Last night, I gave Rachel a couple of crackers while I warmed up dinner for myself. Rachel showed no interest in the asparagus and penne, but as soon as I microwaved a plate of walnuts and rosemary, she went to town! It's a very easy summer dish I make with mashed-up anchovies, walnuts, rosemary, olive oil, garlic and rotini.
I dropped a couple of rotini on Rachel's high chair tray and she couldn't get enough of them, probably because they're small and squiggly. She ate almost every one, even the pieces that dropped on her bib!
This morning at daycare, I brought along a cup of yogurt Drew bought on the advice of a mom he met, who suggested getting the thick and creamy kind (which I hate). Rachel ate about a third of a container of vanilla yogurt a couple of weeks ago, and we never got around to feeding her the second container of strawberry yogurt that Drew bought.
Today, she ate almost every bit of it. I told Drew that I think we should just give her different flavors of yogurt every morning and dial back a bit on the jarred food. (I'm also thinking that the acid in the yogurt might help clear up Rachel's nasty yeast infection...). Her lack of enthusiasm for jarred dinner food last night makes me think that we are fast moving to all grown-up food. Hard to believe!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Little Miss Sunshine
Valentina, one of the daycare ladies, looked at me with adoration this morning while I was feeding Rachel.
"I love your litte girl," she sighed. "She never cries, not unless there's a reason."
"Oh, thank you!" I gushed. "We love her too."
We do, especially when she snuggles into mommy's soft spots (tummy, chest) or leans her head against me, and slaps me on the arm multiple times, like she did on Saturday when I got home from work. I think that was her way of telling me she missed me!
Drew's nickname for her is "wumpus gallumpus." I have no idea where that came from, but it sounds like a terrific name for an imaginary friend.
Mine is "lovely one." "Hello, lovely one!" I said cheerfully to her this morning. Drew really liked that.
"I love your litte girl," she sighed. "She never cries, not unless there's a reason."
"Oh, thank you!" I gushed. "We love her too."
We do, especially when she snuggles into mommy's soft spots (tummy, chest) or leans her head against me, and slaps me on the arm multiple times, like she did on Saturday when I got home from work. I think that was her way of telling me she missed me!
Drew's nickname for her is "wumpus gallumpus." I have no idea where that came from, but it sounds like a terrific name for an imaginary friend.
Mine is "lovely one." "Hello, lovely one!" I said cheerfully to her this morning. Drew really liked that.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A perfect day
..it began with a lazy breakfast (Rachel slept through the night, so I am almost caught up on all my sleep!), naptime at 10 a.m. (for Rachel, not me), then when she woke up we met my friend Amy, from work, and her 2-year-old son, Jake. We headed out to Wilshire Park, the one with the great kids playground, and we happened upon...a free concert! From the Portland Wind Ensemble! Great music -- made even better in the 70-degree weather, under the trees -- and I managed to catch the last song, a stirring Sousa march, with Rachel on my lap.
Amy, who is obviously way more skilled as a mom than I am, actually brought food for us all to share (I had fed Rachel a bottle before we left, and had some food for her in the diaper bag, but none for myself). Amy had Ziploc bags of canteloupe, crackers and cherries.
Well. You would have thought Rachel hadn't eaten in a week. As soon as she discovered the cherries (which I bit into, then handed to her without the pits), she couldn't get enough of them. Or the canteloupe, or crackers. And when she had finished the canteloupe and crackers, she headed straight back to the cherries. She picked up the Ziploc and tried to figure out how to open it!
She spent about 45 minutes snacking and didn't whine once, sitting contentendly on the blanket, chewing away, while Amy and I talked about grown-up stuff.
We came back home in the late afternoon and after one false start, I managed to get Rachel down for a nap. I made a leek and mushroom tart for dinner, some strawberry bread that is now baking in the oven, and we got her to sleep at 9:15. Let's hope she's down for the night.
The only teeny downside of this wonderfully Portland summer day: The cherries made Rachel poop enthusiastically -- we had to change her outfit and diaper several times before bed. I only know it was the fruit because Amy told me so. Man, do I have a lot to learn.
