Standing on the Promises

While B. and I were eating dinner yesterday, K. was playing in her pack and play. I glanced over and noticed that she had pulled up on the edge of it and was standing! I said, "B., look!" and he replied to me that she has done that several times now and thought I knew. So this post is a little belated, but at least I have photographic evidence--I know I have pictures of her standing already, but in this one, she got there herself!

Pink Puppies

So something (not very interesting or important) that I noticed when first shopping for girl clothing is this: Boys' clothes have puppies on them; girls' clothes have kittens. Don't get me wrong--I like cats quite a bit, but wanted K. to have a variety of domesticated animals represented in her wardrobe. Well, finally I have located a girl clothing item with puppies on it--K.'s new pajamas. Thank goodness I can stop my obsessive searching now.

Light Sleepers Anonymous

K. could seriously be the poster child for Light Sleepers Anonymous--I was blogging a few moments ago while she was asleep in her room (and yes, the door was closed). I sneezed, which admittedly isn't a quiet thing, and she woke up. Talk about feeling guilty! It's funny, though, that someone who has such a need for copious amounts of sleep should not also come with the mechanisms to get it (e.g.: ability to sleep through anything).

That Silly House

K. had a fun weekend as two of Mom and Dad's good friends came for the weekend. We drove around downtown, did a little shopping, cooked out (twice!) and played a lot. On Sunday, K.'s great-aunt and great-uncle stopped by after dropping their daughter off at college, and it was good to see them. Oh, and notice how cute K. is in her polo shirt--I'll try to get a closer picture sometime (and one without the house in it).

Let's Go Shopping Now

After finding that her previous shopping cart cover was insufficient in covering all of the icky germy places she might touch on a cart, I made K. a new one. Here she is, about to journey into Sam's Club for some thrilling purchases: laundry detergent, sanitizing spray, and Advil (for Mom). She only looks bored because she's squinting into the sun (she was only exposed to the sun's rays for moments, I promise--not like the "sun baths" my mom gave me as a baby).

Squeaky Clean

Here is K. just after a bath. It's a little hard to tell in these photos, but when her hair is wet it seems to have a bit of natural curl in it. That would be exciting for her mom, whose hair won't even hold a curl, let alone have natural curl. It also means, though, that K. will probably have a lifetime of wishing her hair was a different texture (don't we all).

Sakura

The cherry tree in our backyard has bloomed and is filled with beautiful white blossoms. K. and I went outside to swing and to enjoy some fresh air, so I let her investigate the tree (though I kept a careful eye out for any striped creatures who sought pollen). K. doesn't love wearing a sun hat (what babies do?), but as long as I put it on outside I think she tolerates it--she'll take it off herself if I put it on inside.
And she was in a pretty chill mood today. Actually, she's constantly surprised me with how easygoing she is at times--since she spent the first several months of her life crying, I feared that we were in for it. I don't think we'll never have problems or conflicts, but I am encouraged that she doesn't seem as overly dramatic as we feared she might be (or as her dad would say, as overly dramatic as her mother is).

Car Seat Clowning

K. is still growing, but fortunately still fits in her infant carrier (which is heaver than it seems could be possible). She's got another three pounds or two inches before she has to move into her other rear-facing seat. I'll have to say that I'm enjoying the convenience of this seat, especially since she can't walk or stand yet.
Other things that are new on the K. front: she has started to hand me things. When we're playing, she'll go get a toy, then hand it to me. We were playing with her roll-a-round dinosaur and she would pick up a ball and hand it to me. I'd put it in the dinosaur or hold it for her to push into the dinosaur, we'd watch it go down the slide, then she'd pick it up and give it to me again. I think she's learned to hand me things because she's learned how to drop things intentionally (I think that's how it works). The other day whilst eating cheerios, she would pick one up (with an "improving every day" pincer grasp), raise her hand in the air, then drop it. I'm pretty sure that was on purpose.

A Place for Everything

K. is not quite old enough yet to learn to pick up her toys when she's done playing (though, oddly, Mom doesn't mind picking up toys; in fact, she quite enjoys it). Even so, J. fears that as K. grows in to new toys they won't have places and will just become a big mess [shudder] so she wanted to have some type of organizational device in place that could "grow with" K. Mom has seen things like this, but never in a color combination that would be appropriate for K.'s game room, so Dad made one (its paint matches the upper part of the wall, though you can't really tell that from the photo). Go dad!

It Don't Mean A Thing

K. now has her own swing in the back yard, in which she loves to swing. It's in a nice spot in the yard that's sunny until late afternoon, so she can catch some vitamin D while swinging. Mom bought a not-so-fancy infant swing, and in order to use it, Dad had to spend three times the value of the swing to make a fancy frame for it. He did great work, as usual.

Cheerio Junkie

K. has been self-feeding cheerios for a little while now, but I never have the camera with me while she's eating. I have a video too, but it's a little boring--she consumes just two cheerios in the minute and twenty seconds of video. Oh, when she turns and chuckles, she's just noticed the cat:

Pseudo Playhouse

I added a play tent that we had to K.'s learning house, and now she has somewhere she can crawl into.

