Eliza is 9 months old. That's 3/4 of a year! Nothing new or huge happened this month, except that I feel that Eliza is suddenly way too grown up. I mean, she was already standing and crawling and babbling last month- but, this month she is suddenly faster and stronger and smarter. It's too much! Everything just looks and sounds so much more "kid-like" and I can't keep up.
Stop growing, girl!
Now that she's older, our days are much more structured. I'm just starting to feel the "not enough hours in the day" mama stress. Between meals, naps, play, park, walks, appointments, and errands- I feel like our day just disappears. Also, I took a position teaching a few classes at Montclair Dance Academy, and I am absolutely loving it. It has been the perfect amount of time, with some really great students. And, it is giving Eliza a chance to be away from me for one afternoon a week. Every mother is different, but for me this was a hard decision to make. We are together all day every day. To some people that sounds crazy. And trust me, on some days it is crazy. But, I'm glad that we are doing this. It gives me a creative outlet, and Eliza gets to hang out at our friend's house all afternoon.
She is doing surprisingly great, by the way. Amanda can always make Eliza happy. Once, when Eliza was like a month old, Amanda came over one afternoon- she made my bed (at least the sheets were washed!) and rocked Eliza for like an hour. She didn't cry once for her the whole time, and this was back in the day when E literally never. stopped. crying. (Literally, not figuratively.) I'm grateful to have such magical friends who can keep my babe happy. And, who have cute baby friends and loads of great toys!
At the end of the day, I pick up my little one and take her home to put her to bed. I don't know what our future holds for us, but I just can't imagine being away from this girl for longer than a few hours on a Tuesday afternoon. It just goes too fast. Eliza, I love you, but if you don't slow down I just might have to lock you away. So, please stop growing up, and don't you DARE take your first steps when I'm not there! My mama-heart couldn't handle that.
Eliza at nine months:
-sitting, standing, crawling- and she's FAST.
-walks along the couch and when you hold her hands
-babbling sounds conversational
-two bottom teeth, and two fangs
-loves her baths in the big tub
-teeny, tiny girl- weighing in at 14 lb 5 oz.
-just got put on a high-fat diet- lucky girl!
-waves "hello" at her own face
-makes funny sniffy faces
-still our outdoors adventure girl
-had one random week where she was heart-warmingly cuddly
-has "stations" in the house where she returns to play
-loves banging things, and pulling things out
-only wants to feed herself
-loves bread, bread, and more bread
-pretty adventurous in trying new foods
-but, I have to be really creative to get her to actually stop and eat
-such a happy and giggly girl
-really good in public- loves people watching
-loves older babies and kids
-her first ventures into day-time babysitting have been a success!
-always bonking her head (poor girl)
-little lounger
-she's really good at communicating her needs
-loves chasing and being chased
-big toothy, crooked grin
-so easy to get this girl to laugh these days- we are loving it!
So, a couple of my friends and I have made a goal to "go" somewhere at least once a week. It's not that we don't get out- we are park hopping all day, taking the babes on hikes, and knocking out as many bakeries and ice cream shops as we can. Basically our days look like this:
Nap Time.
"Totland in 5? Ok, see you there."
Nap Time.
"Farmer's Market for ice cream in 5? See you there!"
I love that you can walk pretty much anywhere in Berkeley, or at the most a 5 minute drive. But, we realized we haven't been taking advantage of the Bay Area as much as should. So, we are going to take mini trips to San Francisco and other areas to try out new parks and museums- and of course, they might be chosen based on the local eats. We tend to eat a lot. (When people come to visit, I have every meal planned out. But, not much in between.)
Last week we went to the playground at Dolores Park in San Francisco. Sam and I had spent time at the park before, and explored the Mission. But, for some reason I didn't even notice the playground. It is probably the coolest park I have ever seen, and you can't beat the view. The babies spent the morning crawling all over, climbing the structures, and chasing pigeons. The play structures are so well-designed, and they have these neat musical installations in the tot area. The big kid section has huge slides and crazy things to climb. And, I liked that the park was covered in the bouncy rubber, instead of messy sand and wood chips. Except that it had just rained, so the babies got pretty soaked from crawling around.
Any other Bay Area recommendations? We're feeling pretty adventurous.
This little snaggletooth cutie is eight months old. This was a big month for Eliza. One day she was scooting around on her belly and then, all of a sudden, she's crawling and pulling herself up on to furniture. She is such a curious, little thing. And she's getting so darn fast! When I enter a room, I have 2.2 seconds to scan the area for every little bit of thing that can possibly be found by 14 pounds of crazy, fast baby. I am constantly finding bits of "no-no!" in her tiny fists, and sometimes poking out of her toothy grin. If I can keep this child alive, it will be a miracle. Because between the things I find in her mouth, and her constant attempts at launching herself off of and into things- I have a huge task!
