I'm ready to call it. I think Luci is crawling. What do you think?
She's been working on her crawl for the past six weeks. It's not quite perfect form yet, but it's pretty good.
Take a look:
It's taken a number of forms, and often requires lots of planks, downward dogs, and faceplants. Seems like she's eliminating those yoga moves and figuring out she doesn't need to be on her feet to crawl.
(I guess it's confusing to learn to crawl by watching a dog walk around.)
She really loves her blue elephant. I observed her take that little trip and thought, I wish I had videoed that. I moved her back, pointed out her toy, and she went right after it again!
Time to babyproof!?!
Showing posts with label baby's firsts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby's firsts. Show all posts
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Sitting up and taking notice!
This morning Luciana and I met up with our respective bffs to go to a few yard sales. We found a few cute outfits and then went over for naps (for babies) and breakfast (for grown-ups).
We were sitting around and chatting and all of a sudden this happened, with virtually no warning!
She was pretty wobbly, so the pics are blurry.
I was starting to think she'd crawl before she sat, so at least she snuck this little skill in there first. She also demonstrated her "crawl" today - which consists of getting up on all fours, moving her knees one at a time, then moving both her arms at the same time and face planting forward. (Mean ol' floor, coming up to hit her like that!)
Good job, baby!
(I think she got inspired watching all the big kids in the nursery at VBS this week.)
We were sitting around and chatting and all of a sudden this happened, with virtually no warning!
She was pretty wobbly, so the pics are blurry.
I was starting to think she'd crawl before she sat, so at least she snuck this little skill in there first. She also demonstrated her "crawl" today - which consists of getting up on all fours, moving her knees one at a time, then moving both her arms at the same time and face planting forward. (Mean ol' floor, coming up to hit her like that!)
Good job, baby!
(I think she got inspired watching all the big kids in the nursery at VBS this week.)
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Broccoli
 |
| Hey, give me some! |
 |
| Hmm... this is kind of weird... |
 |
| Let me think about it... |
 |
| Yes! I like it! |
Kisses and Nosies
For the past several months, I've done two little games repeatedly with Luci, whenever she was in the mood:
Kisses: I kiss her cheek near her lips then turn my head to put my cheek on her lips.
Nosies: Eskimo kisses while singing my little "Nosies" chant.
A few days ago, I started having the suspicion she was trying to initiate these little love games, but I thought it might be in my head. Today I became convinced that it was real.
For kisses - she plants her mouth on my cheek and stays there motionless for several moments. I can tell this is different than "I'm hungry let me suck on anything I can find" - which she usually indicates these days by burying her head into my shoulder - because she doesn't (usually) try to latch on or start sucking on my cheek, she just puts her little mouth there and waits. And if I look at her and ask if she is doing kisses she gets a big smile on her face.
But it was Nosies that was really clear as a bell. She grabbed my face, pulled it to hers, and banged her forehead into mine as she frantically bumped my nose with her nose. She repeated it over and over again as I was with her sporadically throughout the day and it tickled my heart each time.
A mom in our church asked yesterday how old she was, and when I said she had just turned six months, she told me what a precious age 6-9 months is because they start giving back all that you've put into them. My first thought was "of course! she's been giving back to me her whole life!" Whether through nursing, or staring intently at my face, or those early smiles, or the looks of recognition, or the big smiles, or the fleeting reaches towards me when she is with someone else, I've felt our relationship grow and grow. I think with those early "giving" responses and reciprocation, it's easy to question whether they are from love or from reflex, on purpose or wishful thinking, by design or by accident. Even if I believe that smiles are smiles, or that what feels like a loving gesture is love, it's hard to ignore those voices that doubt a little baby is capable of that - that all smiles are gas and all cuteness is just a reflex. What was special about today, and maybe what this mom really meant, is that those doubting voices vanish. No one can argue that it didn't happen or that it was just a reflex or that she just has to go to the bathroom (argh, that one especially irritates me!). No other baby but mine will ever grab my face and bang her head against mine until our noses make contact. That's all just for us, and it's special.
