croup

Poor Critter Girl has been sick this week. She has croup, which if you've never heard of it, is an upper respiratory infection that makes her bark like a little seal pup. Which might sound cute, but is actually scary and upsetting to both of us.

We were on a walk when suddenly her voice lowered like 3 octaves. She sounded like a truck driver with a 3-pack a day habit. It was so strange, her voice sounded totally different. Then the barking began.

I slept on the floor of her room that night to listen to her breathing, and make sure things didn't get worse. Most kids are ok after a few nights, but the doc warned us to keep an ear on her breathing, because if her airway gets tight, she'll need steroids. Good thing she didn't get worse, and she didn't need the medication.

She is on the mend now, thank you deities! This was her first (of many, I'm sure!) real illness, and man, oh man - it is no fun to have a sick baby. She was very sweet throughout, even when she was upset and crying. She mostly just wanted to snuggle and be comforted by me or Daddy. I don't think either of us have gotten so many kisses in such a sort time. It's like she is saying "thank you for helping me" with all those kisses. So sweet, that girl.

damn you, gravity!

The has been a lot of head banging around here of late. And I'm not talking the Metallica version of headbanging - I mean the not-understanding-gravity-yet head banging.

With movement comes bumps, lumps, bruises and tears. We've been having a lot of all that these days. The Critter is trying to pull herself up, well sort of. At least I think that is what she is trying to do. Trying to get her legs beneath her. While bent over my legs and biting me. I don't know why getting her legs beneath her and biting go together for her, but that's what she does.

Anyway, today she found herself in a sort of kneeling position then saw her toy camera and thought "HEY! Camera! I want that!" and just lunged forward and face-planted right into the camera. Which is made of hard plastic. Ouch.

I know I need to get prepared for even more of this. I can't protect her from everything, or keep her in a bubble-wrap suit (they don't make them, I checked). She needs to learn about things, like gravity. And the benefits of putting your arms in front of you when falling. Learning these life lessons is hard. Almost as hard as plastic toy cameras.

Poor Critter Girl, with that big (well, not so big, but it seems big to mom) bruise on your head. My little headbanger. Mommy will kiss it and try to make it better, I promise. I just hope you are a quick learner.

only 4

Damn. This is only my fourth post this month. Today is the 20th (already?!??). Not so good, huh?

I don't know what's up with me. I have just not been in a bloggy mood lately. No, that's not true - I've been reading your blogs every day. But me writing on my blog? Eh, not so much.

We are doing fine here - Critter was cranky for several days after her shots, with some messed up naps and nights, but we are back to pretty-much normal now. She continues to be the light of my life, and we have fun every day. Well, the cranky days are less fun...but you get the point. We are on a pretty good routine now, and its nice. But routine does not make for interesting blog writing.

She is loving finger foods, and I now let her feed herself most of the time. She is less keen on having me feed her anyway, so it works out. But there is not much interesting to write about with finger foods - she eats what I eat most of the time, just in smaller pieces. This week included: naan bread, chicken bits, pasta, mac and cheese, veggies, fruits, bits of ground beef. All yum.

Ummm....so yeah. That's about it. Dull, huh? How are you?

Shots (and crinkle paper) suck

The Critter had her 9 month pediatrician appointment this morning. And I really think shots suck. And the Critter thinks the crinkly paper they use on the exam tables sucks too. She cries every time she is put down on it - even just to get her diaper changed. Hates that stuff.

She is now 18 lbs 9 oz, and 27.5 inches tall (long?). 50th percentile both. Head is 46cm (why go metric here? who knows), which is 75th percentile - all of these percentiles are just like she was at her 6 month check up. So she grows well, and consistently. Good job Critter Girl!

She got 3 shots today, including the flu shot. I got mine yesterday, so I know - they hurt! Poor girl, she cried of course, both from having to lie on the crinkle paper and getting the shots. She is napping now, we'll see if she ends up feeling yucky for awhile or if she can sleep it off quickly.

Is there anything worse than submitting your little baby to pain? I think not. I know it is for her benefit, but man, having to hold her down (on evil crinkle paper no less!) so they can hurt her with shots while she cries, ugh. It is the worst.

Quiet rainy day today, so we can both lay low at home, and recover from the trauma.

9 months

Can it be? 9 months old today, my sweet getting-bigger-every-day Critter Girl. It is hard to believe.

This has been an eventful month, maybe the most eventful in your little life so far. You are just growing and blossoming into such a happy, good-natured little girl.

Crawling! Finally, you move. I was seriously thinking I'd be taking you to college with you still lying and rolling on your playmat. But no, you began crawling this month. You are still mostly army crawling, keeping close to the ground. But you do get up on your knees too, it is hard to describe the less-than-graceful (but still functional) way you get around these days.

Finger foods! You love to feed yourself finger foods. And you fully appreciate the wonderful world of puffs. You know the word "puffs" and get very excited when I offer you puffs. But you eat other finger foods too, favorites being shredded cheddar and mango. I've given you large chunks of mango, that I hold on one end, and you take little bites of it with your little teeth. You are very good with those teeth. Which brings us to...

Teeth! You took a break from teething for a few months, after those two super-cute bottoms ones came in, but have made up for it this month. Your top two front teeth came in, and surprisingly, they came in without a ton of fussiness from you. Sure, much more drooling, and the chewing! But you slept well throughout, so Mommy is happy. You also have gotten the two teeth next to those top ones peeking through. So four new teeth in the span of 3 weeks! Good job Critter!! Still not sure why the come in twos, but we have stayed with that pattern for all your teeth so far.

Kissing! You have become a kissing machine! In addition to kissing Mommy and Daddy (which is the most awesome thing in the whole entire world, hands down. Ever.) you now kiss your favorite book friends. And some of your toys (with Mrs. Sock-t-pus being the top of the heap). And you also kissed another baby we had a playdate with, which melted everyone's heart. You are so sweet.

You continue to change and grow into such a happy, sweet girl, my baby. I love you so very much. Happy 9 months!

Movement and motivation

I haven't written here much about the Critter's motor skills, mostly because...well, they were non-existent.

OK, that's not fair, or true, but an athlete my girl is not. You may recall the rolling over strike she went on for 2+ months - at 4 months rolling over a few times, then not doing it again til well into her 6th month. Where she proceeded to then roll every which way, everywhere. In the span of a day.

She's very good at sitting up, has been from 6 months. That skill came very quickly, in the span of a week she went from nothing to tripod to full-on sitting up without support. I was sort of amazed. She was clearly motivated and interested in sitting up - much better vantage point on the world - and so she did it. At least that's how it seemed to me.

But other movement, say crawling? Eh, not so interested, that girl. I've been trying to find something, some toy, some game...something to motivate her to move. Nothing worked. She is classic Type B - mellow, rolls with the flow, and is generally able to entertain herself. If I take away a toy she likes and is playing with and move it across the playmat...eh, she sort of looks at it, thinks about the effort it would take to get over there, decides that's too much work, and then plays with something else closer to her. Or her hands or feet, if Mommy was smart enough to take away all the toys near her.

Until I discovered the motivator of all motivators for kids the world over - the iPhone! Specifically the BabyPlayFace app on the iPhone. OMG - it is baby crack. That Critter Girl - she WANTS her some BabyPlayFace. Bad.

And now she crawls. Seriously. Just like that. She will army crawl her way anywhere if the iPhone is at the end. She just hears the music and will look around like, "Is that BabyPlayFace? Where? I need some of that!" And off she goes.

On to all that babyproofing I thought I'd never need because my child had no interest in moving.