And it even comes with a complimentary houseguest!

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More Skills

For Christmas, K. got a little laptop computer so when I am playing with mine, she can play with hers. She figured out right away how to shut the lid, but it wasn't until just today that she showed that she can open and close it. It might not seem like a big deal to you, gentle reader, but every little thing she does for the first time is a result of a myriad of things working together, and it's pretty amazing. The picture to the left shows her carefully positioning her fingers to lift the lid. She's nearly got a pincer grasp now: a week ago, she would self-feed cheerios by grabbing a fistful and shoving them into her mouth (not unlike her mother while eating). She is becoming more adept at picking up one between her thumb and forefinger (but then still shoves much of her hand in her mouth anyway).

One Hand Clapping

My dad always makes some reference to "the sound of one hand clapping." The photo illustration for this post is similarly exciting. K. has begun to clap her hands together--not just allow her fists to run into one another, but actually clap with open palms (and make the cutest little sound). I might never catch it on video, so here is a still photo. Of clapping.

K. and The City

Here's K. posing with the city in the background (um, that's a scale model of the city, inside the museum).

Museum Baby

This weekend I met up with two of my closest friends (who have put up with knowing me since fifth/sixth grade!) and the three of us plus K. went downtown to the Museum of Science & Industry. I do have hopes that K. will develop a love for science (and that will be nicer to her in school than it was to her mother). My friends A. and K. (yes, the same as my K.--we refer to the little one as "junior") were great with her (and patient, too) and taught her many things. I'll post more photos later, as we took most of the good photos on my friend A.'s camera, but here are a few:

K. (the junior) and K. (the original)

A. teaching K. about the cockpit of an airplane. Did I mention that (among other things) A. is a pilot? Throughout the "air" portion of the museum I know that little K. received not-so-subtle hints about aviation as a possible field to explore, and I believe that A. offered her flight lessons.

K. learning about the device that ?makes you line up your airplane with the horizon? She was actually quite interested in this and many other exhibits at the museum. Her dad would be proud, too, as we learned a lot about electricity and plumbing--things all girls should know.

"Wait, how long as this jet engine been following me around?"

Flying High

One of the exhibits at the museum that K. really liked was the large airplane (a 727) that she got to go through and even sit in a seat and see what it would be like to be in a real airplane. K. actually has flown in an airplane before (last fall to Germany), but she was "on the inside" (and I don't mean the window seat). "I'm ready for takeoff!"

Nine Magnificent Months

Little K. has reached the point where she has spent more time outside of the womb than inside it. I like to think that's very exciting for her, but she seems pretty nonchalant about it. Regardless, it's been a great nine months--I thought I would enjoy being a mom, but I had no idea that I would like it this much!

The Swing's The Thing

I hoped that K. might like swinging outside, and she really did! We were at a friend's house today and she had a little kids' swing on her swingset, so we indulged in a little flying in the blue rocket.

Spring Has Sprung

It is a beautiful day today, and I have wanted to take a picture of K. next to our daffodils, which have bloomed. When I was growing up, our front yard had some daffodils which bravely came up every year (usually peeking through the snow) and every spring my sister and I would pose for the obligatory photo of us sniffing the flowers. K. did show interest in the flowers, but I thought it would be pushing it to ask her to sniff one (frankly, I'm just glad she didn't try to eat them). We then took a fun trip to Lowe's and K. seemed to really enjoy herself. Once we got home, we walked up the street to a lemonade stand we passed on the way home and purchased some refreshment (for B. and I--K. will have to wait a while before she's allowed such sugared frivolity as lemonade).

In Which K. Regards the Daffodils

The Double G

Today we went to a nice steakhouse that's about halfway between my grandpa (K.'s great grandpa)'s house and our house. We met there along with my parents, my uncle (K.'s great uncle), and some friends of the family (three generations thereof). We had a great time. Besides a wonderful lunch, I always love to see my relatives (and B. seems to like them too). K.'s great grandpa just celebrated his 89th birthday!

Upright Adventures

While spending time with Grandpa L., K. worked on her standing (Mom was trying to set up the camera to take a group photo and it was taking her a minute to situate said camera in the potted plant that was going to serve as tripod). At first, Grandpa held K.'s hands, but then let go. She wasn't sure she could do it (as shown in the first photo), but gained her confidence and had a great time.

Upright Adventures, Continued

As we were saying our goodbyes, K. decided to 'walk' with Mom in the parking lot in order to stretch her legs a little. She realizes that it's easier to be carried, but seemed to like the idea of it (hence the smile in the photo). Also, she was a little fussy at first, as she always is in new settings, but she actually warmed up by the end and smiled and had a good time. I was pleased that she found her good mood once she was comfortable (that doesn't always happen). She also enjoyed being outdoors, as this was the first decently warm day we've had since last summer, and last summer she was too young to even be sure I was her mom, let alone to enjoy feeling a breeze. Oh, and p.s.--she's still in a good mood at home as I write this, and so cute that I laugh aloud at her cuteness--like now she's playing with her play house. She is continually ringing the doorbell, and every time she rings it, she chuckles.