Kisses: I kiss her cheek near her lips then turn my head to put my cheek on her lips.
Nosies: Eskimo kisses while singing my little "Nosies" chant.
A few days ago, I started having the suspicion she was trying to initiate these little love games, but I thought it might be in my head. Today I became convinced that it was real.
For kisses - she plants her mouth on my cheek and stays there motionless for several moments. I can tell this is different than "I'm hungry let me suck on anything I can find" - which she usually indicates these days by burying her head into my shoulder - because she doesn't (usually) try to latch on or start sucking on my cheek, she just puts her little mouth there and waits. And if I look at her and ask if she is doing kisses she gets a big smile on her face.
But it was Nosies that was really clear as a bell. She grabbed my face, pulled it to hers, and banged her forehead into mine as she frantically bumped my nose with her nose. She repeated it over and over again as I was with her sporadically throughout the day and it tickled my heart each time.
A mom in our church asked yesterday how old she was, and when I said she had just turned six months, she told me what a precious age 6-9 months is because they start giving back all that you've put into them. My first thought was "of course! she's been giving back to me her whole life!" Whether through nursing, or staring intently at my face, or those early smiles, or the looks of recognition, or the big smiles, or the fleeting reaches towards me when she is with someone else, I've felt our relationship grow and grow. I think with those early "giving" responses and reciprocation, it's easy to question whether they are from love or from reflex, on purpose or wishful thinking, by design or by accident. Even if I believe that smiles are smiles, or that what feels like a loving gesture is love, it's hard to ignore those voices that doubt a little baby is capable of that - that all smiles are gas and all cuteness is just a reflex. What was special about today, and maybe what this mom really meant, is that those doubting voices vanish. No one can argue that it didn't happen or that it was just a reflex or that she just has to go to the bathroom (argh, that one especially irritates me!). No other baby but mine will ever grab my face and bang her head against mine until our noses make contact. That's all just for us, and it's special.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Banana!
Luciana turned six months yesterday. The past month has been an explosion of growth and development... well, not so much of physical growth with no weight gain in the month, but she has been moving and shaking so much it's not too big a surprise. I'll write more about that later so I don't forget it all.
For the past week or two we've been sort of playing around with offering her some bits of food. She's been crazy for water, and has protested frequently when I did not immediately give in to her desire, and once even grabbed my glass full of ice cold water and dumped it all over me. Thank you for the bath, little Luz! She does best drinking out of my glass, but is also figuring out my water bottle, and does ok with her sippy cup.
As for food, it seems like a big hassle to switch from nursing exclusively to adding in solids, so in that way I was in no hurry to start. On the other hand, with both asthma or food allergies running in my family, I didn't want to wait too long, especially with the conflicting research lately about whether it is best to introduce early or delay.
She's been staring intently at us eating whenever she is near us during mealtime, staring at the food, then at us, then at the food. So, we took her cue, and sat her in her high chair, propped her up with blankets and a supportive hand, and laid out some yummy-looking pieces of banana. Within moments they were way too slippery for her to handle, and she was definitely much more interested in gnawing on the yummy wooden tray. We tried again a few times with banana, or pieces of avocado. She was interested, but only mildly and wasn't too keen on putting them in her mouth. Not wanting to push her, we sort of sat near her eating our bananas and trying to help her by keeping the food from scooting away from her grip (flail?). No big deal, we thought, she can make a mess and maybe get a few accidental tastes in the meantime to acclimate herself.
Today we ate lunch at church following our morning of VBS. We had packed our usual sandwich and fruit for lunch. As I was finishing up my sandwich with her on my lap, she became very intent on it. She grabbed my hand and pulled the sandwich to her mouth. I let her sort of feel the textures on her lips before eating it myself. Then I started peeling a banana and she got really excited. She grabbed for it and when I took it to the side to keep her from making a mess while I unpeeled it, she expressed her displeasure. I broke it in half and she grabbed my hands and brought it to her mouth, and proceeded to suck on it like a bottle.
