Eliza completely destroyed her first solid food. We gave her rice cereal for her first meal. The article I read said to give her a couple of spoonfuls just to see how she likes it. I gave her one taste and she lunged at me like some kind of animal. It's a good thing she was strapped down and stripped down. For the rest of the meal, she would grab at the spoon, the bowl, the food, my hands--stuffing it all in her sloppy mouth. Then she would get really angry that I wasn't feeding her fast enough, looking up at me with distressed eyes and a little rice cereal beard.
This little lady knows what she wants. "GIMME!"
And, in case you didn't get enough: 4 minutes of Eliza being adorably crazy. Nom, nom.
Eliza went on her first campout! Our ward at church had their annual campout at Tilden Park last night, and we decided to brave it. We were a bit nervous, but figured that we would only be 15 minutes from home, so we could just pack up and go if Eliza wasn't into it. But, she loved it!
And, it felt so good.
It felt so good just pulling out all of our gear and packing up the car, like old times. We haven't been camping in a year, since Coyote Gulch on our visit to Utah last August. Wow, that's crazy. What with New York, the move, the pregnancy, and little E- it hasn't really been on the mind. But, we are glad to be back in the game.
Eliza loved the flickering fire, and all of the chattering kids. She even stayed up past her bedtime because she was so happy checking out all of the activity. And, it was so fun getting her all bundled up and snuggled between us in the tent. To be honest, we didn't get much sleep. But, we are pretty used to that these days. And, who actually sleeps on a campout, anyway!?
We had so much fun hanging out by the fire with our friends. The kids were running wild in the woods, with tousled hair and bright eyes. They each found huge sticks that they proceeded to "forge" into swords in the fire. Eliza was in heaven with so much to look at. My favorite moment was when she woke up in the morning to find herself in such a funny place. She just wanted to scratch at every tent surface and chew on every toggle and zipper. And then, when we took her outside, she would wiggle around in her layers of feety pajamas and look around in absolute baby wonder. I love that look.
Thanks, friends, for good food, good company, and the cutest kids on this side of the Bay!
Wow, this month went by so fast! Obviously so fast that I forgot to pop in and say something about it. It's been a fun month, though. The most beautiful weather, coupled with my goal to visit every park in Berkeley, means we have a very happy baby on our hands. If she could be outside all day, she would. So, we do! September has been one of the nicest months of the year for playing outside.
Eliza is so into the world around her these days. She has always been alert and curious. But, now she literally gets upset that she can't touch and taste and hold everything in sight all at once. We laugh because she reaches and reaches for something, and the second her fingers get hold of it she is already looking around for something else to grab. Also, you really have to work for smiles these days- she's way too interested in everything else to dish out those gummy grins on demand.
And, she is definitely on the MOVE! One day, I placed her on her play mat while I took a bathroom break- and when I came out she was half way across the room! The day has come that they kept warning me about. Don't let go of her for a second because she will wiggle and roll and tumble. Mobility is exciting and terrifying at the same time.
I'm so proud of my baby girl. I remember the doctor saying the day after she was born, "This girl gets what she wants." I always thought that sounded funny, like, it made her sound like a spoiled brat. But, I've learned that it means she will get what she wants by trying her hardest. She overcomes every little challenge that she finds. It's fun watching her figure things out so quickly, not happy until she succeeds. Sam and I are a little afraid that Eliza got a pretty hopped up concoction of the two of us. If you know the two of us, you know what I mean. There might be a little too much crazy in this family...
I love you, E. Thank you for being you!
Eliza at five months:
-squawks like a parrot
-chubby, chubby! (sort of)
-where is this light hair from!?
-rolling across the floor
-starting to scoot a tiny bit
-sitting up with a little help
-airplanes and swims on her belly
-always chewing on something
-wants to taste and touch everything
-loves blowing bubbles with her mouth
-spends most of her day at the parks
-developed a rather "charming" whine when she is not happy
-laughs and giggles when you play peek-a-boo
-has shown signs of "stranger danger"
-but, still likes to smile at people
-taking longer naps (yay!)
-wakes up 4-5 times at night (not cool)
-gets stuck on her belly in her crib
-grabs everything in sight
-has her calmer moments now
-not as interested in story time
-but, loves singing time
-loves Daddy time "rough housing"
-sits on a booster in the Ergo to see out the top
-such a curious girl
-wants to take in everything all at once
-loves to chew on paper plates and (safe) candy wrappers
