Rachel and I hung out most of yesterday at Wilshire Park, a great park with play equipment sized for kids Rachel's age and older. She was even able to "steer" a pretend car! And she loved the swings. She gets a huge grin on her face and starts giggling whenever she goes high in the air.
We had started the day by trying to go to "Book Babies," a book-reading activity at a library in Southeast Portland. But it was too crowded! It gives you an idea of how literate Portland parents are.
She had a rough time getting down for a nap yesterday. I finally wrapped her in a big blanket and held her in my arms. She fell asleep for 40 minutes, and so did I! Our glider is so relaxing, we plan to keep it long after she's grown.
Our friend Kim came over for dinner last night. Rachel screamed at the sight of her at first, but by the end of the evening was offering her Cheerios. She was quite restless at bedtime but, after a shriek or two, settled down.
Now I am at work and Rachel gets daddy all to herself today, after he was gone three days instead of the usual two. He couldn't wait to get home to see her.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Can it be?
...that Rachel is 11 MONTHS OLD TODAY?? How did that happen?
She is:
--crawling everywhere. And starting to open cabinets. We need to put more baby locks on the ones closest to the floor in the kitchen. One of her favorite activities is following me into the kitchen, grabbing the magnets off the refrigerator, gumming them and throwing them on the floor.
--pulling up, albeit infrequently. She can pull herself to a standing position but can't quite hold it yet. And even when we encourage her, she shows no interest in walking.
--starting to eat some grownup foods, like slices of strawberry and watermelon. And anytime she won't eat jarred baby food (like tonight), she'll take Cheerios and rice crackers from Trader Joe's. I think it's because both of them are small, perfect for baby hands!
--developing teeth. She has six, four on the bottom and two on top, and a seventh on the top is rapidly poking through.
--babbling a lot, and occasionally a word or two will come through. Tonight it was "daddy," by accident. A couple of weeks ago it was "love you." But she's not really talking yet. We're giving it time.
--Holding her bottle by herself 90 percent of the time. And she's rapidly losing interest in formula, which is great because our pediatrician says we can start giving her milk on her first birthday. Hooray! No more spending $30 a week on formula!
--cuddly when she's tired or just needs a break. Lately she's developed the habit of, after I give her her final bottle for the night, pulling back from my chest and giving me a goofy grin. I usually crack up because she's so funny. So, she grins even more. I could do this for hours.
--so far, a happy, playful baby and an endless source of wonder and amusement for her parents.
She is:
--crawling everywhere. And starting to open cabinets. We need to put more baby locks on the ones closest to the floor in the kitchen. One of her favorite activities is following me into the kitchen, grabbing the magnets off the refrigerator, gumming them and throwing them on the floor.
--pulling up, albeit infrequently. She can pull herself to a standing position but can't quite hold it yet. And even when we encourage her, she shows no interest in walking.
--starting to eat some grownup foods, like slices of strawberry and watermelon. And anytime she won't eat jarred baby food (like tonight), she'll take Cheerios and rice crackers from Trader Joe's. I think it's because both of them are small, perfect for baby hands!
--developing teeth. She has six, four on the bottom and two on top, and a seventh on the top is rapidly poking through.
--babbling a lot, and occasionally a word or two will come through. Tonight it was "daddy," by accident. A couple of weeks ago it was "love you." But she's not really talking yet. We're giving it time.
--Holding her bottle by herself 90 percent of the time. And she's rapidly losing interest in formula, which is great because our pediatrician says we can start giving her milk on her first birthday. Hooray! No more spending $30 a week on formula!
--cuddly when she's tired or just needs a break. Lately she's developed the habit of, after I give her her final bottle for the night, pulling back from my chest and giving me a goofy grin. I usually crack up because she's so funny. So, she grins even more. I could do this for hours.
--so far, a happy, playful baby and an endless source of wonder and amusement for her parents.
And so it begins...
Drew went to pick up Rachel from daycare on Tuesday night. He reported that she gave him a big smile...and kept right on playing.
"This is how it starts," he told Shannon, one of the daycare ladies. "In a couple of years, she'll take me for granted."
Yesterday when I picked her up, she was crying. Turns out a toddler crashed into her and Rachel bit her cheek. Shannon was wiping blood from her mouth and gave me an icy teething ring to put in Rachel's mouth.
Instead, I took her to the infants section, sat down in a glider and held her close. "Shh, it's ok," I kept murmuring. "Mommy's here. Mommy's here." She calmed down after a while and even smiled before we left.
Today, Shannon said, she had a great day. Shannon spent most of the time with Rachel because when Rachel was on the playmat and saw Shannon, she gave her an expectant look and an explanation of happiness, and Shannon was so charmed that she swept her up in her arms.