She liked it!
Then she broke of a chunk in her mouth and she wasn't sure what she thought of it.
Still yummy, it seems.
Banana love.
Luci love.
For the past week or two we've been sort of playing around with offering her some bits of food. She's been crazy for water, and has protested frequently when I did not immediately give in to her desire, and once even grabbed my glass full of ice cold water and dumped it all over me. Thank you for the bath, little Luz! She does best drinking out of my glass, but is also figuring out my water bottle, and does ok with her sippy cup.
As for food, it seems like a big hassle to switch from nursing exclusively to adding in solids, so in that way I was in no hurry to start. On the other hand, with both asthma or food allergies running in my family, I didn't want to wait too long, especially with the conflicting research lately about whether it is best to introduce early or delay.
She's been staring intently at us eating whenever she is near us during mealtime, staring at the food, then at us, then at the food. So, we took her cue, and sat her in her high chair, propped her up with blankets and a supportive hand, and laid out some yummy-looking pieces of banana. Within moments they were way too slippery for her to handle, and she was definitely much more interested in gnawing on the yummy wooden tray. We tried again a few times with banana, or pieces of avocado. She was interested, but only mildly and wasn't too keen on putting them in her mouth. Not wanting to push her, we sort of sat near her eating our bananas and trying to help her by keeping the food from scooting away from her grip (flail?). No big deal, we thought, she can make a mess and maybe get a few accidental tastes in the meantime to acclimate herself.
Today we ate lunch at church following our morning of VBS. We had packed our usual sandwich and fruit for lunch. As I was finishing up my sandwich with her on my lap, she became very intent on it. She grabbed my hand and pulled the sandwich to her mouth. I let her sort of feel the textures on her lips before eating it myself. Then I started peeling a banana and she got really excited. She grabbed for it and when I took it to the side to keep her from making a mess while I unpeeled it, she expressed her displeasure. I broke it in half and she grabbed my hands and brought it to her mouth, and proceeded to suck on it like a bottle.
She liked it!
Then she broke of a chunk in her mouth and she wasn't sure what she thought of it.
Still yummy, it seems.
Back for more...
Banana love.
Luci love.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Our day in Chatham
Roman and I have played our fair share of weddings together. We almost always enjoy it even though we are celebrating with strangers, and we can usually find some encouragement, conviction, and renewal in the witnessing of someone else's wedding. In the stress of it, we have also had some of our most childish fights on the way to the gig. One of them (many many years ago, of course) may or may not have ended with me throwing my sandwich at Roman and staining his tux with mustard. Not my finest moment.
Last night I happened to stay at work until around 1am, then I suffered from my usual lie-in-bed-for-two-hours-before-sleeping routine. When my alarm went off at 7:45, I wasn't too eager to obey it. But today's wedding was special. Not only did we have the honor of playing for the wedding of a friend from undergrad and various gigs, we were returning to the place we honeymooned. We were looking forward to going early, spending some time walking around the downtown area, visiting some shops, and having a nice lunch before heading to the wedding venue for our rehearsal.
Well... that was a great plan. Trouble was, after feeding the baby, finding something to wear (which can be its own struggle as we all know! I was searching my closet for something black and clean that fits well enough and wasn't too "concert" dress but not too casual, not too warm, and also conducive to nursing - I was completely dissatisfied with the only option I could seem to find!), dressing up the baby (is this dress dressy enough?), packing the diaper bag (what if she has a crazy day and needs 57 diapers?), blow drying my hair so at least one part of me could look decent (a complete waste of time due to the rain and humidity of the wedding venue), having breakfast, feeding the baby again... let's just say we didn't quite leave as early as we wanted to.
