<<mmmm, brains>>

Wow, what an amazing 6 months you’ve had, my little Loo.

You are jibber-jabbering up a storm now! The last time I counted, you had about 75 words in your vocabulary. You are regularly putting words together into mini sentences, too. “Bye bye, Dada!”, “No, mine!”, “I, too!” are heard regularly.

It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, if you see we’re talking to Sophie or giving her anything, you’ll come stomping up: “I, too!”. It’s gotten pretty funny at this point. Maybe I should try this to get you to take your medicine.

You try so hard to run, but it is still a crazy, hopping, wobbly bit of happy chaos. I spend a lot of time cringing when you decide you’re going to go somewhere fast. You LOVE to stand at one end of a room and count out: “Un! Two! Un! Go!” and then take off “running” to the other side of the room.

“Mine!” is also a favorite word. If I want you to go to Daddy because I need to do something else, and you are clinging to me? Sometimes I can say: “My Daddy!” and then you’ll run over to him and cling to him and say: “My Dada!”

You also have a very clever sense of humor. And you get my sense of humor, which is a lot of fun. Fun that you get it, I mean. I’ll hold your shoes and ask: “Do these go on my head?” and you’ll laugh and say “noooo!” in a funny voice. It’s a game that gets a lot of play.

You are a joy. You wake up ecstatic. You smile at everyone. You laugh ALL the time. You love being tickled and hiding and having us find you. You LOVE Sophie and you are now calling her “Dodo!” First thing in the morning, you want to go to Sophie’s room. “‘Allo, Dodo!” with a huge grin on your face. It’s contagious.

You two battle in the car, I’m not going to lie. Especially when you’re both tired. Your seats are probably too close together at the moment and you’ve figured out that you can fling your foot over the side to touch Sophie. And that, reliably, she’ll scream “Livvie!” and you cackle with joy that she’s looking at you. It’s very annoying, but also fun to hear because it sounds like family to me. You’ll also fling food and water at her and bite her fingers (her fault, honestly, for putting them near your Honey Badger mouth).

We had swimming lessons this summer – you and me in the parent/child class and then Sophie in the next age group up. The pool was always cold and it was close to your naptime and you just barely tolerated it. And then as soon as you got out, you’d keep saying “wawa!” and want to get back in. Crazy kid. You LOVE splashing in the water in the bath and in the kiddie pool in our backyard.

You are a joy, a sprite, a trouble-maker, a destructor-monkey, a Honey Badger, and a giggle-fuss. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Love,

Mama

Well, I’m a day late this time. Also, I realize I didn’t write a 10 month recap. I’m very sorry about that. Christmas hit and then a couple of blizzards and the time just got away from me.
Since we last checked in, you had one new tooth on the top. There are now FOUR on the top in addition to the two you already had on the bottom. It’s amazing how teeth transform a baby’s mouth. Also, all the top teeth decided to show themselves in a single week. Poor thing. But now they’re here! And you’re all toothy grins!
You are now cruising along the furniture and taking tentative steps toward us. You also got a little walking wagon thing from your Grandma Louise for Christmas and you took to it immediately. I was sure it was going to take a while before you were walking behind it, but by the end of Christmas day, you were doing laps down her hallways with everyone cheering you on.
Photos by Sophie, using her new camera:


In preparation for walking, you are fully enjoying standing next to things and then letting go with a flourish. You’ll stand there with your arms out in front of you with the biggest grin I’ve ever seen. SO proud of yourself. I bet it feels amazing to be standing on your own two feet for the first time. A taste of freedom! You are also happy to zombie-walk holding our hands but are not quite confident to take those steps by yourself.

You sparkle and grin and laugh and squeal with delight. You follow Karl the cat around and pull on him and take his toys and he tolerates all of it. You are now saying “Up!” and “Uh Oh!” and “Daddy!” and sometimes what sounds like “Mama”. I’m willing to concede that “Daddy” was your first word because you snuggle with me all night long, kneading me with your little toes while you nurse. And it fills me with such contentment and purpose and calm.
You are a snuggle bean. A Livvy-Loo, a moofer-doo, a wiggle monkey. Bean, Loodle, Boodle, Mayhem.
We love you. I can’t wait to see what you figure out this month.

