Puppy Love

5 Months

Growing up is hard. Little One has always been good for a challenge, but this was the month of cowgirlin' up. Here are some of the ways Little One is Tough Enough for 5 whole months old:

Tough Enough for Solitary Confinement
Little One still sometimes gives us a few bars of the "not-really-nice-to-leave-me-in-here-by-myself" song at bedtime. But I get the feeling it's more obligatory than heartfelt now. Waking up alone isn't scary anymore either, and She now hosts a social hour with Toes and Blanket in the mornings. She will spend up to an hour just talking and giggling and playing away, until either She realizes She's hungry or I get Her up.
Naps are coming right along too. Part of the new "I can totally take you crib!" attitude is the addition of Blankie. Blankie, like Lassie, is actually a series of several little blankets, with silky edging that Little One likes to bear hug, roll on Her side, and spoon when She sleeps. She does not realize this, but Blankie has a mutinous plot to overthrow Pacifiers, and it's working.

Strong Enough to Move It
Forget about rolling. Little One's current choice in ambulatory techniques is the wiggle-scoot. Her bootie (accompanied by the incredibly powerful leg-chubs) is now capable of creating directional motion. In fact I have had to flip around Her changing table so that She is boxed in, after She quite nearly wiggled Herself right off the edge. She can quite nearly wiggle Herself out of a lot now. The only drawback to this exciting form of locomotion is that it can occur only in one direction, feet-wards.
She is also strong enough now that I get to put to work one of the most useful gifts nature ever gave women, despite the fact that all of our thank-you cards to nature said "aw...you shouldn't have": hips. Those suckers are handy places to put small people while you get things done.

Smart Enough to Make Things Happen.
Toys are not just for gumming on! She has noticed that they can be used for other things. The rattle, for instance, can be rattled. On purpose. The toy piano can make music, at Her will. Hanging objects move when She smacks them and stop when She grabs them. Objects hugged get closer and objects thrown disappear. These clues have led to the thrilling discovery that Little One can decide to do Things, that the World can be manipulated, and that Her actions can cause effects. This discovery has been very fun to watch.

Bold Enough to enjoy Herself
Little One is still as smiley as it gets. She's pretty much just having a grand ole time with life. But certain things make her especially happy, particularly the dog, E. They spend a lot of time looking at each other, getting excited, and wiggling around. And trying to drool on each other. She's also very into other children and babies; very much the socialite, having lots to say to other Little Ones we see when we're out. She flirts with everyone though, really.
She's also bold enough to love being naked and the changing table, maybe for this reason, remains Her "happy place". Bath time, perhaps also for the nudity inherently involved, has made a comeback in Little One's good graces. Other fun things to do include taking walks, chomping on Her fingers, squealing and babbling with fingers in Her mouth, playing peek-a-boo, and rolling side to side while holding onto Her feet. She is not too tough to admit that snuggling remains the top pastime of choice. And She is not yet tough enough for tummy time to be un-miserable, though the Howl alert is now on about a 30 second delay. So that's progress, right?

Brave Enough to Take on the World
The biggest change in Little One over the last month is Her ability to face new things. It is now OK for people other than me or J to hold Her. Loud noises are still scary, but She has learned to look to Her trusted adults when this happens, and (usually) if She gets a reassuring smile the pouty bottom lip gets re-cast as a grin instead of becoming a cry. New sights and sounds have become interesting enough to outweigh their scariness, and Little One is very into soaking up the world around Her. In fact the last few weeks have been pretty jam-packed with outings to all sorts of overstimulating places (topped off by front row seats at a parade) and Little One has turned out to be amazingly portable and amiable on these adventures. She has (dare I say it?!) become a very "easy" baby.

Overall I'd say the great advancement of the last month was this ebbing of Little One's sensitivities and the new fearless explorer attitude that has Her trying new things and having fun everywhere we go. It makes me very excited to see what new challenges will be met in the next month, and it's also great that She makes such a good partner in crime for all sorts of activities now that She is tough enough to take the Big Scary World in stride. And look, we all know that it is pretty big and scary. So I'm super proud of Little One for greeting Her 5 month birthday by looking the World in the eye, standing (well, sitting) tall and saying, "Bring it!"

