Singin'

Mabel makes lots of sounds now-- some almost seem to carry a melody, as if she's delighting us with a song. She's very into the "mmm" sound, and also likes hard "g" and "b". Her choice of when to be most vocal often cracks me up. For example, she makes tons of happy sounds when having her diaper changed and when rolling around on the couch. She's also laughing a real hearty giggle much more often than before. Who knew my sticking out my tongue or J's off- note singing would be so funny? Guess she's easy to please. Sometimes she just grips our faces and laughs. She's also now raking things with her fingers, and can pull and pick at things that she really has to reach for with fine motor coordination. Playtime on her mat now has to be constantly monitored, as she rolls and scoots and ends up quite far from where we originally rest her. Mabel has become quite an eater, devouring sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, peaches, green beans, squash, and... her newest accomplishment... meat, such as a lovely puréed turkey and sweet potato combo. The solids have been agreeable to her, though it took her a few days to get used to the new kind of shiz that solids create. I knew we were knee- deep into parenthood when Mabel was red and screaming on her changing pad and J and I were standing over her, comforting her while she pushed a shiz out-- diaper open, and we were quite literally watching the shiz emerge. It was so sad to see her in pain, and we needed to know that sucker was gonna make its exit. I didn't thnk I'd ever have it in me to watch poop fall. I'm thankful that most times on her changing pad, she's singing :)

No Pattern Will Ever Hold

The title of this post is comprised of the worthy and valuable words my friend C gave me the other day in regards to child- rearing. I'd been bitching about Mabel's newest move-- the 3AM wake-up and holler. Good times. The frustrating part is that she HAD been sleeping through the night-- in fact, she started sleeping through on April 25. But, since then, she's actually done stints: a few weeks of through the night, and then a streak of not. It's been frustrating, but in doing a ton of reading (books, blogs, message boards, websites), I've come to learn that Mabel is actually in the majority. Most babies experience some sort of wakefulness period at some point or points. I have an entirely new level of respect for working moms--- as the product of a working mom, I've always known how hard it is, but being up in the middle of the night has made me see things through an even clearer lens. As of right now, if I don't sleep well, I can shut my eyes when Mabel goes for a nap the following day. But soon I will be at work and I am already afraid of my tiredness. J is great and shares these duties with me, but, sadly, I wake up and can't seem to settle myself until she is back to sleep, even on his nights. Conveniently, Mabel goes back to sleep very, very easily. She seems to want a bit to eat, and then passes right back out. Some of the "experts" out there claim that if you run in with a bottle, a 5- or 6-month- old, who is sophisticated enough to be strategic, will just cry all the time, knowing you will rush in. Yet, at the 3AM wake- up, she appears truly hungry. She goes down at 8, so that's 6.5 hours she has made it, and I guess I shouldn't be so hard on her. We've tried all the trendy stuff- the dream feed, the hazy feed, the bulking up on solids before bed. The poor thing just can't make it past 3:00. The other option is Ferberizing, but I am not there yet in terms of doing it at a gosh- awful time in the night.   J and I need our sleep too, and going in with a few sips from a buh- buh seems ways easier than hearing her scream it out. We have adopted whine- it- out for naps, which Mabel has done well with; she can definitely self- soothe. Soooo... maybe this a growth spurt. She also appears to have a tooth starting up way down in that gum. We shall see. For now, C's advice is utterly helpful-- no pattern ever holds, and just when your think you've got a pattern down, she will change it up on you. Expecting this to happen has helped me. And poor sweet Mabel, your mom is an awful sleeper. I will do what I can to help you to be a heavy and peaceful sleeper like your dad. You're waking only once per night- this really isn't too horrible.   And your cute little mug greeting me in the morning makes all this crap way easier.

Fun in the summah sun

Mabel will be 5 months old this weekend. Recently, Mabel has been enjoying the summer sun via pool, beach, and yard. She's got a neat dome that we can plop her in and she remains shaded and also blocked from bugs. Mabel and I have spent some time sitting in the yard- which she tolerates for about 45 minutes. I can't blame her- I wouldn't want to be covered in 60 SPF AND thrown in a dome AND stuck in generally one position, unable to sit up unassisted yet. We've also gone to the pool here, at my parents' house, and at Mabel's uncle's. She's been a good water rat and I am just counting us lucky that her swim diaper has held up and we don't see a brown surprise exiting into the shallow end. I would die. I mean, who really knows if these swim diapers work, but for now, she hasn't had the urge to shiz while swimming- phew! Her most notable milestone at this week is the starting of solid foods. We put her on rice cereal a couple weeks ago, but for the past three days, she has encountered the delight of puréed sweet potatoes-mmmm! Truthfully, they are not terrible, to which I can attest after spilling some and lapping it up from my hand. Classy mom! We are now way more into bibs than ever before as we attempt NOT to get orange ickies on her sweet little outfits. This is where I wonder why people buy super- expensive duds for the bambinos. At some point, that baby food gets unwieldy and cumbersome! It's been quite fun to watch Mabel actually eat- and grin in the process--- that formula must get pretty flipping boring after a while, and variety is the spice of life! Some time- markers: loves the Sesame Street songs sung by Cookie Monster, Grouch, and Elmo (on her wooden toy); is making quite a range of sounds; is so mobile that we have to strap her into her bouncy chair and swing; is very well behaved and quiet in the car (just sits and watches trees and cars); can grip and grasp at finer/ smaller things than before; pulls at things above her (on playmat, in swing, etc); tucks both lips in and makes the cutest "mmmmmm" sound i have ever heard; laughs heartily :)