Eliza has three modes of transportation now:
1. The Canoe Scoot: In which she scoots on her belly, using her arms in a back and forth paddling motion (like she's paddling a canoe.) This is her most efficient mode on hardwood floors.
2. The Traditional Crawl: In which she crawls on hands and knees. This one is not used for long distances, and usually on surfaces with more traction.
3. The Peg-leg: In which she crawls with one knee and one straight "peg-leg." This one just surfaced a couple of days ago, and is quickly becoming a favorite.
These eight-month pictures make me smile so much. What a big girl. Eight months- that's it. Eight months was when I looked down and my newborn was gone. Now, she smiles up at me in her disheveled and dirty outfit after crawling around in the dirt all day with that crooked snaggletooth grin, and I just can't handle it. I love this age. I loved every age. But, this one is particularly good.
Eliza at eight months:
-such a little flirt- she is always gathering new friends
-clicks her tongue constantly
-likes to sing when you sing, especially in church
-she seems to smile with her tooth- so it comes out a little crooked and cartoonish
-when she nurses, her free arm wanders around until she finds my hair or my necklace to yank
-her hair is getting so thick
-she loves tugging at your face
-she pulls herself up to standing on just about anything
-we dropped her crib, and ditched the swaddle!
-she giggles like crazy
-pretty clingy with her mama
-eating three meals of solid food a day
-loves the puffs
-only wants to feed herself, and prefers "real" food
-solid foods = real poop = gross.
-more Berkeley park hopping and trail blazing
-loves her baby friends
-fascinated by older children
-very good at finding the one tiny thing you left on the ground
-likes turning the pages of board books
-loves all of her new toys
-always falls asleep in the car lately
-first trip to the zoo
-little explorer
-gets bashful, and buries her head in your shoulder
I know this is very late, but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
We spent this Christmas in Utah with Sam's family, and loved every minute of it. It was the first time in a couple of years that the entire family was together. There are six brothers, three wives, and three grandkids now. On one beautiful, sunny day we set up a tripod in the middle of the street in front of Grandma Gray's log cabin in Mapleton and took a few family photos. The photo shoot ended with all of the brothers competing to see who could throw a snowball at the stop sign down the street. I think after a good 20 minutes of this, I might have finally heard a metallic clang as I retreated to the house with the rest of the girls. Oh, brother.
Many firsts for Miss E:
Her first 13 hour road trip- after we missed our flight standing in line at the Oakland airport. She was oddly good on the drive, and slept most of the time. I decided it was a Christmas miracle.
Her first Christmas- where she finally got to find out what was in the shiny packages she's been chewing on for weeks. Thank you, thank you to all of our family for the mounds of gifts she received. What a lucky girl! Although, to be honest, I think she was most excited just swimming in a happy sea of wrapping paper and ribbons with her cousin, Baby Leo.
Her first time meeting the whole Gray family- I mean, that's a big deal and she only freaked out a few times. Eliza became a bit clingy on the trip. This makes me feel very motherly- full of warm fuzzies, while also feeling slightly annoyed. But hey, if that means I get a fleeting cuddle once in awhile, I'll take it!
Her first snow- which she loved to go for walks in, darting her little tongue in and out in the cold. Sam even took her sledding down a hill, and would drag her around on the sled like a little seal. On the sharper corners she would roll off and just lay there in her puff-puff suit like the kid in "A Christmas Story."
We had such a great time in Utah with family and friends. It made us miss the Beehive State, but after a couple of weeks we were very happy to come home to the Bay. This past year has been absolutely amazing. It has brought us a new home, a new job, and a beautiful baby girl. I couldn't be more grateful for where we are in our lives. We are all looking forward to what 2014 will bring us!
bonus brother photo:
Eliza turned seven months while were on vacation in Texas! But, I haven't had any time to write about it until now. Between throwing our Christmas Party, and then immediately catching the flu (!), we've been pretty busy around here. Eliza has been forced to watch far too many very bad ABC Family Christmas movies this week. Poor girl.
But, here she is in all her big girl- seven month- holiday festive cuteness. She is huge, isn't she!? I feel like she passed the six month hump, and became this huge kid. Stop it!