Did I mention I was tired? We may or may not have argued off and on during the 2.5 hour drive there. Mostly probably because I've been overworking this week and feeling pretty stressed. We also had some good conversation too, don't worry.Then once we arrived, it was rainy and the main street was crowded with cars. We spent a dreary half hour trying to decide where to have lunch, and finally settled on a place where we could have some clam chowder and scallops. It was lovely being back in Chatham though and lunch and the familiar scenery boosted my spirits.
The wedding was lovely and two of our good friends held the baby during our rehearsal and the ceremony itself so we didn't have to worry about Luciana. And as expected, even though we didn't agree with the theology of marriage presented in the wedding, the message still inspired us (me) to do better, convicted us (me) of my shortcomings, and reminded us of the importance of and joy in working on our marriage. The preacher talked about marriage being a device to show you your worst, and I heartily agreed! I think it can also show you your best, if you allow it.
It was really nice to make the switch from "gig" to "guest" - something we don't often get to do. The reception was fun and it was great to hang out with friends. Luciana took a nap just when it was time for dinner, which was excellent timing! We all three spent some time on the dance floor. I did not take a single picture, so you'll just have to believe me that Luci was plenty cute at her first wedding and on her first day wearing 3-6 month clothes.
The most fun part of the evening came when we were resting after dancing. Luci has been increasingly interested for the past few weeks in everything that I put in my mouth, and most especially my water glass. If she's eating and I drink water, she will stop and watch me intently until I'm done. Today as I was drinking with her on my lap, she grabbed the glass and pulled it to her mouth. I let her feel the cold and smooth side of the glass on her mouth. I drank again and this time she grabbed the glass with both hands and pulled the lip of it to her mouth and tried to lift it. I helped her get the water and she was very enthusiastic. The next time I tried to drink she wrested the glass and spilled it all over me! We've been waiting to start solid food until she shows her own interest, so this was just the sort of thing we were hoping for. When I would take the glass away from her she would start to cry a little in protest. It's fun to see her learn to communicate her desires.
When we got home I was about done feeding her and drinking my usual glass of water. She grabbed for my glass, so I cheerfully sat her up and let her have another little drink.
I've been thinking over these past few months about this journey of motherhood and how to make it my own. I've tried to be careful to let Luciana be who she is and how she is in every stage, and to just enjoy her in that moment. In life, in music, in everything, I struggle to not just race from task to task, note to note, finish to finish. It is hard for me to slow down my brain, enjoy the process, and savor each beautiful or difficult moment. I made a decision when she was born to let her teach me. Every day, every stage, every mood is beautiful because it is hers. And I enjoy it.
Have another sip of water, Luci. You're growing up so beautifully. I hope I am too.
Last night I happened to stay at work until around 1am, then I suffered from my usual lie-in-bed-for-two-hours-before-sleeping routine. When my alarm went off at 7:45, I wasn't too eager to obey it. But today's wedding was special. Not only did we have the honor of playing for the wedding of a friend from undergrad and various gigs, we were returning to the place we honeymooned. We were looking forward to going early, spending some time walking around the downtown area, visiting some shops, and having a nice lunch before heading to the wedding venue for our rehearsal.
Well... that was a great plan. Trouble was, after feeding the baby, finding something to wear (which can be its own struggle as we all know! I was searching my closet for something black and clean that fits well enough and wasn't too "concert" dress but not too casual, not too warm, and also conducive to nursing - I was completely dissatisfied with the only option I could seem to find!), dressing up the baby (is this dress dressy enough?), packing the diaper bag (what if she has a crazy day and needs 57 diapers?), blow drying my hair so at least one part of me could look decent (a complete waste of time due to the rain and humidity of the wedding venue), having breakfast, feeding the baby again... let's just say we didn't quite leave as early as we wanted to.
Did I mention I was tired? We may or may not have argued off and on during the 2.5 hour drive there. Mostly probably because I've been overworking this week and feeling pretty stressed. We also had some good conversation too, don't worry.Then once we arrived, it was rainy and the main street was crowded with cars. We spent a dreary half hour trying to decide where to have lunch, and finally settled on a place where we could have some clam chowder and scallops. It was lovely being back in Chatham though and lunch and the familiar scenery boosted my spirits.