Amy, who is obviously way more skilled as a mom than I am, actually brought food for us all to share (I had fed Rachel a bottle before we left, and had some food for her in the diaper bag, but none for myself). Amy had Ziploc bags of canteloupe, crackers and cherries.
Well. You would have thought Rachel hadn't eaten in a week. As soon as she discovered the cherries (which I bit into, then handed to her without the pits), she couldn't get enough of them. Or the canteloupe, or crackers. And when she had finished the canteloupe and crackers, she headed straight back to the cherries. She picked up the Ziploc and tried to figure out how to open it!
She spent about 45 minutes snacking and didn't whine once, sitting contentendly on the blanket, chewing away, while Amy and I talked about grown-up stuff.
We came back home in the late afternoon and after one false start, I managed to get Rachel down for a nap. I made a leek and mushroom tart for dinner, some strawberry bread that is now baking in the oven, and we got her to sleep at 9:15. Let's hope she's down for the night.
The only teeny downside of this wonderfully Portland summer day: The cherries made Rachel poop enthusiastically -- we had to change her outfit and diaper several times before bed. I only know it was the fruit because Amy told me so. Man, do I have a lot to learn.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Rachel & Dad
...had a great time yesterday (well, before she woke up yowling. See previous post). They went to Babies 'R Us, where Drew bought magnetic letters to stick on the refrigerator to replace the magnets she peels off and likes to chew. Then to the park, where they met more baby friends: Adeline, 15 months, who crawled onto our blanket and played with Rachel's toys while Drew was taking Rachel on the slide (she slid down all by herself! Drew scooped her up at the bottom, and she LOVED that).
Then, while Adeline's mom was pushing her on the swings, Drew held Rachel in his arms and swung her up and down, too. When the girls realized they were both swinging, they reached out their arms toward each other. It was so cute! Drew said.
Then they met Talia, whose grandparents are originally from Israel and were visiting from Detroit. They complimented Rachel on how big her eyes are and how curious she is. Drew proudly told them she's been that way since birth.
Then, while Adeline's mom was pushing her on the swings, Drew held Rachel in his arms and swung her up and down, too. When the girls realized they were both swinging, they reached out their arms toward each other. It was so cute! Drew said.
Then they met Talia, whose grandparents are originally from Israel and were visiting from Detroit. They complimented Rachel on how big her eyes are and how curious she is. Drew proudly told them she's been that way since birth.
Not again...
First, the good news: We had a lovely Shabbat dinner last night. Drew had fixed asparagus and pasta for us, so by the time I got home from synagogue we were able to eat as soon as I walked in the door. During dinner I gave Rachel a crust of dinner bread -- fancy supermarket bread with olives in it -- and she had a blast gnawing on it, biting it and gumming it until she generously handed it back to me, as she does with all of her food these days. She'll take a bite of a Cheerio or cracker or strawberry and when it's completely covered with her saliva, she sticks out her hand with the food in it toward me and gives a big smile. I have no idea why she does this. Maybe she wants to know if I'm proud of her?
I did take a picture of her eating bread. When I have time, I'll post it to my Facebook account. We are frantically busy these days getting the house ready for her 1-year-old birthday celebration. Plus, we are insulating the attic and it is a mess upstairs. We have to figure out where dozens of empty boxes, plus old screens and window frames, will end up -- in our basement or at a home recycling center?
Bottom line: I've been kinda busy.
And now the bad news: Rachel decided that 1 a.m. was an excellent time to scream and sob for no reason. It was the second time last night she did that and the third time this week. I am hoping hoping hoping this is not a repeat of the agony we went through this spring, when she seemed to have forgotten how to sleep through the night. Since I work a 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift on Saturdays, it was critical that I get sleep. So I went to the basement, turned on a CD of ocean sounds and...couldn't get to sleep for another two hours, between Drew stomping around angrily upstairs, trying to calm The Little Girl down, and me being hungry (as I always am when Rachel wakes me up). I ate a cup of applesauce but it was still a while before I could fall asleep.