Happy Birthday, Little One! I can't wait to see what the next month brings.

Happy Birthdzzzzzzzz.....

Today is Little One's 5 month birthday! LOTS of big things have happened. But I am toooo tired to tell you about it right now, because we spent the whole day in Alexandria at the St. Patrick's Day parade and the waterfront and the museums and our friend's house and the shops and well you get the idea. We brought month five in with a bang. Tomorrow I will do an official monthiversary post, but for now, I'm going to follow the lead of the wise Little One and pull my blankie over my head, snuggle into bed, and crash out. Let this be proof, though, Little One, that I didn't forget. :)

Lost

Today the search for Marquis was called off. His family has received information which has led them to believe and accept that he has passed away. Which is very, very sad.
I knew Marquis in high school. We didn't keep in touch over the years, but I remember him as a good friend and a great guy, and somebody that everyone looked up to. Even as a teenager he was someone who inspired others and was the kind of example I wish more high school boys would follow.
Tragedy is always taken personally, because even if it's in a small way, the lives of those we have met and known touch our own and are part of us. It's shocking to have something so frightening and horrible hit so close, and so I am shocked, and frightened, and horrified.
It also impacts us when these things happen, as they so often do, to people we have known who were such an asset to the world. It seems so unjust. Marquis was certainly such a person in my memory, and it insults my sense of fairness that such a positive life with so much potential would be cut so short.
Most of all though, at least for me, this kind of news is hard because it is impossible not to empathize with those who are left to grieve the most. Because if I am shocked, and horrified, and sad, then I can't bear to imagine what must be happening in the hearts of his parents, wife, and daughter right now. And because I think none of us can help but imagine in some small way....what if it was me? Or mine? The answer to that is always bone chilling.
Tonight I'm saying many prayers for Coops family. Especially for his wife and his little girl, who is only three. I'm still saying them for Marquis, too. I think we take tragedy personally because it helps us to be there for those who need supporting.
But it also helps us see the precious in our own lives, and give those things the value they merit more clearly. Tonight I am giving Little One an extra cuddle before bed. And I'm spending extra time on my knees being thankful that even though J is gone right now, he's coming back. Taking extra time to realize how huge and how much of a blessing that is. And I'm going to think about you, too, and how fortunate I am to have you.
And I'm going to be thankful that, in a small way, for a time, I had an honor that too many people will now miss out on. Which was getting to know Coop.

Classified

Shh. I caught a spy. Look how guilty She looks. I brought Her in for tickle-torture and She confessed that She's been sharing all my secrets with Grandma. Who I thought was working for me! Double agent. I got this suspicious-looking duck character, too. They were hiding in the Spy Museum, but they are now in custody, behind bars, in a bugged room.
This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds. Kidding! Kidding. Just delete it. Kidding! Just don't tell anyone. Well, it's not a secret, actually, but...look around furtively and whisper a little anyways. Just, you know, for fun. You can sing your own theme song, too, if you want. Dun dun dun, dun duh nuh! Duh nuh-nuuuh!

Prayers for Coop

A friend from high school, Marquis Cooper, has gone missing at sea after a fishing trip. If you are the praying kind, or even if you're not, please consider saying some for him. He has a wife and a little girl, and his family are all hoping very much that he will be found.
They have also set up a fund for his search. If you feel able to contribute, you can get more information at www. halmeyer. com, or you can just go to any wells fargo bank and donate to the fund that is in his name.
Sometimes I am reminded of how fast lives can change. It makes me take a minute to be extra grateful for all I have, and it makes me ache for those whose worlds have been turned upside-down. It's a good time for all kinds of prayers, I think.