Wow, I’m late this month.
Little Olivia Bean, you’ve been sick for about 3 weeks now. What started as a mild cold: runny nose, no fever, was almost completely gone when I took you in for your 9-month check-up last week. Two vaccines later (dTap and Polio) and it was all downhill. You headed into the Thanksgiving weekend with a couple days of 103-degree fevers, yellow/green snot, coughing, possible pink eye, and all around miserableness.
We took you to the doctor’s the day after Thanksgiving only to find out you were sick, yes, but he couldn’t give us anything except for a pink eye prescription that we could have on hand if you actually developed pink eye. So lots of hugs, clinginess, crying, crankiness, hard time sleeping, coughing yourself awake later, you’re still a bit sick but at least the fever finally broke on Saturday. And then I discovered you were covered with what I call a fever-breaking rash. Also, your mouth decided this was a great time to introduce a new tooth (on the left, on the top).
Whew.
Leading into all of that was a great month of discoveries for you. Crawling! Beebling! Saying “Dada!” Pointing at things! Dancing! Clapping!
We bought a couple of baby gates that extend across the wide living room doorways. We’ve installed one so far that at least impedes your obsession with the stairs. You love crawling into the kitchen, eyes sparkling with mischief, to sneak up on us. Lucky for us not wanting to step on you, you haven’t perfected the art of stealth, as you gleefully slap and shriek along the way.
So much jibber-jabbering and shrieking and all around happiness from one little girl. We’ll take the momentary sickness if we get more of the sunshine.
We love you little Bean. Olivia, Livvy, Bean, Toots, Whomper, Loodle, Smeech, Booner, Livver-butts, Wiggle-bean.
Dancing:

Beebling:

Clapping:

Shrieking:

*edited to add more as I ruminated on you last night.
This will be short for now, my sweet poodle-toots. And bereft of photos until I manage to get them off the camera. Sophie’s fifth birthday is Friday and I still have a lot of things to get ready – cookies baked and decorated for her class, cupcakes baked and frosted for her party, gift bags to organize and create, presents to wrap…
Anyhoo, this does not mean we love you any less. In fact, it’s the opposite. You are just simply amazing. The smile that lights the room? Check. The wiggliest wiggles in all of wiggle-land? Check. The ALMOST crawling if only you could figure out what to do once you’re balancing on your knees? Check. The scooching all around on your tush because EVERYTHING is so fascinating, especially THATTHING that’s over there and, oh yeah, THATTHING there, too, that’s the most fascinating thing you’ve ever seen, if only you could reach it and put it in your mouth… It’s all so absolutely wonderful (and exhausting) to watch.
In watching videos of you at seven months, it’s clear how much you’ve grown this month. Not only in size, but you seek out eye contact, you want to sit up more than you are willing to lay down (and you shriek at the indignity of laying down). This sitting up development means that the bald patch at the back of your head is starting to grow in! Your hair is a light brown at the moment and your eyes are still undeclared. Sort of gray, sort of green, with flecks of brown in certain light. Daddy calls them “grayzelnut”.
Another charming thing you do that I forgot to mention last month. If you are lying next to one of us, you have to fling your chubby little feet on us. It’s adorable and your feet are so grabby and chubby and I just love this little quirk about you.
We’re starting to feed you more solid foods, gradually. Based on my own research, I’ve discovered that babies can’t digest carbs very effectively until they are at least a year old. Bananas are great because they contain the enzymes needed to digest, but things like wheat and rice and other starches can wreak havoc on your system. So, we’re sticking to some fruits, veggies, egg yolks, mashed up steak, chicken, beef broth…and more breast milk. I bought some little frozen pop makers that are shaped like little jewels. Really for Sophie but then never got around to making them this summer with juice. So I filled a few with breast milk and, wow, do you like them. They are easy for you to hold and they keep you occupied while I’m trying to get things done around the kitchen.

