A time for milestones

My six-month, 24-day old son has now learned to clap his hands. He's about 2 months ahead of where his sister was on this development. He has also (for about 2 weeks now) been rolling over from back to front. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite learned to roll the other way consistently, so he frequently rolls over in the middle of the night and gets frustrated because he cannot roll back. Persistent grunting turns into crying, and that means I get to leave my warm comfy bed (sometimes SEVERAL TIMES) during the night. Part of that could also be teething-related; something he's also doing a couple months in advance of his sister, who got her first tooth at 8 months.

We've also begun trying solids. Apart from the oatmeal and rice cereal the pediatrician recommended for iron supplementation, he's now tasted squash (and LOVED it), carrots (which stain worse than blood - I recommend getting Shout! or another stain remover), peas, and green beans (which he equally detests). He has also had applesauce (and I'm not sure if he really likes it because he makes the same "yuck" face he makes with green veggies). Still, he's a super kid and continues to eat it despite the "yuck" face. Unfortunately, with solids comes the end of those cute breast-fed baby poops. They aren't horrifying yet, but they will be getting worse and worse as the consistency of the foods he tries increases.

My three-year, 8-month-old daughter can write nearly all the letters of the alphabet on her Magna-doodle. She talks herself through the process, which is not only adorable, but also lets us know what type of learner she is. Saying things aloud while doing them means she is an auditory learner. Just like her daddy! "So the P is a line down, and a loop on the side!"

Naps continue to be a struggle with her, but she managed to take one 3 days in a row at our daycare provider's home. The provider did a mock-phone call to us as a fear inducer. She really wants to please us, so she went right to sleep. I think this only had to be done once, with reminders the next two days ("Remember, I will call Mommy and Daddy to tell them you aren't sleeping..."). Of course, she knows that if she DOES sleep, she gets to watch one of her favorite cartoons when she gets home, before dinner. As parents, we actually HATE it when we can't reward her for making good choices. The cartoon thing is also a way to keep her occupied while we make dinner in the evening. Of course, our little girl does love to help. And helping is perfectly okay for a 3 1/2-year-old to handle.

She can set the table (one dish at a time), place out the silverware, take empty cups over, etc. After dinner, she helps with clean-up. Now that she is no longer terrified of our Dust-Buster, we let her use it to get the crumbs off our hardwood floor under the table each night. Usually it's her mess anyway. She also helps clear the dishes (she's still too short to place items in the sink, and letting her throw them in has already ended in 2 broken dishes) - she brings them to one of us, who is already sink-side.

Starting them early on routine house maintenance and the concepts of cleaning up what we mess up will help keep us from having an infuriating teen-ager who does nothing. At least, that's the hope!

Babbling

Pregnancy seems like a lifetime ago. My baby will be five months old in a mere 6 days. She was so small and you could easily cuddle her completely within your arms. Now an arm or leg tends to dangle beyond my embrace. Sometimes she pulls my hair or pinches my flesh (the non-muscular part just above the elbow on the back of the arm, for example). Sometimes she slaps me in the face or scratches my eyes. She's going to be the devil incarnate someday. For now, she's a sweet little angel and I can't get enough of her.

Tonight when I put her to bed, she "talked" to herself for no less than an hour. I think she finally passed out about fifteen minutes ago. She babbles, coos, giggles, belly-laughs, grins, drools, chews, and does something that sounds like a heavy breather on the other end of a phone line. She also does that noise that young Forrest does when his principal leaves his home after some school-admission coitus with Mommy. She keeps us laughing all the time.

These are some milestones:
1. Laughed aloud.
2. Rolled over (completely by accident, four times in a row, and not since).
3. Held head up while on tummy.
4. Took a few pretty nasty face-bumps while on tummy... but survived.
5. Copied Mom and Dad sticking out their tongues and making noises.
6. Giggled when tickled.
7. Smiled for the camera (and now will not STOP being a ham in front of one).
8. Scooted in reverse (only once).
9. Kicked so hard the crib dropped down to the lowest level (this was scary, and the crib manufacturer should put out a warning).
10. Went to daycare and did super.
11. Had some photos taken by someone OTHER than relatives.
12. Flew to NC.
13. Rode 10 hours in a car over 2 days and didn't squall.
14. Was able to ride face-out in the front carrier.
15. Learned some cause-and-effect (i.e., if I push this button, animal noises come out).

These are just a few. We're so proud, as if you couldn't tell. Maybe if life stops being so... dominating... I can post more about postpartum stuff. Here's a picture for now. Not super-recent, but she's so sweet and dreamy I couldn't resist.