Don't tell McGruff

The dogs are addicted to the powdery white stuff. Yup, they are snow junkies. I wish I could describe the level of euphoria I've witnessed out in the field the last few days, but words can not do justice to the overflow of exuberance and delight. And neither can pictures. I wish wish wish my camera hadn't died before I was able to capture X lay down on his side and make side-wards running motions into the snow, because it looked for all the world like a canine snow angel. Or E rolling in the snow like a soccer ball. Too bad Little One wasn't there to get inspired by the rolling, but She was staying cozy inside with grandma. For the rest of us, though, the last two days were a frenzy of racing, jumping, digging, wresting and wiggling in the snow. Not to mention the thrill of chasing snowballs. I mean, where do they go?! Today the doggies kept the frolicking to a minimum, though, because they noticed that the snow is beginning to melt. Accordingly, they spent most of our outing gobbling it up like tazmanian devils, knowing that it might not be there much longer for their gluttonous indulgence. Poor things, it will be a sad day when it's gone. Just as well, though. I don't want anyone to OD.

Might as well be raining meat

J and I like saving dollars. We also don't want our sweet X and E to get teased for being the fat kid at the dog park. So one of the best tricks we've ever pulled off is convincing them that ice cubes are a delicious gourmet delicacy. These two will do all kinds of rolling-overs and shaking paws and prancing around to get a coveted hunk of frozen water. Which is why, when they woke up this morning and saw this:

They were pretty sure they had expired at some point in the night and gone to doggie heaven. E took a flying leap into the yard, belly-flopped on the ground with her jaw open and very efficiently, if maniacally, scooped up mouthfuls of snow in a little arc around her head. Then they raced and rolled around with complete abandon, reminding me of an old cartoon of this miserly duck that would go swimming in piles of money.
It's the most snow we've had since moving here 3 years ago, and my AZ mom is almost as excited as the dogs. There are actually several inches more since I took the photos. You can barely tell, but the white on the ducks there is actually little piles of snow that built up while they swam across the pond. It is coming down that fast! At the moment, Little One and Grandma and I are staying cozy. But what kind of an evil monster would I be if I kept X and E in the house when there are great drifts of milkbone-dust out there piling up?! In fact there are four very sad, hopeful eyes staring me down as I type. Better go get some boots on.

Snow Angel

Baby Got Back

You all may have noticed a little something about Little One. A big something, rather. Now, this something resides in the relative area that I, too, happen to have a big something, BUT, you may be surprised to know, it is not a genetic "gift" from me. And to rule out any suspicions of scandal and invasive maternity-suits I'll just tell you right now that She didn't get it from Beyonce, either. AND, although Little One has produced many chubtacular rolls and dimples in the last couple of months, She did not create those curves Herself.
Little One is extra-bootylicious thanks to a rare and valuable undergarment, infrequently seen this side of the Huggies revolution of the 1970's. It's called a cloth diaper. And it rocks Little One's universe, yes it does. Besides offering a little explanation of the booty's liciousness, I also would like to do a little product placement for any of you out there getting ready to handle your own baby goo exportation.
Because cloth diapers save the planet, people. The planet! You too could be superhero, saving the world one baby goo at a time! They also save loads of cash, which could instead be used on other Fun Stuff! (This, by the way, is true, because J is a human calculator and figured it out with Math. Math does not lie, and it says that we are saving $ and $). They also make Little One's booty very very happy. She doesn't get wrapped into any unpronounceable, multi-syllabic chemicals and does not get diaper rash. And really, if you use your imagination, you will understand that it would be NO fun at ALL to have rashes on your butt. *shudder*. PLUS, in what I consider to be one of the greatest advantages, they do not explode.Please revisit my Arizona christmas post or contact my friend K if you would like to know how a diaper can explode. It can my friend. And it isn't pretty. Many a helpless, innocent pink outfit has died the horrible, tragic death of irreversible poosplosion stain because of disposable diapers and a phenomenon called "blowout". I'm realizing I should have put a disclaimer on this post. Too late now! Little One has had a few diaper eruptions, but always when, for some reason, I had Her in a paper diaper. The cloth ones have never failed.
SO- product placement!
Imagine those cloth squares with the funny safety pins as the fish in that evolution cartoon. Those things are obsolete, and I have used them, and they are exempted from my endorsement.
As a newborn, Little One covered Her teeny little bum with Kissaluvs diapers, and thirsties and bummis covers. Now that She really does have some junk in the trunk, we have moved on to bumgenius. These are the BEST. They are easy easy easy to wash and use, plus they are cute and not much more bulky than a paper diaper. They are just like using a disposable, except you wash them instead of throwing them away.
So if you have baby goo coming to your life soon, try it! Then your baby's booty could be as spectacular as Little One's, saving itself from rashes! Saving money! Saving the planet! And, if your baby's booty tries really hard, it might even be this cute. Might.