Sam picked us out the most perfect, fluffy Christmas tree, and had it all set up by the time we got back from Texas. I think it was totally worth it, even if we would only get to enjoy it for a week and a half. She loves scooting over and clawing at all the wrapping paper. Or, batting at the one gold ornament I put low enough for her enjoyment. And, every night we go and turn the lights on together and I let her grab at the soft branches until she gets bored and tries to chew on the lights. She is just in awe. She doesn't swipe at it like she does other things. She softly and slowly reaches out and touches each little thing. I am loving babies at Christmas. So magical!
Eliza at seven months:
-funny, crooked smile
-discovered her tongue- it's always poking out of the side of her mouth now
-added "dadada" and "yayaya"
-twin cousin shrieks
-still scooting
-but, gets up on hands and knees
-loves shopping cart rides and restaurant high chairs (she's a people-watcher)
-one big tooth, and one disappearing act tooth
-survived her first plane rides, and made many friends on the plane
-favorite toys: Airhead candy, wrapped granola bars
-loves her new sippy cup
-up to two solid meals a day
-not stoked about her first visit with Santa
-first bath in the tub with her cousin
-her hair is getting longer and thicker
-loves Christmas lights
-taking two good, long naps (!)
-sleeping much better at night
-peek-a-boo will always get good giggles
For Thanksgiving we took Eliza on her first plane ride out to Texas. Eliza and I stayed for two whole weeks, and we had a blast. I can't believe how fast two weeks can go, and yet it felt like we had been there so long. She grew so much just while we were there. She started making all of these new, funny faces and noises, and I felt like I was bringing home a new baby.
I just loved seeing her interact with my family. The last time my mom saw her, she was only a week old. The rest of my family saw her at six weeks, and my stepdad had never even met her. I purposely planned a two week stay because I wanted her to really feel comfortable with everyone.
Oh, and she just loved everyone. I have honestly never seen her that kind of happy before. Not only did she have so many new things to look at, new toys to play with, and new faces to meet. But, she is finally at the age where she is showing real affection towards people. Her face would just light up every time I handed her over to someone new. Besides Sam, I've never really been able to sit back and see her develop such close relationships with others. They could make her giggle and smile in ways I had never even seen.
Gosh, I wish we could live closer to family. We love and miss you!
(More pictures to comes!)
This little firecracker is six months old! The post is a little late, because I wanted to wait until after her six month check-up. We went on Friday, where she weighed in at 13 lbs and 2 oz. What!? I have been assuming she was at least 15 lbs for weeks now. She's such a tiny, little bug!
The doctor told me that she was "developmentally superior," followed by a laugh and, "You're in for it." HA! Thanks, we've noticed. She has been commando crawling for weeks now,and it's terrifying, to say the least. She started pulling herself with her hands, which very quickly led to the discovery that she could push with her feet. And, she has absolutely no fear or understanding of space. She is constantly launching herself off of surfaces and bodies, and you have to keep a hand around her ankle at all times. Somebody was watching her make her way across a blanket at the park and commented that "She seems to move out of sheer determination." If there is an obstacle in her way, such as my body, she will still manage to climb up and over me to get to something on the other side. Changing her diaper is a wrestling match- which usually ends with her dangling upside down while I hold her ankle with one hand, and apply the diaper creme with the other hand. She also finds this pretty funny.
We are frantically baby-proofing the house to keep up with her! She has located all of the areas where she can reach and pull things out already. Sam's design books are especially exciting. I keep telling him he needs to move them if he wants to keep them nice, and I give him motivation by texting pictures of her chewing on this books while he is at work.
Also, her first tooth popped in just this weekend! She was making a fuss in the car, so I reached back from the passenger seat to let her suck on my finger- which she chomped down on with a tiny razor sharp tooth. Hello, tooth!
Sometimes I seriously can't handle how much I love her. She is everything and more.
Eliza at six months:
-commando crawl and scoot
-babbles all day long (ma, na, ba)
-loves her morning walks with Daddy
-sleeping better through the night
(thanks to some difficult sleep training....)
-loves "playing" with other babies
-first tooth: lower front right
-loves to crinkle things
-either loves it, or is supremely bored with mealtime
-has tried rice cereal, carrots, peas, apples, bananas, and avacados
-very familiar with the books on the bottom shelf
-loves playing with the Fall leaves
-lost her first shoe, 2 days after I bought them
-taking longer naps!
-Daddy can always make her laugh
-But, it sometimes turns into a cry if he takes it too far...
-likes to sit on my hip, and play with my necklace
-loves playing with water bottles
-Berkeley park hopper
-loves dance parties in the living room
-the most curious girl
-we live to hear her laugh
-has her quiet, cuddle moments
they usually only last a couple of seconds, but they are heaven.
