SO many milestones!

Dear Pea,
What a week!! You have progressed in leaps and bounds! Today was the day I have been waiting for for so long: you crawled!  Hooray! You were sitting right in the middle of the living room and decided that the iPod charging cord was far too yummy to be far away from your mouth, so you crawled the six or seven paces it took to get it into your mouth.  Success! Delicious!

Yesterday you started pulling yourself up on the coffee table unassisted multiple times in a row.  Instead of using Daddy's hands or my knee to propel you or steady you, you're 100% lats and delts and quads.  Strong girl!

You are chattering up a storm, saying what we've decided is your official first word "UP!" You pull yourself to standing and declare yourself "UP!" You sit on the floor and look up at us and request "UP!" You are in our arms and happily remind us that you are "UP UP UP." Beyond cute.

And lastly, I've noticed a lot more movement in your hands.  We're starting to sign more and your hands are ready for the sign language.  Your fingers tighten into a ball and release, you wiggle your fingers, you wave. As I said, what a week!

AND, along with these developments, you are sick! Such an awful cold! Four nights ago you woke up every 90 minutes, screaming.  It was the worst night we've had since you were born, which made Daddy and I appreciate how great of a sleeper you are normally.  But not since then. It was terrifying because we didn't know what was wrong at first, though it became clear fairly quickly that you were incredibly congested.  So we took a steam together at 2am. And again at 4:30.  You quickly fell back to sleep each time after an upright snuggle or steam or bounce, but Daddy and I lay awake, worrying. The next day, you were stuffed up but in very good spirits. And it has continued to be that way.  Your awake hours are spent cheerful and active, occasionally punctuated by coughing fits or very snotty sneezes.  The coughing fits are scary and I took you to the doctor who listened to your lungs and looked in your ears and said it's just a cold, it will run it's course, keep up the steam and lots of fluids.  So that's what we've been doing.  Four or five steams a day, many many offers of boobie (while singing "milk") and trying to help you nap as much as possible. The past few nights have been tough, but not terrible.  Maybe two or three screaming fits in the night, usually the first one around 9pm, which doesn't even wake us up. And you go back to sleep after a snuggle, a bounce and some milk.  Here's hoping for a speedy recovery and a healthy happy baby.

 not too sick to enjoy some chocolate bar wrapping!

Would you like some cheese with that?

Dear Pea,
You are teething.  You are trying to walk, but don't have the balance. You are trying to crawl, but can't quite get that left leg to cooperate. You are trying to explore your surroundings but your parents keep taking the wires out of your hands and the remote controls out of your mouth.  Life is frustrating! So, you've been whining a lot.  A LOT.  You're happy for a few moments, and then you devolve into whine.  We distract you with a song, a toy, standing you up, sitting you down, a little boob, a little broccoli, the mirror and it all works, for a few minutes.  And then.

We understand.  Really, we do.  You are beginning to understand this big world and know that there are more rooms in the apartment and more people outside our doors and you just want to be a part of it all, already!  And, surprise surprise, you aren't the most patient person in the world.  Just like your parents. We really do understand, Sweet Pea! But we can't help you grow up any faster than we already are and we are so happy with every stage along the way that we wish you could enjoy it too.  Can I teach you to be a Zen baby? I think I would have had to teach myself to be a Zen grown up first...

Anyway, it's not all bad. Not even close.  As frustrating as things are for you, you have realized that things are funnier and brighter, too.  We've had some flies in the apartment (I know, eww) and you think it is hilarious when I swat at them.  We've taken to waving rolled up magazines in the air aimlessly because it tickles you so much.  You enjoy being in the kitchen with me when I cook-measuring cups and spoons are a big hit and you are impressed when I grate lemon zest and make the whole room smell citrusy.  You are becoming slightly more patient when we read books and will often sit and listen to a whole story, or at least play while I read and not knock the book out of my hands.  You love bath time so much that it's become a nightly occurrence. And you have discovered swings. 

A long overdue update

Dear Pea,
Wow, I haven't had much opportunity to write-you are keeping everyone on our toes.  Your favorite activity is to pull yourself up to standing, using anything in your path.  The most successful items are my fingers, Daddy's fingers and the coffee table, but that doesn't stop you from trying the big stability ball, the rolling chair, your swing...OY.  Though it has taught us that you are tougher than you appear. You fall down many many more times than you stand up and you are undeterred. Try again. And again. And again. Land on your tush, your side, your head...no matter, you try again.  Without complaint.

You can now maneuver yourself from all fours to sitting and back again. You like to roll from your side into all fours when I'm trying to nurse you to sleep in bed (this is very fun for you!) and you have developed a funny little roll that goes from sitting to rolling to sitting to rolling.  It doesn't get you anywhere very effectively, but you enjoy the ride. If you really want to get somewhere, you pull yourself up using Daddy's hands and then walk to where you want to go.  Double OY!


You're not too sure about the whole food thing.  You enjoy taking bites from my plate once in a while-egg yolks usually don't get spit back out. Peas are a fun game-you try to pick them up but don't have control of your pincher grasp, so they end up on the floor or in your palm, unable to get to your mouth.  You don't mind.  Carrots are your favorite-you always grab one if I'm eating it and I need to keep steaming them for you every day.

 You are ambivalent about yogurt.  One the one hand, it's super fun to smear around the table, your face and getting to hold that spoon is awesome! But on the other hand, it's not your favorite thing to have in your mouth. And your anxiety-ridden mama noticed a bit of a tummy upset after eating it, so we're holding off for a little while. But you sure look cute eating it!

You also have so much language these days! You know Mama and call out to me when you want me.  You call Daddy Abba or Dadda and call my dad Bobob. In the mornings and when Daddy gets home from work you greet us with "hi!"  You also just yell for fun.  AAHHHHHH! And Ah Boo! And Wawawawawa. Often these ramblings are accompanied by emphatic hand banging-you really want to drive home your points.

You laugh every day.  You are ticklish under your arms, at your hips and at your neck. You think it is hilarious when I exercise at home-push ups and burpees in particular send you into hysterics. Last night I held my first dance party with you around (how can I have not done this for so long? It used to be an almost nightly occurrence!) and you thought that was the funniest thing ever.  A little Jason Mraz, a little mama shaking and you were shrieking with laughter. Daddy came home to both of us doubled over in giggles.

Finally, a sweet memory I want to preserve from today: it was raining pretty hard and I needed to go to a meeting, so I put you in the Moby and grabbed the umbrella. You were enthralled with the umbrella and insisted on holding it the entire time we walked.  So, we walked a mile in the rain today, both of us holding the umbrella stem, keeping each other dry.