We’re on our toes trying keeping ahead of you. You spot things we’ve missed and you’re over grabbing them before we realize. We’ve been lax so far on officially baby-proofing but it’s suddenly getting more urgent. We’ve been trying to coach Sophie on the things she can’t play with around you as you’ll grab them faster than we realize. It’s frustrating for you that we keep moving such very INTERESTING things out of your grasp and hard for Sophie because she’s had five years of having the reign of the house.
More screeching suddenly this month, too. More indignant crying when we try to change you or put you down when you want to be held or when we sit you up when you want to lay down or when we lay you down when you want to sit up. And I get it, I do. You’re very aware of us and yourself right now and you want things to be a certain way. Until you can tell us the specifics, it’s going to be a rough ride, isn’t it? Luckily, the screeching is really a tiny percentage of your otherwise cheerful, happy, laughing, mischievous self. You even initiated and played peek-a-boo with the woman behind us in line at Trader Joe’s. This is when things get really fun – when you start playing games and reacting to us and others around you.
You had your first babysitter, my mom, the other night when Daddy and I went to Sophie’s school’s parents’ night. It went mostly well. We got home around 8 and you were up and crying and my mom was trying to read to Sophie and hold your wiggly, frustrated self. We had told her not to worry about trying to get either of you asleep. Once I gathered you up and Daddy got Sophie in bed, my mom and I went downstairs with you and then you were all smiles and giggles and flirting and reaching for her. So, separation anxiety is rearing its ugly head, eh? That’s okay, too. I understand. The world is all of a sudden much bigger to you and you need a grounding point. I’m more than happy to be there for you. You are giving great hugs and snuggles and you are soclose to saying “Dada” and “Mama” – definitely making those noises and sometimes what sounds like “cat”, too.
Daycare is going better and Daddy says you genuinely seem happy to be dropped off there in the morning. You and the other two little girls seem to be getting along great despite waves of jealousy. The eating is going better and the napping is going better on most days. You are at the beginning of another “Wonder Weeks” leap, so all bets are off, though.
We love you Smooches, Toots, Livvie, Poodle, Bean, Squishy-tush, Loo Loo, Mooper.

Seven months! Where is the time going?
I’m starting to get repetitive here, but seriously, my little Loo, you sparkle. Smiles that light rooms and a cheery good nature that could melt anyone’s grumpiest mood. How anyone could resist you is beyond me.
This has been a big month for you and for all of us. The Summer-with-Daddy has ended and everyone’s off to their separate corners of life. Daddy’s back teaching and studying, Sophie started kindergarten at her new school, and you started daycare. You’re with the same woman Sophie shared her time with when she was younger. It’s been a hard transition for you. The first short week had lots of bouts of crying and not eating and being sad. She said you’d be playing quietly and then just start crying, like you suddenly realized where you were. You’re also not taking the bottle while you’re there and that’s frustrating for everyone. We’ve given instructions to give mashed bananas mixed with breast milk and/or apple sauce to tide you over and that works, to a point. You’re voracious when you get home. And you’ve been nursing all night long. While I love that you’re saving yourself up for me, it’s also starting to get exhausting. I’m hoping that this is just a phase (this too shall pass, this too shall pass), and I’m willing to help you out as long as you continue to snuggle and smile and babble at me. If only I could bottle up some of your happy and rub it on the bags under my eyes…
Last week was better and they actually saw you smile a bunch and they got you giggling, so we hope you’re getting used to things. There are two other little girls under the age of one and one tiny boy under the age of two. It will be interesting to see how you all grow up together.
There is a lot of chatter. Playing around with lots of new noises and babbling and squealing. Beebling, as Daddy calls it. And a new one that sounds a bit like…well, it’s hard to describe. Like you found something amusing and you’re making amusement noises…I’ll have to figure out how to describe it better. Anyhoo, it makes us laugh as does most things about you.
So much activity! Rolling and wiggling and sitting up really well. Grabbing at EVERYTHING – we have another octopus on our hands. Bouncing and reaching. Everything is incredible interesting and if only I could just hold it in my hands and CHEW on it, life would be even better. We’ve removed the bars from the gym because all you want to do is sit up and reach for things. You’ll do a full split reaching for something in front of you. It’s amazing. Your balance improves by miles every day. And you’ve recently started to realize the fun of wrestling with Daddy and Sophie before bedtime.
Speaking of chewing and gnawing (gnarring, as we call it) and, oh, the drooling: there are now TWO teeth poking through! The first one we discovered just this Sunday morning and then later you smiled at me from the stroller and I saw the second one. Nicely done, Bean!
Until I get photos off the camera, here is a recent video in which you crack yourself up. Blocks are so incredibly funny, apparently, that you just cannot catch your breath. Also, it may sound like you are crying at first, but no, you are just a chuckler.