Tomorrow is my 2nd furlough day, and I plan to spend it using as little money as possible because it is, after all, an unpaid day off work. We may join a mom's group at the Eastbank Esplanade if we're up and moving early enough; if not, we'll spend a relaxed day at the park reading, playing and swinging.
Furlough days stink, but I love summer. That makes up for it, sort of.
"This is how it starts," he told Shannon, one of the daycare ladies. "In a couple of years, she'll take me for granted."
Yesterday when I picked her up, she was crying. Turns out a toddler crashed into her and Rachel bit her cheek. Shannon was wiping blood from her mouth and gave me an icy teething ring to put in Rachel's mouth.
Instead, I took her to the infants section, sat down in a glider and held her close. "Shh, it's ok," I kept murmuring. "Mommy's here. Mommy's here." She calmed down after a while and even smiled before we left.
Today, Shannon said, she had a great day. Shannon spent most of the time with Rachel because when Rachel was on the playmat and saw Shannon, she gave her an expectant look and an explanation of happiness, and Shannon was so charmed that she swept her up in her arms.
Tomorrow is my 2nd furlough day, and I plan to spend it using as little money as possible because it is, after all, an unpaid day off work. We may join a mom's group at the Eastbank Esplanade if we're up and moving early enough; if not, we'll spend a relaxed day at the park reading, playing and swinging.
Furlough days stink, but I love summer. That makes up for it, sort of.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Rachel's social schedule
is already piling up. We got invited to a baby birthday party on June 27th for Macy, who turns 1. We met Macy and her parents Jennifer and Mike at a party back in April for another baby who turned 1. Jennifer and Mike were in the Peace Corps, and both are social workers. Very nice folks. We had a playdate today, and the girls had a fun time at the park. Macy was a little more active than Rachel, who was in an unexpectedly cuddly mood (we suspect she is slightly under the weather with a tummy bug that has dimmed her appetite).
But Rachel had a great time on the swings and fell asleep in the car for the five-minute ride home. Drew put her down for a nap at 4:30 and she slept until almost 7!
Then I burned the grilled chicken (yes, I know, I co-authored a book on barbecue). But we still managed to eat dinner and get Rachel down for the night by 9 p.m.
And now, having plowed through much of the clutter on the dining room table and feeling frustrated I didn't get more done (like balancing my checkbook, emailing friends, doing all the other zillion things I always seem to be behind on), I am going to sleep.
We are hoping The Little Girl doesn't wake us crying, like she did last night. She settled down soon enough, but it took me the longest time to get back to sleep. I think I will take my sister's advice and keep granola bars, or maybe applesauce, next to the bed because I always seem to get hungry when Rachel wakes us in the middle of the night.
But Rachel had a great time on the swings and fell asleep in the car for the five-minute ride home. Drew put her down for a nap at 4:30 and she slept until almost 7!
Then I burned the grilled chicken (yes, I know, I co-authored a book on barbecue). But we still managed to eat dinner and get Rachel down for the night by 9 p.m.
And now, having plowed through much of the clutter on the dining room table and feeling frustrated I didn't get more done (like balancing my checkbook, emailing friends, doing all the other zillion things I always seem to be behind on), I am going to sleep.
We are hoping The Little Girl doesn't wake us crying, like she did last night. She settled down soon enough, but it took me the longest time to get back to sleep. I think I will take my sister's advice and keep granola bars, or maybe applesauce, next to the bed because I always seem to get hungry when Rachel wakes us in the middle of the night.
Pulling up
for real! Drew and I walked into Rachel's bedroom Friday morning to find her STANDING UP COMPLETELY and peering over her crib rail. "You need to lower the crib," I told Drew, with nightmares of Rachel pitching over the rail and landing on her head in my mind. "Tonight," he agreed.
Then yesterday, while I was posting a crime story on The Oregonian's Web site, Drew called me. "POSTED!" he said excitedly. "Rachel stood up all by herself and leaned against the music table!" (it's a table with a top of piano keys and other buttons that when you push, they make music).
Drew didn't get to lowering the crib until after I got home from work yesterday, when Rachel and I went on a playdate with a friend of mine from the newspapers and her son, Parker, who is four months older than Rachel. We found a great park within a mile or so of our house, which has playground equipment perfectly sized for little ones. (Grant Park, closer by, has swings and great play equipment, but it's sized for toddlers and older kids).