The wedding was lovely and two of our good friends held the baby during our rehearsal and the ceremony itself so we didn't have to worry about Luciana. And as expected, even though we didn't agree with the theology of marriage presented in the wedding, the message still inspired us (me) to do better, convicted us (me) of my shortcomings, and reminded us of the importance of and joy in working on our marriage. The preacher talked about marriage being a device to show you your worst, and I heartily agreed! I think it can also show you your best, if you allow it.
It was really nice to make the switch from "gig" to "guest" - something we don't often get to do. The reception was fun and it was great to hang out with friends. Luciana took a nap just when it was time for dinner, which was excellent timing! We all three spent some time on the dance floor. I did not take a single picture, so you'll just have to believe me that Luci was plenty cute at her first wedding and on her first day wearing 3-6 month clothes.
The most fun part of the evening came when we were resting after dancing. Luci has been increasingly interested for the past few weeks in everything that I put in my mouth, and most especially my water glass. If she's eating and I drink water, she will stop and watch me intently until I'm done. Today as I was drinking with her on my lap, she grabbed the glass and pulled it to her mouth. I let her feel the cold and smooth side of the glass on her mouth. I drank again and this time she grabbed the glass with both hands and pulled the lip of it to her mouth and tried to lift it. I helped her get the water and she was very enthusiastic. The next time I tried to drink she wrested the glass and spilled it all over me! We've been waiting to start solid food until she shows her own interest, so this was just the sort of thing we were hoping for. When I would take the glass away from her she would start to cry a little in protest. It's fun to see her learn to communicate her desires.
When we got home I was about done feeding her and drinking my usual glass of water. She grabbed for my glass, so I cheerfully sat her up and let her have another little drink.
I've been thinking over these past few months about this journey of motherhood and how to make it my own. I've tried to be careful to let Luciana be who she is and how she is in every stage, and to just enjoy her in that moment. In life, in music, in everything, I struggle to not just race from task to task, note to note, finish to finish. It is hard for me to slow down my brain, enjoy the process, and savor each beautiful or difficult moment. I made a decision when she was born to let her teach me. Every day, every stage, every mood is beautiful because it is hers. And I enjoy it.
Have another sip of water, Luci. You're growing up so beautifully. I hope I am too.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Rolling, rolling, rolling... part 2
It was bound to happen.
This morning, after making sure all her needs were met and that she was happy, we laid Luciana on her playmat, then each went about our morning duties. A few moments later, Roman comes to me and asks - did you leave her on her tummy?
Uh-oh. I did not.
Just a few days after rolling tummy to back, she figured out how to go back to tummy. I don't know why she wants to since she doesn't really enjoy being on her tummy all that much. She's having a little trouble negotiating the arm that gets stuck underneath her, and she can only perform each roll in one direction so she gets stuck. And really, she hasn't figured out that she can roll both ways so she often just stay on her tummy, pushing up on her arms, complaining. She must have done it seven, make that eight, times today.
It was certainly inevitable. I was just hoping for a few more weeks of relative immobility!
Oh Luci, why do you have to grow up so quickly?
From Wednesday, tummy to back:
From this morning, back to tummy:
This morning, after making sure all her needs were met and that she was happy, we laid Luciana on her playmat, then each went about our morning duties. A few moments later, Roman comes to me and asks - did you leave her on her tummy?
Uh-oh. I did not.
Just a few days after rolling tummy to back, she figured out how to go back to tummy. I don't know why she wants to since she doesn't really enjoy being on her tummy all that much. She's having a little trouble negotiating the arm that gets stuck underneath her, and she can only perform each roll in one direction so she gets stuck. And really, she hasn't figured out that she can roll both ways so she often just stay on her tummy, pushing up on her arms, complaining. She must have done it seven, make that eight, times today.