And many more...

February is a big month around here because both my mom and J's mom, plus Little One's "auntie" L, have birthdays! It's like a whole MONTH of cake and off-key singing. Last year, the news of Little One's impending arrival was our present to everyone, and that's hard to top, so we didn't even try. But Little One picked up the slack and composed this birthday gift herself:




Happy Birthday February people!














Here is a hug from me!







Also a kiss.










I love you!

Or, the car seat shrunk

At Little One's check up last Friday, She hit 12lb 10oz on the chubilicious scale. Which means that She has officially doubled in size since making Her grand entrance not so long ago. Way to work it Little One! I just wanted to share a little demo so we can all see how much She's grown.


















WOW. At this rate we will need a new car soon. Or a bus.

minus Y, plus X

So far Uncle Sam is too scared of our bulging biceps for us to have a showdown and pull his beard till he agrees to send J back to us. BUT, in the meantime, my mom has flown in to make us feel better by turning the place into a great big girl party! Now, we still miss J just as much as ever. I mean not even my mom can Fox-in-Socks it like he can. But we are pretty darn excited to get a little Spice Girls and girl-power it up with Grandma for a while. My poor dog is feeling pretty overwhelmed with XX chromosomes around here. But Little One and I have noticed that Grandma lets us go shopping and turn the thermostat up as far as we want. So as much as we miss J, for the moment we've decided that all these X's add up to par-T.

Say Uncle

There are some serious perks to being married to the military. Like I can go all crazy-overprotective paranoia-mom and take Little One to the doctor a bazillion times if I want, and it is free! And I think I may have mentioned, once or twice, the hot-navy-boy uniform benefits. Yes. But, there are downsides, I'm afraid. Besides the obvious 'war' thing (we're SO not going to think about that right now) there are times when even the hottest of the uniforms do not compensate for the suckiness. I mean, for instance, what is the point of sizzlin outfits if I can't SEE them because they are miles and miles away?!
Sadly, J and his uniform have shipped out on rotation for the next six weeks. This means I have no one to stick my cold toes on in bed at night, no one to blame for the covers getting messed up, no one to make cookies for, no one to eat injera with. It means that Little One is not getting an adequate daily rendition of Fox in Socks. Which is all just very unacceptable, if you ask us.
In fact, Little One and I miss J SO much, that it overwhelms all appreciation for tax-free groceries and secret club-houses at airports. In fact, Little One and I would like to say a few things about this whole stealing-our-J thing. We'd like to say them loudly and with a disgruntled and slightly confrontational tone!! So if you see that Uncle Sam guy around here, well. You might just want to tell Him to watch his back.

Oatmeal Cookie Monster

They say that Oatmeal baths are soothing to eczema...


Little One concurs.

Now we're rolling

Little One, you may recall, hate hate HATES to be on her tummy. Yesterday, She made an amazing discovery, which is that if you want something done right (away), you have to do it yourself. SO much more efficient than howling and kicking and crying until the Universe responds to flip Little One like a pancake, Little One just decided to flip herself. Yep, She rolls! Go Little One!



Look at me!









I'm rollin'....






Ta Da!

Valentine for Little One

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Sugar is sweet and
Life is too

Roses are red
Sugar is sweet
This tiny valentine
Made us complete

Sweeter than chocolates
More lovely than flowers
Precious Little One
We're so glad you're ours!

Does it also cure stolidity?

Little One is a poor thing. Besides the cold-germ disco She's been hosting, She has developed a very angry looking rash all over her sweet, cherubic face. It looks a bit like She has strawberries pasted onto Her head, and it itches. She has been rubbing vigorously at it and squirming and squishing against Her toys, bedding, and me, trying to get the angry rash to leave Her alone, to no avail. So I took Her to the clinic today, despite the fact that Her regular Doctor was not in. We saw Dr. New Guy, instead. This was our actual conversation.