Last week I visited a friend with a new baby and got envious of those first few weeks of mommyhood. Now I am back to envying women (like the rabbi's wife I met last night) with kids old enough to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT, PERMANENTLY. The rabbi's wife has 4 kids -- a 16-year-old boy and 10-year-old triplet girls. Her figure was trim, she was friendly and didn't look old and worn out.
I don't know how she does it.
I did take a picture of her eating bread. When I have time, I'll post it to my Facebook account. We are frantically busy these days getting the house ready for her 1-year-old birthday celebration. Plus, we are insulating the attic and it is a mess upstairs. We have to figure out where dozens of empty boxes, plus old screens and window frames, will end up -- in our basement or at a home recycling center?
Bottom line: I've been kinda busy.
And now the bad news: Rachel decided that 1 a.m. was an excellent time to scream and sob for no reason. It was the second time last night she did that and the third time this week. I am hoping hoping hoping this is not a repeat of the agony we went through this spring, when she seemed to have forgotten how to sleep through the night. Since I work a 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift on Saturdays, it was critical that I get sleep. So I went to the basement, turned on a CD of ocean sounds and...couldn't get to sleep for another two hours, between Drew stomping around angrily upstairs, trying to calm The Little Girl down, and me being hungry (as I always am when Rachel wakes me up). I ate a cup of applesauce but it was still a while before I could fall asleep.
Last week I visited a friend with a new baby and got envious of those first few weeks of mommyhood. Now I am back to envying women (like the rabbi's wife I met last night) with kids old enough to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT, PERMANENTLY. The rabbi's wife has 4 kids -- a 16-year-old boy and 10-year-old triplet girls. Her figure was trim, she was friendly and didn't look old and worn out.
I don't know how she does it.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Apples!
Drew called me a couple of hours ago to announce that he was eating his apple and Rachel was eating hers.
"Huh?" I asked, as I gathered my stuff to head out for an interview.
Turns out that Drew was eating an apple for lunch. Rachel kept looking at it and whining, so he figured why not let her try some? He sliced off a thin piece and she LOVED it. She proceeded to crawl all over the dining room, holding it in her hand.
I can't wait until we can ply her with all the delicious varieties of apples we get at the Portland Farmers Market in the fall. Well, yes, I can definitely wait for fall and (ugh) winter. Right now I just want to turn her on to as many varieties of BERRIES as I can.
"Huh?" I asked, as I gathered my stuff to head out for an interview.
Turns out that Drew was eating an apple for lunch. Rachel kept looking at it and whining, so he figured why not let her try some? He sliced off a thin piece and she LOVED it. She proceeded to crawl all over the dining room, holding it in her hand.
I can't wait until we can ply her with all the delicious varieties of apples we get at the Portland Farmers Market in the fall. Well, yes, I can definitely wait for fall and (ugh) winter. Right now I just want to turn her on to as many varieties of BERRIES as I can.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Dancin' queen....
Shannon, one of the daycare ladies, told Drew that Rachel was DANCING today in daycare! They played some music and she was really moving around to the beat.
And for lunch, she apparently ate part of a "roll-up," which the folks at St. James call enchiladas.
Drew says he needs to visit St. James at lunchtime to figure out exactly what they feed her and why she seems to eat big-people food there, but not here.
We tried to give her the rest of her bottle in a sippy cup tonight, and she didn't drink much of it. She does, however, drink water in the cup. She's an expert at holding it delicately, sipping, throwing it on the floor, waving it around the air...sigh.
And for lunch, she apparently ate part of a "roll-up," which the folks at St. James call enchiladas.
Drew says he needs to visit St. James at lunchtime to figure out exactly what they feed her and why she seems to eat big-people food there, but not here.
We tried to give her the rest of her bottle in a sippy cup tonight, and she didn't drink much of it. She does, however, drink water in the cup. She's an expert at holding it delicately, sipping, throwing it on the floor, waving it around the air...sigh.
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