Eleven

First, the answer to the big question: no new teeth this month.  

I wish I could say that that means she's slept through the night 100% of the time, but she still likes to get up in the wee hours now and then.  I don't mind too much though really.  And she does go to bed happily by herself.

Just a little static... 

Naps are getting a bit better.  She still doesn't like going to sleep on her own, but she will usually oblige me by falling asleep with me pretty quickly.  The times I have gotten her to sleep on her own for naps she will wake up after 20 minutes or so, caterwauling.  So at this point I am fine with rocking her to sleep...

(How could I mind this??)

She loves her food.  In fact, she loves it so much she sometimes whines through all of dinner because she is not getting it fast enough.  Favorite foods are still bread, bananas and cheese.  If she sees that I have cheese for her, she will often reject everything until she gets it.  I understand, my girl.  The cheese love is strong in you.

The big event of the month is that she started waving and it is super cute.  Still no clapping, but she has gotten very good at playing peek a book, which is also super cute.  She's also gotten ticklish and giggly and loves to be chased.  She will zoom away on all fours, shrieking.

Other favorite things: books, cars, puzzle pieces and anything she can play peek a book with.  Animals also delight her and she will squeak at them with delight.  This month she and Mr C have been cracking each other up so much and it is fun to watch.  I can't wait until she starts trying to say his name.

I think I can say now that she will say "mama" intentionally these days.  She often says it as she crawls onto my lap at least.  Otherwise she just babbles all day and while she doesn't say words, I think I can hear repeated sounds that she seems to associate with people.  Like in the morning when she hears Mr C or at night when the garage door opens.

What else can I say?  She is just a beautiful baby, with a happy, funny manner.  

And I can't believe she's going to be one in just a few weeks ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Miss and Not

As the weeks go by and the Poppy's inside time draws to a close, I have been making a mental list of things I will miss about these days and other things I won't.  One list is a bit longer than the other...

Things I Won't Miss:

• Barfing in the sink in the morning because of this cough that has plagued me since the Poppy's earliest days.  (Cough --> Gag --> Throw up).  
• The process of rolling over in the bed at night.  I refer to this as "heaving my bulk about."  Related: the process of getting out of bed.  
• Having increasingly fewer options of clothes to wear. 
• Knocking my tummy into things, or being knocked into.
• Heartburnnnnnnn.  Augh.
• This extra weight.
• Not being able to keep up with Boo Boo, especially outside.

Things I Will Miss:

• The daily pokes and prods and tap dances.  Even though they are occasionally painful, watching the Poppy move from the outside--and feeling it on the inside--never gets old to me.
• One on one time with Boo Boo.  I think I will miss this the most, since it will never happen again, ever.  I love having my little buddy around and being able to give him all my attention.  I know I will love having two buddies and he will like having his own little friend, but it's a bit sad also.
• Not having to come up with an excuse to get a milkshake/mac and cheese/fried chicken/anything.  
• Sleeping all night, like a rock.  (Though this will come again so at least it's just temporary.) 

Say, I could really go for a sherbet float ice cream cookie sandwich both milkshake right about now...

Regarding the Poppy

Considering I have less than a week left in the second trimester (*fist pump*), I should probably say something about this wee little sprite we call the Poppy. Let us cast our minds back many months, to last winter/early spring. I was putting laundry away and the thought came to me that there was a baby waiting to come. I knew it was a girl and I knew her name*. But the time wasn't right so she sat down on the bench to wait.

But when the time was right (or WAS it, considering we were getting ready to move? I need to plan the timing better...), she was too. We called her the Poppyseed because that was her size when we found out. I must confess I waffled a little bit on gender predictions, but I will also say the waffling didn't start until we thought of a really good boy name, ha. Her name was shortened to the Poppy once we knew she was a girl (high fives, Intuition), and she has been growing like a weed lo these many months.  

So how is the second time around, you ask?  Well, in many ways it's an exact deja vu of last time.  Barfing, exhaustion, heartburn, general grossness, a serious lack of motivation, constant starvation, constant desire for mac and cheese. Everything except the heartburn let up around week 20, but there are always ups and downs. 

What can I tell you about the Poppy?  Well, like the Speck she wants food all the time. She also moves all the time, all over. Up, down, this side, that side, in the back, up front.  All over. If the heartburn is any indication, she will be born looking like Rapunzel.  And that's the extent of my intuition.

The only other point of significance is that the placenta is really low, right on the edge of blocking the exit (so to speak).  So we've had two ultrasounds now, with a third scheduled to see if it's going to move (the doctor is hopeful). If it doesn't, it means another c-section, which is fine--I mean, healthy baby is the first priority, but it's kind of a bummer as I was planning on a VBAC. But it's out of my hands either way. So I will hope along with the doctor and watch the Poppy squirm all over for another ultrasound (all over).

So, that is the status of the Poppy!  She wiggles, she pokes, she tap dances, she looks like an alien from the outside.  Since we have less than three months to go (!), after the holidays there will be room painting and blanket making and projects galore!  That will be the fun part.  Mostly because I don't have to do the actual painting. 