You could clearly see the difference between Parker and Rachel: Parker spent most of the time trying to eat dirt and playing with shovels that were taller than he is; Rachel was in a cuddly mood and spent most of the time on my lap or in my arms. At one point I sat on the edge of the sand pit with her leaning against my chest, singing "Heigh Ho" to her. (I reminded Dad this morning how he used to sing that song to me. It's a Peter, Paul & Mary round-robin song, and every time I sing it it reminds me of how much Mom and Dad listened to Peter, Paul & Mary. The things you discover about your parents when you have kids of your own!)
When I got home, Drew had lowered the crib to its lowest setting. "Are you SURE we need to do this?" I asked wistfully. It means that when she gets big enough to peer over the edge of this lowest setting, we'll have to think of getting her a real, big-girl bed. I'm told this happens around age 2 or so. "Yes," he replied firmly.
I made him promise that we can keep the crib once we get Rachel a bed, just in case Rachel has children. Or in case we have another one of our own, which is currently under discussion.
Then yesterday, while I was posting a crime story on The Oregonian's Web site, Drew called me. "POSTED!" he said excitedly. "Rachel stood up all by herself and leaned against the music table!" (it's a table with a top of piano keys and other buttons that when you push, they make music).
Drew didn't get to lowering the crib until after I got home from work yesterday, when Rachel and I went on a playdate with a friend of mine from the newspapers and her son, Parker, who is four months older than Rachel. We found a great park within a mile or so of our house, which has playground equipment perfectly sized for little ones. (Grant Park, closer by, has swings and great play equipment, but it's sized for toddlers and older kids).
You could clearly see the difference between Parker and Rachel: Parker spent most of the time trying to eat dirt and playing with shovels that were taller than he is; Rachel was in a cuddly mood and spent most of the time on my lap or in my arms. At one point I sat on the edge of the sand pit with her leaning against my chest, singing "Heigh Ho" to her. (I reminded Dad this morning how he used to sing that song to me. It's a Peter, Paul & Mary round-robin song, and every time I sing it it reminds me of how much Mom and Dad listened to Peter, Paul & Mary. The things you discover about your parents when you have kids of your own!)
When I got home, Drew had lowered the crib to its lowest setting. "Are you SURE we need to do this?" I asked wistfully. It means that when she gets big enough to peer over the edge of this lowest setting, we'll have to think of getting her a real, big-girl bed. I'm told this happens around age 2 or so. "Yes," he replied firmly.
I made him promise that we can keep the crib once we get Rachel a bed, just in case Rachel has children. Or in case we have another one of our own, which is currently under discussion.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Closer to standing...
Which sounds, if you think of it, like a good name for a college rock band.
Anyway, I was at work trying to figure out what my new bus schedule is since TriMet is cutting back on bus service to save money, and I called home to tell Drew I'd be late. OH MY GOD! he said suddenly. Turns out that Rachel had leaned on his thighs while he was sitting down, and pulled herself to a standing position all by herself! She couldn't support it for long, but just the fact she did it was amazing.
The other day I was reading from "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" -- a classic that Drew remembered from childhood -- and I was at the very beginning, when the egg that is on a leaf opens up and a caterpillar bursts out with the sunrise. As I read from that page, which has a big sun on it, Rachel said a decisive "No!"
"Really, Rachel?" I said, laughing. "OK, we'll tell it your way."
She proceeded to grab the small, square book and gum away. In some ways, she is not as old as we think.
Anyway, I was at work trying to figure out what my new bus schedule is since TriMet is cutting back on bus service to save money, and I called home to tell Drew I'd be late. OH MY GOD! he said suddenly. Turns out that Rachel had leaned on his thighs while he was sitting down, and pulled herself to a standing position all by herself! She couldn't support it for long, but just the fact she did it was amazing.
The other day I was reading from "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" -- a classic that Drew remembered from childhood -- and I was at the very beginning, when the egg that is on a leaf opens up and a caterpillar bursts out with the sunrise. As I read from that page, which has a big sun on it, Rachel said a decisive "No!"
"Really, Rachel?" I said, laughing. "OK, we'll tell it your way."
She proceeded to grab the small, square book and gum away. In some ways, she is not as old as we think.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Clap clap clap...
When I picked up Rachel from daycare yesterday, I exclaimed, "Rachel!" like I usually do. She greeted me with a smile and then clapped her little hands together.
She did the same thing when she saw Drew through the window as he arrived home around 8 p.m. last night from Seattle. And she clapped again this morning when we walked into her room and sang "good morning" to her.
I love being applauded, even if it's by a 10 1/2-month old.
She did the same thing when she saw Drew through the window as he arrived home around 8 p.m. last night from Seattle. And she clapped again this morning when we walked into her room and sang "good morning" to her.
I love being applauded, even if it's by a 10 1/2-month old.
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