One of my friends made a comment about her daughter making sunshine redundant. The same exact statement could be made about you.
We love you, Toodles.
Toots, Poodle, Toodles, Bean, The Bean, Moo, Liver-tude, Beebles, Livvy, Smoochle, Boops.

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And, because I seem to only be updating once a month, here’s what’s happening in family news:
As mentioned earlier, Sophie started kindergarten at her new school. It is a private school, so they were willing to let her in before her fifth birthday. She is LOVING it. Great environment, very supportive; she is flourishing. Her class is called Primes and it is made up of kindergarten and first-graders. Lots of cooperative activities and exploring. It reminds me of “Sid the Science Kid” a bit. With a Montessori vibe.

We also adopted a new kitty. Or, rather, he adopted us. Karl Friedrich Cupcake Flower Blossom Houdini Barth Vader.
Houdini because he keeps escaping his collar. Barth (how Sophie pronounces Barf because she thinks it ends in “th”) Vader because he barfed in Sophie’s room this morning.


He’s a very sweet little guy and so incredibly unplussed by both Sophie carrying him around everywhere and you grabbing onto him when he gets too close. He loves to hang out with Sophie and follows her everywhere; sleeping on her bed at night and waking her up way too early by licking her face and hair.
I realized I should add something about me, too. I’ve been following the Primal Blueprint since the end of June and I feel fantastic. I’m now about 10 pounds lighter than I was before I became pregnant. With either of you girls. It’s definitely something with which I’m going to stick. I’m also feeling much stronger. I can do 10 really solid push-ups when I used to maybe be able to do 3 if I pushed through the pain and trembling. And I can do lots and lots of squats. Love them, actually. I’m working on getting to where I can do a handstand push-up. Still working on that, though.
Daddy is still studying judo and jiu jitsu. He’s in really good shape. He’s convinced he needs to be ready for when you two are older and start dating.
It’s been a month of transitions and everyone seems to be making it through okay.

Happy Half Year Birthday!

Well, what to add about this month? You’re sitting up! And you only rarely fall over. Even when sitting on our bed. And then you mostly fall forward now and not backwards because you are a reachy, grabby little bean. Everything should be yours for the taking and you get a little upset if we don’t let you touch something. You also love the tags on your toys. Sophie never did. We even got her one of those blankets with the tags all over it? Yeah, she ignored it. You, however? It is FASCINATING. You patiently try to pinch and hold onto the tags with your chubby little fingers.
Still very smiley and lovely. We (me, you, Sophie, and Grandma Weezie) went to the town block party this past weekend. Once again, you were enthralled by all the people and the excitement. So much so that you fell asleep just as the fire truck went blaring by in the parade. Sophie and my mom walked in the parade and Sophie is very excited by the idea that next year you might walk with her, too.
Speaking of your sister – your smiles and giggles when Sophie comes into a room are priceless. We are all in trouble when you figure out how to crawl because we see you eyeing all of Sophie’s tiny little toys and shiny baubles and trinkets.
You are very close to crawling. Tummy time isn’t such a horrible thing any more and you can pivot yourself around and roll toward your targets. Another one who will have to watch out is Fiona. That black kitty is so EXCITING.
The summer with Daddy is almost over. It’s been hard for him on some days because you’ve figured out my schedule and you don’t eat very much during the day with him. You’re hungry and you’re tired but you barely eat and it takes a while to get you to sleep. Unless you are in the car. Gazing lovingly at Sophie. The night time wake-ups with me have gotten a bit fewer and farther between, thankfully. But they are sometimes marathons and I’m glad your Daddy convinced me to nurse you girls in bed because I can doze off and not have to worry about falling out of a chair or dropping you.
I loved nursing your sister in bed and sleeping next to her because we could snuggle up and get comfy. It is no different with you. You are a warm, snuggly bean. When you nurse, you fling your very chubby, warm leg up on me and make sure your toes are touching me. You do this with Sophie and Daddy when we’re in bed reading books, too. It’s like you aren’t satisfied unless your toes are on us. You do the same when you’re on your back holding a new toy. Your feet have to hold it, too. Very sweet. I love holding your feet in my hand and I love how much like a marshmallow you are.
No words yet, but you do like to hear yourself chatter. Most nights, we can get you to sleep by 9-9:30. Which involves laying in bed with you or holding you in the dark office while Daddy and I watch something on Netflix because we’re tired of waiting. Right now, we are working our way through “Rescue Me”. And the whole time, until you fall asleep, you are chattering and babbling and blowing bubbles and sucking in your bottom lip. I’ve also found that you like to sit straddling one of my legs so that you can bounce and bounce and bounce maniacally until you wear yourself out. We laugh because it is like you are riding a horse somewhere. Urgently. Other people who have held you get so tired because you are so active and wiggly and chubby.
There is also the issue of the drool. Obviously teething and wanting to gnaw on things, but nothing is coming through yet.
So, in summation: we love you to bits. You have the widest, sparkliest, most beautiful smile in the world. You are very sweet and you seem to love looking at people and you love to giggle and squeal when we give you armpit and tummy tickles.
The Pink Marshmallow, Jibber-Jabber-Slobber-Wocky, Bean, Toots, Liver-Bean, Liver-Tude, Livvie, Toodles, Poodle, Moo #2.