Mabel at Quatro

Mabel is four months old today. I took her to the beach yesterday. She did well- seemed to like the ocean water and the sand. But I couldn't help but notice what a different sort of beach experience it was. I think gone are the days of reading a book and relaxing. Still, I was so glad to introduce Mabel to the beach, as both her parents are fans and are going to want to keep acclimating her to fun in the sand and surf. The best part was that she slept and didn't make a peep for either 60- minute car ride. When we got home, it was bath tme. Mabel must have wanted me not to get TOO comfortable, so she decided to, for the first time ever, pee all over me the second I removed her diaper. Good times. I guess she just couldn't contain her excitement about tub time! We're in the midst of a heat wave and while the beach was pretty neat, we are spending today enjoying a little household joy called central air. And, i must admit, I may or may not be watching The Kardashians on demand. That Kris Jenner- Yikeroos!

The Sh*t Has Hit the Shirt

It officially happened.  I went out in public with shiz on my shirt.  I had to know this occurrence would be likely pretty soon, as Mabel's shizzes have become more plentiful and, um, powerful, let's say.  She has managed to ruin a couple of her onesies, and a few pajamas have fallen victim as well.  Generally speaking, though, we do a good job around here of keeping everything contained and clean.  The occasional poop- through is inevitable with a baby, but what was strangely surprising was seeing poop on my lovely hunter- green top when I was already in the car-- too late to do anything about it.  The only remedy at my fingertips was a pack of pacifier wipes; I tried vigorously to remove or lessen the mark that the Mighty Shiz God had bestowed upon my clothing, but the weak, organic, baby- safe paci wipe was no match.  Its poopy foe had won the battle, and there I was with its emblem, right smack on the middle of my shirt while speaking with a woman whom I don't know all that well.  What does one do-- make a joke?  I went with "Don't say anything at all and maybe she wont notice."  I'm sure the sweet lady did, in fact, notice, but maybe she could have convinced herself it was a sauce from cooking or something.  I'm still a little befuddled because on this particular day, and with this particular shiz, we didn't have an explosive moment.  It was, rather, pretty tame.  I guess, though, these things are rites of passage.  Yay, me!  Momhood! It reminds me of the Sex and the City episode (yes, don't mind if I do make a reference to that yet again) when Miranda edns up with baby shiz on her forehead and Steve has to tell her so.  Now that'll be a fun day!

In cleaner news, Mabel is grasping at everything.  She moves her teeny little fingers all over her toys and animals.  It's rather sweet.  And her newest move in the land of mobility is scooting around and upward in her sleep.  I find her in the crib in the morning far from where I planted her.  This morning she was looking up at me with a sinister little smirk, like, "Hee- hee, wouldn't YOU like to know how I manuevered this?!" At least these days she can't stand up or try to wiggle her way OUT of said crib. 

She's down for a nap as I type this.  We've started the "whine it out" mode for naps.  I used to coddle and rock her until she fell into a deep slumber.  In reading and speaking with friends, I decided she's old enough to start learning the self- soothing process.  Now, Mom- police, I wouldn't let her scream- cry it out.  This is just that "I'm soooo tired" whine, and within ten minutes she's out like a light.  Go Mabel!  You are becoming so independent, and Mom and Dad appreciate it!

Grippin' and Rollin'

Mabel is hard at work as of late on some of her motor skills. She is grasping lots of things with her hands- from rattles to rings to our fingers-- and quite often my hair, which feels lovely. But watching her figure out how to hold things is very cool; she starts by putting her hand on something and then very carefully and mindfully navigates the positioning of her fingers for optimal grippage. She used to lie on her playmat and look above, marveling at the zoo animals hanging from the hoops; now, she holds those same zany animals and pulls at them while smiling with pride. But her big milestone is rolling over, which happened once Thursday, once Friday, and again last night. We position her on her tummy, elbows tucked so she can enjoy her baby gym or some tummy time on her mat, and thrice now, we've looked over and she's on her back! I've tried to get her to roll on command (I feel like I'm talking about a dog now), as I hold the video camera, but, alas, she isn't down with audiences. At any rate, she's practicing her new move here and there!

Tres!

Mabel turned 3 months old on Tuesday the 22nd.  3 months-- where has the time gone?  The funny thing is that I now almost can't remember what life was like when we first brought her home-- which probably means I should have started blogging right away.  Anyway, I barely remember life pre- her smiles and sounds and kicks and punches.  It's hard to believe that for a while she was just a little lump who lay there waiting to be tended to, and needed feedings about every 2.5 hours.  Now we've got a little munchkin who can, for the most part, sleep through the night, and who can sit here on the couch watching "Live with Kelly" with me as I type this.  So cool!  It's truly amazing how fast they grow-- their brains and their bodies.  I brought Mabel into work the other day again because I have got quite a few things to do there; she did splendidly.  Allowing her mom to get work done, she sat in her Bumbo and took up the sights and sounds around here-- she even smiled for some co- workers.  The best part was watching her react to a class full of "big kids."  They were, as most kids are, very excited to meet a baby, but she was silently overwhelmed and just sat in her chair gape- mouthed.  It was hilarious-- and very cute.  Happy 3 months, Mabs!