It was certainly inevitable. I was just hoping for a few more weeks of relative immobility!
Oh Luci, why do you have to grow up so quickly?
From Wednesday, tummy to back:
From this morning, back to tummy:
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Rolling, rolling, rolling
Since I'm not keeping a baby book, I thought I better document this here before I forget it - like I did with her first smile, first bath, first giggle, first everything until now...
On a whim I put Luciana on her tummy this evening. She had been playing with her dangling toys on her playmat and seemed in good spirits, so I thought we'd give it a whirl. She doesn't always like it but she will usually tolerate it. (Her papi apparently does it several times a day when he's with her, but I only do it perhaps once a week when I think of it - hoping that all the snuggling and babywearing really does count for tummy time like they say it does.)
She was showing off her baby plank pose and I was lying down next to her on the floor. We were admiring how long and how high she was holding herself up, more than we'd seen before. Next thing I knew she had pushed herself right over and was lying on her back grinning at me. Her eyes were wide and she seemed surprised at what she had accomplished. She and I were both delighted so I promptly rolled her back over to her tummy to watch her do it again. I was hoping to be able to show her daddy but she rolled over before he could even turn back to see it (he had turned his back at the wrong time and only partially seen the first one). She was very pleased with herself! Then I realized that I should have videod it that second time, so I picked up my camera, put her on her tummy and started the video, hoping she'd have one more roll in her. Two or three minutes later she had completely given up on even holding up her head and was pretty unhappy that I wasn't holding her to celebrate her accomplishment. Oh well, maybe tomorrow I'll catch it on film.
I was very surprised she rolled over since she hasn't even tried to do so before that I could see. Sometimes she looks like she is trying to roll from her back to her tummy, but she only gets up to her side and then gets frustrated. Or falls asleep. Or finds her hand and lies there on her side sucking on it. I haven't been looking forward to the rolling stage because I like being able to put her down someplace and know she won't be doing much moving. Maybe she can delay her back to tummy roll though so I can enjoy this stage a bit longer! I'd selfishly like to put off mobility as long as possible. ;)
She was so tuckered out afterwards that she went to bed a whole hour earlier than normal.
On a whim I put Luciana on her tummy this evening. She had been playing with her dangling toys on her playmat and seemed in good spirits, so I thought we'd give it a whirl. She doesn't always like it but she will usually tolerate it. (Her papi apparently does it several times a day when he's with her, but I only do it perhaps once a week when I think of it - hoping that all the snuggling and babywearing really does count for tummy time like they say it does.)
She was showing off her baby plank pose and I was lying down next to her on the floor. We were admiring how long and how high she was holding herself up, more than we'd seen before. Next thing I knew she had pushed herself right over and was lying on her back grinning at me. Her eyes were wide and she seemed surprised at what she had accomplished. She and I were both delighted so I promptly rolled her back over to her tummy to watch her do it again. I was hoping to be able to show her daddy but she rolled over before he could even turn back to see it (he had turned his back at the wrong time and only partially seen the first one). She was very pleased with herself! Then I realized that I should have videod it that second time, so I picked up my camera, put her on her tummy and started the video, hoping she'd have one more roll in her. Two or three minutes later she had completely given up on even holding up her head and was pretty unhappy that I wasn't holding her to celebrate her accomplishment. Oh well, maybe tomorrow I'll catch it on film.
I was very surprised she rolled over since she hasn't even tried to do so before that I could see. Sometimes she looks like she is trying to roll from her back to her tummy, but she only gets up to her side and then gets frustrated. Or falls asleep. Or finds her hand and lies there on her side sucking on it. I haven't been looking forward to the rolling stage because I like being able to put her down someplace and know she won't be doing much moving. Maybe she can delay her back to tummy roll though so I can enjoy this stage a bit longer! I'd selfishly like to put off mobility as long as possible. ;)
She was so tuckered out afterwards that she went to bed a whole hour earlier than normal.
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