-13 lbs 2 oz, and 25 3/4" long
-loves toppling the toy basket, and pulling out what she can
-thinks peek-a-boo is hilarious
This last weekend I threw a baby shower for my good friend, Whitney. I am so happy for her and excited to meet little baby Baker! This girl deserves the absolute best. She is the most down-to-earth, positive person I have ever met. When I asked her who she wanted to invite, she sent me a list, and then insisted, "Even if it is just you and me and Eliza hanging out, I will still be happy!"
Although, I have to admit- maybe half the reason I called dibs on her shower was so that I could get a little crafty. I have been craving a creative outlet lately, and was more than happy to have a reason to make something with my hands!
This was a fun project for me, because I had plenty of time to let it grow in my head. I had been "planning" it for a couple of months, and found myself spending early mornings after a nursing session scrolling through Pinterest like a giddy school girl. I put together this board, and started whittling this mess of ideas into something manageable. I wanted it to be a stress-free and fun project that wouldn't cost much, and so I made it a point not to go "too far." I feel like the result was minimal and sweet.
Indulge me, by letting me break it down for you:
I had Whitney's husband design the invitation. He has a great style, and I felt like it would be the perfect base for the shower. I gave him a few ideas of where I was going, and I LOVED the way it turned out! This guy has talent. These two are so fun and adventurous, and I love that the design reflected that.
I blew up baby photos of Bret and Whitney to hang over the buffet- like this shower my friend did, at The Alison Show. I thought it was such a fun idea. Then I made a few quick garlands with paper I already had laying around the house. I also added a few vases of flowers around, as well.
I found this huge stick on a walk out with Eliza one day, and painted a stripe with some Martha Stewart's Metallic Gold Paint that I had leftover from a past project, and some white paint that we used to paint our walls. Then I hung it from the mantle, and draped a few shorter paper garlands over it. Whitney's family has a tradition of giving a bird name as a middle name. (Her middle name is Jay.) So, they plan on giving this little babe the middle name of Swift. Isn't that cute? The framed bird on the mantle is actually a vintage engraving copy of a Swift Bird that I found online.
I made a simple, thin brown paper table runner, by sewing overlapping triangles together, and placed a potted succulent in the middle-- because I didn't think the table needed much. And, I because I was so excited about the food! One of Whitney's friend's organized the food, and we had so many people volunteer to bring things. And, let me tell you, when people in the Bay Area bring food- it's gonna be good. We even had a quiche from Tartine, for goodness sake!
We mostly just sat and chatted while we ate, because I feel like a get together doesn't necessarily need to be super structured. And, I just loved watching Whitney happily flit from group to group, joining in on conversations. But, I did create a little advice book for people to write in throughout the party, that she could take home at the end. (I bought a brown paper Moleskin with lined pages, and stamped the outside with a huge dollar store rubber eraser- kind of like this, except that mine was huge and blue and said "My Bad!") I know that every mom needs advice- but they don't want to feel like it's being thrown in their face. So, a book is a great way to have people jot down advice and recommendations all in one place- to be used more as a reference. I numbered the pages, and divided the book up into useful sections, such as "Nursing" or "Sleeping" or "Taking Care of Yourself."
The salted caramel apples were my favorite part! I searched far and wide for affordable favors, and then decided that most favors probably get thrown away or something. The best favors can be eaten! So, I settled on caramel apples because they fit the color scheme, the season, and they are tasty. I collected small sticks over a couple of days worth of walks with Eliza. (No worries, I didn't look crazy. I live in Berkeley!) Then, I painted the tips with the same metallic gold as the mantle piece. I wasn't planning on doing that, but I got really paint happy with that gold and I loved how it turned out. Now, I have the urge to gold dip everything in my house!
This was my first caramel apple endeavor, so I was kind of nervous. But, I had a few girl friends over to show me the ropes and they came out so great. If I had done them myself, I'm sure they would have been a hot mess. We used the Kraft caramel bits (because I wasn't quite ready to delve into candy making) and sprinkled some Kosher salt along the top rim of the apples. Holy cow, they tasted so good! I couldn't decide on a favor bag or anything, so I ended up making them. It was easier then I expected, though- just folded a piece of parchment paper in half and stitched up each side. Then, I could get the size and look that I wanted- because apparently I get obsessive about the weirdest details. But, then each of her guests could grab an apple on their way out, and carry it home in a little parchment bag.
Well, I got my crafty, craft fix, as well as my baby fix. I loved watching Whitney open all of her gifts- nothin' better than baby goods. Thank you for letting me celebrate your baby with you, Whitney! We can't wait to meet the cute thing!