Dr: (bored) So, what brings you here today?
C: Well, I'm worried about this horrible rash she has all over her face. Also, today she has yellow stuff coming out of this puffy eye here.
Dr: (importantly) Ah, yes. She has an eye infection. It's most likely viral; I'm going to give you an antibiotic for that.
C: (confused) ...
Dr: (realizing that I actually know the difference between a virus and a bacteria) Ah...that is, it's most likely viral, but I'm giving her an antibiotic anyways. Just...in case. Put in in the other one too. In case.
C: Oh...k.
Dr: (blinks)
C: Um....and her skin?
Dr: Oh yes! (squints towards Little One) She has a rash.
C: ...Yes. That would be why we came in. What is it?
Dr: Hmmm. Well. Looks like dry skin. I would put some lotion on it.
C: Well, it seems to be bothering her a lot, for being just dry skin, and it's awfully red.
Dr: (shudders) Yeah! Bet it really itches!
C:
Dr: Ah...really good lotion.
C: K. Well, I was a little worried that it might be eczema, because there is a lot of that in my family.
Dr: (squinting again) Uuuhh, ya. Ya it might be that, too. Definitely.
C:
Dr:
C: In which case you would suggest....?
Dr: Well, sure, you should put some steroid cream on it. But don't put it on her face, though.
C: Right. And since most of the rash is, in fact, on her face, you would suggest...?
Dr: lotion?
C:
Dr: Really good lotion.

Four Months

Little One is FOUR months old!
I'm sorry to say that She is celebrating Her birthday with a giant party attended by thousands of nasty germs, but apparently so many were doing the Macarena over here in my body that they got crowded and decided to open up a new venue there at Studio Little One.
Despite the fact that this means Little One and I have agreed that we are not going to do anything other than sniffle and snuggle today, She has made a lot of great accomplishments this month so I will try to jot them down during Her periods of unconsciousness. I figure if She's sleeping next to me while I type in bed, it still counts as cuddling. Oh yes. I'm a mom, I multi-task. Here we go:

Getting Physical
When not subdued by fever, Little One's body is happily growing away. We are now plowing through adorable pink outfits like me at a chocolate buffet. We've removed the newborn inserts from the car seat and stroller, and She's starting to look like a Real Baby.
A bouncing baby, even. Little One has aquired many additions to Her menagerie this month, one of which is a doorway jumper. It's in the basement with the treadmill, so Little One and I like to work out together now. She's a darn good gym buddy, I must say. She's so much fun to watch in that thing, I forget how long we've been down there. Plus there is the extra calorie burning from the giggling, on both our parts.
She's still too tiny for most of the baby seats in Her new toys, but I put Her in there anyways, and She has fun doing this little hula move where she gyrates Herself back and forth in the seat looking like a human metronome. This sort of amounts to vertical sit-ups.
So Her leg and core muscles are ripped. But since tummy time continues to be unacceptable, the bulging biceps are not there yet. She prefers to use the arms for more important things. Like taking the pacifier out of Her mouth, looking to make sure it's still good, and putting it back in. Or reaching for stuff to grab, turn this way and that to study, and bring to Her mouth once She has decided it would look better slobbered on.
Perhaps this new opinion, that everything is better chewed on, is the common ground that led to the intense bonding between Little One and our dog E. Maybe it's the shared love of cuddles, who knows? But the two are clearly fans of each other. Little One seems to enjoy having a big furry snout right up in Her face, and E seems to like having her nose, ears and whiskers yanked or her face pummeled by little baby fists. Sillies.

The Arts
Little One has developed a taste for high culture. She likes to sit in my lap in the morning and read the Washington Post. She is quite adept at playing the "piano" built into Her exersaucer. She continues listening to music and reading books. She likes to turn the pages Herself. She also sometimes thinks that She can tell the story better, and I often hear Her and J trying to talk over each other at story time now. She's pretty into oration in general, actually, and has a lot to tell me about everything. Sometimes the stories are SO funny, She can't get through them without laughing hysterically. Sometimes they are very, very serious and must be told with an expression of grave solemnity. Sometimes they are personal, and directed to either Her toes or the mobile when She is by Herself in Her crib. She's been having lots of talks with Toes, actually, mostly right after She wakes up. Maybe Toes are like Her personal secretary, and they are discussing plans for the rest of the day.