New Friend

K. made a new friend with a little one whose parents and grandparents are friends of the family. He is only three months older than her, but the last time we got together with them, he was recently born and K. wasn't yet. She likes people, but seems especially interested in kids and babies (unlike her mom, who is afraid of both of the aforementioned).

"K., you are the fairest little lady in all the land. The pleasure of acquaintance is mine."

"Away with you. Daddy won't let me talk to boys."
"Ooh, but where did you get this great polo shirt?"

Dinosaur-a-Rounds

A new toy has made its way into our house. K. has several "roll-a-rounds" toy balls and I wanted something that she could use them with. I found this dinosaur (which lights up and has sounds, like many of her toys) and she has started to explore it. Yesterday we had it at a friend's house, and whenever the ball would roll out the dinosaur's mouth, she would get very excited and wave her hands in front of her. I think she was attempting to clap?

"What a nice little dinosaur. Good boy."

Play-a-Rounds

Here's some miscellaneous video of K. playing with her new dinosaur. She doesn't yet have the skills to actually put the balls where they go, but the clever people who designed the toy put things on top of the dinosaur to encourage her to pull up on it. She'll get it eventually, and for now, it's fun when she has older friends over.

Up Close and Personal

Here is K., up close and personal. Do you think she has a future in television?

Not Bananas About Bananas

Since K. seems to still be hungry after eating her fruit and cereal for lunch, I decided to add in some additional fruit and thought, "Why not use real fruit?" Since we had bananas, and I don't have to cook them in order to feed them to her, I ground up part of a banana to give to her. She Did Not Like The Bananas. I tried alternating bites of banana with the cereal. She made the most extreme "yuck" faces and made gagging noises (which I think are just for show). I tried mixing in part banana with part fruit and cereal, then alternating with bites of just her normal fruit and cereal. That didn't work, as she always knew which the "tainted" bites were. I tried reducing the amount of banana per other stuff, but like the story of the princess and the pea, she could still tell. I'll give her a week and try it again.

Temporary Happiness

K. perked up a bit this evening from her grumpy teething (see previous post) and even managed some smiles once Dad got home.

She got a new chair for the patio (thanks, Grandma J.) that she tried out after dinner. It's a bit cold today to go outside, so I put her next to the sliding door, so she could pretend to be outside. Actually, she really hasn't been outside much at all. I think this spring will be a shocker to her, in a good way.

Teething Troubles

K. is not having trouble, per se, teething. It is just a troublesome time, teething is. She has another tooth that has made an appearance on the top gums, and has been crying pretty much all week. My guess is that there are three more right behind it (well, not behind exactly--there's only one, a permanent one, behind it--the other three would be in line with it). I would have included a picture of her with this post, as I am accustomed to doing, but every time I turned on the camera, she burst into tears. I don't think the two are related.

I have figured out a reason that it seems like she takes long-ish naps but is still tired. Her actual time napping is short--she wanders around her crib a while before falling asleep, and actually wakes up much sooner than I though. She amuses herself for quite some time before crying. She plays with the little doll she has in there, turns on the music of her crib soother, and plays with the toys on her crib mirror. We have a set of surveillance cameras, mostly to watch from upstairs if we're waiting for someone to come to the door. B. was nice enough to set one up above her crib so I can see if she's asleep or not (as long as there is some ambient light in the room). I'm watching her now and she's holding her doll and talking to her (I hear over the monitor and through her door). In the afternoon, often she'll wake up after not very long, play a little, then fall back asleep. I think she's done sleeping for this afternoon, though, so I'm going to go play with her. See ya!

Now She's Cookin'

My friend C. and I traded some organizing for K.'s cute new kitchen, which she loves. The sink and stove and oven make noises, and that just thrills K.

I took some pictures of her "cooking" this morning, and she would play, turn to me and smile, turn back and play, then turn and smile again. She actually did it several times, like she was posing.

K. likes to play, and is comfortable playing on her own (especially if there's Mom or Dad nearby). She tends to get overwhelmed in groups or when things are loud. I'm not realy sure if that's just because she's not used to groups, or if it is just her personality, or if it is a combination. I've been trying to expose her to many things--we went to a fun playgroup on Monday and she's had friends over periodically. I'm not really sure what to do--if it is just her personality that makes her be overwhelmed, is it even fair to let her become overwhelmed? I've tried to give her a variety of experiences so far (we go to church, nursery, out shopping, to other people's houses), and we still do things she's uncomfortable with--I just try to let her sit on my lap if she cries. At this point, I'm just keeping on with the "adding to her life experiences" while trying to be in tune with how she's feeling. Any advice?

Here's some video of her playing: