P's New Friend, Pea Bear

I had been looking for a knitted stuffed animal for Little P. Of course, it would've been even better if I could've knit it for her (that's way too ambitious at this point in my life...someday, though but she'll be too big to care at that point!). So, we found one at EcoBambino. I wondered if she would even care about this one. She has a few stuffed animals already, but doesn't really show too much interest.

I introduced "Pea Bear" to her last week. At first, she just threw Pea Bear out of her way. But, gradually throughout the night, she was hugging her and just smiled everytime I handed Pea Bear to her. Throughout this past weekend, Pea Bear stayed close to her, sleeping with her, riding in the car, and in the stoller wherever she went. I think we have a new friend here!

Pea Bear likes to sit in the rocker.

Sharing some O's together.

I go where she goes.

High-five Pea Bear!

10 Months with Our Boisterous Bambino!

The months go marching by...oh how I want to freeze this time with Little P. This is definitely one of the most fun stages we've had thus far. She is taking many steps now, although hurried and sometimes unbalanced, she is progressing each day and gains confidence with her walking. We've had some friends tell us, "You know this is early, right?" I guess so, but there's not much we can do to halt her progress! She's a bound and determined little girl!

Some of her milestones this past month include:

• More babbling with da-da and ma-ma
• Carrying something in her hand while she's walking and dragging things while she's crawling
• Walking across the room
• Sleeping through the night (hallelujah!!!)
• Eating bigger chunks of food
• Weaned herself off the breastmilk (I have mixed feelings about that).
• Laughing more while she plays with us
• Revels in the attention of a crowd
• Plays by herself (she likes to chew on her books and all things paper!)
• She knows her name as well as Jannu's
• She likes it when Mommy or Daddy chase her
•  She's in everyone's business!

These are the books from my baby shower.

 

She likes to read...even upside down!

Walking!



Miss Nosy in action.



Here, let me help you Daddy!



Food Therapy

Because I was home today, I had a chance to make more of P's foods. Yes, it's a lot of work and there are days that I wish I had some jarred food, but in making her food, I've found that I actually some added benefits as well.

She's usually asleep when I begin the process. Usually it involves, peeling the fruit or vegetable, then cubing, then steaming. Finally, I start pureeing. [Now, a word to those of you who are considering this. I've bought the baby food mill. I bought the adult food mill. After lots of blisters on my fingers and sore arms, I've concluded that nothing works better than my good ol' fashioned blender! If I had a food processor, I'm sure that would work just as well, if not better.]

After pureeing, I spoon the food into the ice cube trays to freeze. They are good-sized proportions. The part that I absolutely love is the spreading of the puree in the trays. I love to make it all level and smooth. It's so therapeutic for me! Who would've thought! You'd think I'd be less particular as a new mom, but it seems my Type-A comes through regardless of my limited time.

I look forward to this part of the process. I have figured that it's probably much like the zen gardeners who rake the rocks.

The other part that I love is after popping the cubes from the tray, you get such vibrant colors from the fresh (now frozen) produce--deep purple from the berries, bright green from peas, and bright oranges from carrots, yams, and mangos. I just love the simplicity of it!

A Little Speck

A tiny speck!

I have always heard that babies will find the tiniest speck on the floor, and I knew that day was coming. I was sitting on the floor with P and all of sudden I can hear her chomping on something. She's as happy as can be and has that look on her face, like ha! ha! I found something yummy.

Now between us snacking in the living room and Jannu with all doggie treats, I wondered what she could have found. I pull it out of her mouth, and it's an almond! Holy cow! Babies aren't supposed to have nuts at this age! What if she choked? Darn it, I should've cleaned the floors yesterday! All these thoughts race through my head.

Then, in the next flash, she's off crawling away and picks up another speck. This time, this one was so minute, you could barely see it. Oh my, my...never a dull moment around here! She's got eyes like a hawk!

To put it in perspective, the one in the middle is the one she was chewing on,
 and the one to the left is the one she found right afterwards!

Home Sick

Sick girl with a silly grin!



Little P came down with something once more. Around New Year's, I could tell that she was becoming more congested. Then a couple days later, she started waking up periodically throughout the night, crying pretty hard. I figured it was because it was so hard for her to breathe. Then the following night she was doing the same thing, but this time she vomited. Not just spit up. It really scared me because she was crying so hard and not calming down. I figured we were in for a long night. It seemed she was doing better in the rocking chair, maybe breathing was easier for her, but I was getting so tired. So, she and I camped out on the living room sofa. She slept fairly well. I'm so glad that she did. I, on the other hand, couldn't get comfortable. Plus, she was hogging most of the room!

I stayed home the next day. It was also her 9-month wellness check, so it was good to see the doctor. She was getting more shots, plus they advised us to give her the flu shot. Her doctor didn't seem too concerned. We surmised that her vomiting was because she worked herself up so much.

The following morning she awakened with a very crusty nose and mucus very evident. I was quick to decide to stay home with her. I didn't want to infect the other babies at daycare, plus she had a lot of snot running out her nose. Secretly, I was having too much fun with her at home and miss it. So, she was home sick and I was homesick to spend more time with her! I think it was good for her to be home one more day. When we're sick, the last thing we want to do is be somewhere other than home.

Even when she's sick, she's still remains all smiles!



Happy New Year!

All this exploring leads her to exciting places around the house!

Hmm...what can I get into now? Mommy's old records from the '70's!

The gate is up! Help us, let us out!

This mess is a place!

Welcome 2011! Around this time of year, Little P has started taking steps in succession. She's still pretty wobbly, but bound and determined to get where she's going. She goes really fast, takes the steps (anywhere from 3-8) and falls to the ground. She has no fear, and she picks herself right up and gets back on the horse! One good thing about her determination is that she has started to crawl a lot more. Since walking doesn't get her there fast enough, she'll crawl. When she comes at you, it's super fast and you can just see the determination in her face!

We have definitely entered the ugly phase of parenthood, meaning all the babyproofing and toys and gear scattered about. It's hard for me to relax with lots of clutter. Ugh! I had my husband to contend with and his ability to clutter a room in five seconds, now it's the baby's turn!

I'd like for 2011 to slow down a bit. We're enjoying this stage of her so much. She's such a happy baby. She falls asleep smiling and wakes up with that same smile. She can melt a heart of stone with her infectious smiles!

Happy Holidays Sweet P!

Her first Christmas ornament.

 

What are these things on my feet?

Looks good enough to eat.

It is good enough to eat!



Merry Christmas to our Little Sweet Pea! I think our little girl had herself a great time! One thing we have discovered, she revels in being the center of attention. I did not go too crazy in getting her presents, even though this was her first Christmas. Of course, she was mostly interested in the wrapping paper!

She has been really trying to take her first steps around this time. She can usually manage maybe 1-2 really shaky steps. We figured that this was the week that she would really practice, but being around the grandmas, she didn't have much of a chance to walk much!

Christmas time is all about family, and I'm so grateful that P was able to spend time with all her family!