Smarts
Little One is starting to get it. All of it. She's starting to figure out what Her world generally consists of, what's new, what's normal, and what's next. She knows for sure who is Mommy, who is Daddy, and who is Stranger. She will give Stranger a chance and make friends, but only after a few minutes of making it known that She is well aware that there's some new person holding Her and She's NOT fooled.
She knows what sights are normal, and notices if She wakes up somewhere other than Her house or car seat. She knows what sounds are normal, too, which is why the dog can bark like a maniac two inches from Her head, and I can vacuum under crib while She naps, and She doesn't flinch. But if a firetruck goes by with the siren on, or I drop a spoon while cooking, or J sneezes (especially the sneezes) She sounds the Howl alarm so that everyone knows there is something Not Right in the world.
She also knows what comes next in Her day. Getting PJ's on means story time with J is next, and that is exciting! Story time coming to a close means that bed-time is next, and that is not exciting!

Fun Stuff
Little One has a BIG personality. It is getting bigger every day, even faster than the fabulous rolls on Her thighs. She can be a bit sensitive, as we've just discussed. She is also quite studious, and can entertain Herself for pretty long periods of time if She has enough things to look at and explore. She is, as ever, a little love who will do ANYthing hugs and cuddles.
At times She is quite the flirt. When we are out and about Little One likes to give strangers the eye until they sidle up to croon over Her. She reels them in with a big fat grin and a wiggle. Then She gets all coy, burying Her head in Her parent's chest and peeping out with a little smile. To really cement the enamorement of Stranger, She then looks up again, bats at them so She looks like She's waving, maybe gives a gurgle or a coo, and then giggles as if to say, "Gotcha! You thought I was all shy when I hid my face just then but I'm NOT! I want to be FRI-ENDS! Hee Hee!"
She is a girl who knows Her mind. If She wants a nap, She doesn't want a story. If She wants a story, She doesn't want a nap. If, heaven help us, She wants Pacifier, She doesn't want ANYthing else. And She is not easily fooled into accepting substitutions.
She will however forget many an insult if She gets to look in a Magic Duplicating Glass. Because no matter what Little One originally wanted, it is rarely as awesome as this. What could be better than not only another baby (cute one too) but (*look at Magic Glass, look at mommy, look at glass, look at daddy, display expression of delightful epiphany*) TWO mommies and TWO daddies!!!!
Overall Her best adjective currently would be "Smiley", and not just because we've recently discovered that Little One is ticklish. Little One spends a great majority of Her time smiling away. She's even developed a new laugh. The giggle is still generously employed, but She now adds the occasional Great Big Belly Laugh. Which should be bottled and mass-marketed to treat depression.
Yep, in four months Little One has gotten really good at lots of things. But Her most defining achievement has been to perfect the art of being smiley and happy. Which J and I will tell you is (much like the cold germs bar-hopping around here) quite contagious.

Happy Birthday, Little One!

Reporting for Duty

At times, I can be tough. Like the time I ate a demon- possessed pastry in Ethiopia and was pretty sure I was going to die, I didn't even cry. I was just like, "well, that's it for me". Or that time when I had a six pound parasite doing an Alien reenactment by forcing it's way out of my body and I lived to tell the tale (to your chagrin, perhaps).
But there are times I can be a teensy bit less than stoic. The thing is, I hate being sick. Hate. My husband will tell you I have been known to actually hide under the covers and whimper over having a cold. It's just that being sick is so...yucky.
So I already don't ever want to be germ infested. But Little One has gone a step further and made it so that I am not allowed to be sick. Yup. I've learned that Mommies don't get to take sick days. If I stay in bed, who will read the books, shake the rattles, and ensure proper dryness of the booty?
Apparently I forgot to sign up for an understudy. So even though there are party buses full of little microbes shaking their bon-bons all up and down my naso-larangeal passages and doing shots over in the respiratory tract, I am Not Sick. At least, not whimpering.
Little One is going to toughen me right up. Look at this face. Do you see what I'm up against?! Drill. Ser. Geant.