My goodness, the time is flying by. How are you now five months old? You were just born! I haven’t even written your birth story out yet!
This month has been a lot of fun. You are a big smiler, we know this, but this month you started responding to people and searching people out (especially Sophie) and reacting to people laughing and smiling. There has been screeching/laughing, full-on body wiggles of excitement, and all around pure, unadulterated JOY with life.
I seriously doubt that anyone could resist your mega-wattage gummy smile. You radiate pure happiness. It catches me off guard all the time. When I’m tired in the morning (and you have been waking me up almost every hour and a half, little one, at night lately. Not that I don’t love seeing you, too, but try to refrain yourself until the daytime. Okay? Thanks.), all it takes is one crinkly, whomping, wiggly, open-mouth smile and I can’t stay grumpy. Conversations are stopped when people see you grinning at them. It’s completely refreshing and wonderful. I wish I could bottle it up. Joie de vivre.

And that isn’t even a full smile.
Yes, you’re in a high chair. And yes, the straps need to be adjusted. I was just trying it out and you seemed to enjoy being in the kitchen with me so we haven’t changed them yet. You’ve had your first taste of an apple (I bit off a bit and gave you the apple to suck on) and of a banana. We are not formally feeding you solids yet, but just wanted to give you something to keep you occupied. You liked the taste but really, really did not like any fruit bits to get in your mouth.
Sophie is your life and your joy. She can get you giggling and smiling just by walking by you. She stayed at my mom’s house last week to take a ballet class and you didn’t know what to do with yourself in the car without her. Lots of babbling at her car seat and screeching. No one to entertain you! Much relief when we picked her up at the end of the week was had by all.

I’m on a new primal blueprint diet and the gluten-free aspect seems to have had an effect on your occasional diaper rash. In that it is all gone. You were never very fussy, so it’s hard to know if there was any effect there.
In other news, we brought the exersaucer home from my mom’s house and it is now your busy station. You bounce and laugh and hit the toys and go non-stop. I’ve tried to get photos, but they are all blurry due to the intense activity.
You recently attended your cousin’s fourth birthday in New Jersey and there were tons of kids there. All running around and jumping in the kids’ pools and playing games. You were THRILLED by all the activity. You sat on my knee and daddy’s knee and bounced yourself for hours. Smiling at everyone and just so excited! to! see! people! Until you finally exhausted yourself.
You are a beautiful, lovely girl and we love you to pieces.

© Kirsten Graham
Olivia, Livvie, Moo #2, Smoocher, Whompinator, Whomper, Toots, Poodle, Liver Bean, Bean, Liver Tude.