*It's Hepzibah. Of COURSE.

A Hobbit-y Halloween

(First off, can I just say how cute Babycakes was last Halloween?  So little!  So cute!)

Months ago I had a plan for Halloween costumes this year.  Then I realized it would be better and cuter if we had a second baby to fill a role so we pushed that to next year.  So what to do this year?  It seemed the time was right for Boo Boo to be a little Frodo, with Drew as Samwise.  As for me, well, when I made my Care Bears shirt, one of my other ideas was to do a shirt with the Eye of Sauron on it.  Hilarious! I cackled about the idea for about a month before actually working on the costumes.

I spent a week making them, and what can I say, they turned out even better than I expected!  Then we got this group photo and Babycakes made this face. 

(I must confess his expression reminds me of myself as a child, especially in one particular sibling portrait.  Family, I think you know which one I'm talking about.)

I made both the cloaks, plus the little vest (Eep, buttonholes!) and hemmed up both pants.  I used this tutorial for the little cloak and this pattern for the big one.  I had to lengthen Sam's and I used flannel instead of felt so I finished all the edges.  I think I spent half the time measuring hems, which is my least favorite part EVER about sewing.  But, like I said, I love how they turned out so I can't really complain.  I made the Eye in Photoshop.  Hey, let's look at pictures:

We took some pictures outside and Frodo went straight to the village of Bree.

Fortunately, he loves wearing capes!

It will probably come as no surprise that I already had a Ring and the brooches were found on ebay for about $1 each.

The cutest of hobbits!

 

New favorite pictureeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

"What's that over there...Mordor?"

(Hobbits are always careful about steps)

On a quest!

 

This distracted expression brought to you by the mail truck.

"What's that over there...Mordor?"

Hilarious!

Portrait of a Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Month Old

Sometimes I get behind in blogging and then it just seems so HARD to do any kind of catching up.  But catch up I shall!  Then I can finally blog about other things like, you know, the house.  If you just skim through for the pictures, well, I shan't blame you.

(I will try to keep the pictures chronological, to best show his growing)

Since my last update on Babycakes, lo, those many moons ago, he has been hard at work at learning and doing just about everything.  He took his first steps on Memorial Day and he quickly got the hang of it.  There was no looking back and now he's running.  Sometimes he falls right on his face but that never seems to phase him at all. 

He loves to eat and while he doesn't always eat what we want him to (--->steamed vegetables), he is generally accepting of foods.  His day still begins with inhaling a banana at a somewhat alarming pace.  Other favorites include avocados, graham crackers, bread of any kind and corn on the cob (the cob part is essential).  

On the non-solids front, he weaned himself over the last month or two, mostly by loud protests, and on September 10th, he declared himself done with any and all nursing.  

Other things he declared himself done with over the last few months: taking two naps, being rocked to sleep for naps or bed and being rocked period.  I'm glad I never stressed much about rocking him to sleep because now he won't, but I get to remember all those many times he fell asleep on me and it was so cute.  Who knows if future babies will be so snuggly?  Now he likes to get in bed immediately and just goes to sleep.

(This is the longest he's ever worn these.  Notice how the hands are restrained...)

Lately he has been trying out some little tantrums when he is frustrated or mad at things not going his way.  It is sometimes frustrating for me that I can't just explain to him why it's not cool to play with the plunger, but it is also kind of amusing to watch him instantly throw himself to his knees and thence to his tummy to wail.  It doesn't usually last long and doesn't happen outside the house, which is probably why I can call it amusing.

(Side note: new kitchen!)

His vocabulary still seems a bit on the smaller side to me (what do I know), but I think it only seems that way because he never wants to USE the words that I know he can say.  But he is starting to be more interested in saying things and copying sounds we say.  And I will say that he knows his fair share of animal noises, including: lion/tiger/dinosaur, dog, owl, bee, snake, horse, sheep, elephant, fish.  I think I am forgetting some....   

In general he is becoming more interested in the world all the time.  He is always exploring and wandering around the house, pulling things out, putting things in particular places and stacking things up.  

(Just taking some condiments for a ride.)

He's not super into climbing, which is fine with me, but he always enjoys being high up and getting a wider view of the world.  Dirt is another favorite thing and he will dig it in for as long as you let him.  Oh, and I should note he still has just seven teeth, with no sign of anymore coming in, though he's been drooling like a fiend for weeks and weeks.

(Note the little line of drool.)

(He created this little kitchen himself.)

(Any time's a good time to wear the whale towel!)

Some days he seems so big and grown up, in a manner of speaking, but other times he still seems very much like a baby, babbling and rolling around the floor.  He is a delight and after going through pictures for this post, I am amazed at how much he really has grown since he turned one.  In fact, here are some quick stats for the record:  At 12 months he was 30.5 in. (72%) and 20.63 lbs (17%) and his head was 18.8 in. (85%) and at about 15 months he was 33 in. (93%), 22.93 lbs (26%) and his head was 18.9 in. (73%).  

Okay, now let's just look at some more pictures. 

(See?  Any time.)