer not to use them. And even those breathable bumpers leave a few slats exposed. I found something called Wonder Bumpers, but ouch, are they expensive. Like really expensive. And no, I don't sew (damn you, budget cut home ec!).

What to do? Help!

8 months

Critter Girl, you are 8 months old today. You are growing and becoming more sweet and fun every day, and I feel so very lucky to be the one that watches you grow.

This month, you have tried new foods including beef, yogurt and new varieties of peaches. You still love sweet potato and banana the best, but you continue to be willing to try new things. You haven't flat-out refused anything yet (other than the avocado incident way back when). Good job eating! Today begins 3 meals a day for you - that a lot of eating!

You are quite the roller these days, it is your primary mode of transportation (other than Mommy, of course). I think its funny that you choose to roll around, given how you hated rolling over for so long. Crawling seems like it will be soon, but given you went on strike with rolling over for so long, I'm not holding my breath either. You are funny with your gross motor skills, you just don't seem to want to do things unless you are really good at it. Are you practicing when I'm not watching? And now you prefer to sleep on your formerly-hated tummy. Go figure.

No new teeth this month either. Your 2 bottom teeth have really grown in, and they are super-cute. You seem to be pushing/chewing on those top gums a lot, but so far, nothing to show for it.

You are very chatty still. This month you babbled "mom" and "mama" for the first time. And while I know you are not using it to refer to me (in fact I think it has become part of your yummy-eating-noise routine, mmmmmm), it still melts my heart every time. You are babbling all the time, mama-dada-bababa is in high rotation.

I love you more every day, my sweet Critter Girl. I am so lucky to be your Mom. Happy 8 months!

Victory!

The weather has turned a touch cooler here, and it is sort of nice. I've looked into my closet, getting reacquainted with my wardrobe.

It's been 2 years since I could wear much of my wardrobe, given last year at this time I was in my 20s of pregnancy.

So I tried on a pair of pants that still didn't fit me in the Spring. Pants I used to live in, years ago.

And damn if they didn't fit! They were even a bit loose. Boooo-ya!

9 months up, 9 months down. Just about right, it seems. Now if I could only lose some of that 4-IVF-in-a-year-plus-evil-depot-loopyron weight....

Freeze

I know many moms talk about wanting to freeze their babies in time, to keep them at a certain age, at a certain stage. Many talk about wanting to freeze at that newborn stage (also known as the blob stage to me). Which I could never in a million years understand.

I really couldn't understand the desire to freeze a kid at any age. I've really been enjoying watching the Critter grow and change and get bigger and figure stuff out. It's been one of my favorite things about mommyhood, watching her grow.

Until now.

Now, the Critter is 7 and a half, almost 8 months. She is on the verge of becoming mobile, but not quite there yet. She is a happy, smiling girl that likes to see other people, but knows and loves her mama. She is sleeping well (except for when those dastardly teeth hurt her gums) and eating well. She laughs when I tickle her, or make funny noises. She is a true joy to be around.

I'm not at all ready for mobile baby. Aside from the fact our house is still not baby-proofed (read: total deathtrap), I like where she is right now. I like carrying her around, with her clinging monkey-style at my hip. I like her sitting and playing with toys on the floor, and knowing she'll be there if I skip out to pee for 30 seconds. I like her right where she is.

Can I just stop now? Freeze her here, and keep her like this forever? Please?

Mama's not ready to move on yet, Critter Girl. Slow down, just a bit (or a lot) for me, okay?