Reese's Room

Here's a video showing Reese's room.

Random Updates

Reese is 8 months old today. It's hard to believe. She's grown and changed so much. Because she was born the day before school started, it's easy to judge her age by the school calendar. With that in mind, it boggles my mind that the school year is almost over. Where has all the time gone? It would be impossible to get pictures of all the things that have been going on lately, but here are some funny items and updates from Reese's life in the last two weeks.

1. Reese has decided peek-a-boo is the best game ever. Regardless of circumstances, it always gets a smile. Mommy and daddy have taken to hiding around corners, behind pillows, and behind furniture in order to play the game. She always goes looking for the hidden person when she sees them disappear. The only game that holds a candle to peek-a-boo right now is playing "catch" with the soft blocks Aunt Kate made for her.

2. Reese is asserting her independence during meal times. With the exception of breakfast (maybe she's still groggy?), she wants to feed herself. Since she can't handle a spoon yet, this makes meals interesting. We're trying to discover foods that she can gum and pick up herself to make this matter easier. So far, mac and cheese (cut into small pieces) has been a big hit at lunch time. On the menu for exploration this week: smashed bananas, mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, cooked carrots, and cheese crumbles. I'm also considering giving her the bowl of baby food and letting her dig in with her fingers. I am sure the dog will love this new phase.

3. Reese is pulling up on EVERYTHING. It's a little scary to watch her wobble while she reaches for objects, but her balance is getting better and better each day. Not surprisingly, when she reaches standing, she likes to bounce up and down or try to crawl on top of the object she's holding onto. The bouncing has lead to a couple unfortunate head bonks in her crib.

3. Speaking of head bonks, Reese is a dare devil when it comes to exploring the house and even with close supervision she manages to bonk her head or chin on something at least once or twice a day. After such episodes she is inconsolable for a few minutes. I'm hoping that the accidents become less frequent and/or she learns how to self soothe afterwards.

4. Reese is now only taking two naps a day! She can now stay up for about 3 hours between naps which makes getting out and about a little easier for us. We're still hammering out when these two naps will routinely fall, but I'm hoping by next week a pattern will emerge.

5. Reese is a non-stop talker lately. She babbles about everything. This is especially true when I take her to the park and put her in the swing. She talks to all of the kids that come by. I will try to get video soon.

6. Reese may graduate from her baby tub soon. Almost everyday she tries to crawl out of it to explore the rest of the tub area, or she tries to grab onto the side of the "real" tub and stand up.

7. I have been reading countless books to Reese since her birth but lately she seems extremely interested in them. She turns the pages and responds to the pictures. In one of her favorites, Goodnight Gorilla, she even acts silly and excited at appropriate times in the story. In general, the bigger the pictures in the book, the more she likes it.

8. Reese understands the word "no." When I see her creeping toward the fireplace or getting into mischief I put on the mommy/teacher voice and tell her "Reese, no!" She immediately stops in her tracks and turns to look at me. After waiting a few seconds she often goes back to her trouble-making adventure, but she does give me pause. Today I told her no and she actually turned around and went the other way. Generally, though, after she resumes her unwanted behavior I have to pick her up and move her away. This always causes some kind of major tantrum.

Pulling Up

One day last week Reese discovered she could pull herself to standing using the step stool. This weekend Reese put this skill to work by pulling up on items around the house -- or at least trying to. She soon discovered that many things in our house are just slightly too high for her to get a good grip on in order to pull herself up. Two consistently stable and height-appropriate areas include her bed and the step stool. Mommy and Daddy had the step stool out this weekend in order to hang something in her room. When daddy wasn't using it, Reese hurried over to the step stool and pulled herself from her belly, onto her knees, and finally on to her feet. She then proceeded to start chewing on it. During a game of peek-a-boo in her crib, Reese discovered she can grab onto the bumper or the slats and pull herself up. Once standing in her crib, Reese became fascinated by the bows that hold her bumper on and by the hamper that stands just out of her reach on one end of the crib.

Swim Time

While Reese tried out the pool for the first time in Iowa, we tried it again on Friday afternoon at the gym. She got to sport her SUPER cute bathing suit that was a gift from her Great Aunt Betsy. The gym I joined has "zero-depth" indoor pool complete with water slides. The pool has a sloped entry that makes getting in and out of the water while carrying a baby easy. Reese and I sat in the shallow end of the pool and played with the water jets that shot short spurts of water in the air. Because we arrived at the beginning of "family swim" time (3pm) the pool was empty. Reese did not enjoy being in the pool solo and I thought we would have to leave quickly, BUT we were saved by the arrival of another baby (9mos) just minutes later. Once other children started showing up, Reese had a blast. She shrieked at passers by, splashed constantly, and was all smiles. When we walked into deeper water, she was equally excited to lay on her tummy (my hands supporting her underneath) and move her arms and legs around. She looks like she has good swimming instincts already. I think a weekly swim trip may be in order.

Gym Visit

I recently broke down and joined a gym. My last few pregnancy pounds are melting off, and while I have enjoyed running around my neighborhood I feel bad that my exercise means Reese is trapped (stationary) in her stroller. (Especially now that I'm considering running longer distances, and she always wants to move it's not a good combo.) I did some research on gyms last week with some very strict criteria: 1) proximity to our house--I don't want to spend precious time commuting to and from a gym with Reese in tow. 2) cost--duh. 3)childcare--second duh. These three criteria drastically cut my options--leaving me with either Lifetime Fitness or the YMCA. After touring both facilities and asking millions of questions about their childcare, I chose Lifetime Fitness. While they are, by no means, the cheapest gym in town, there was only a $9 difference between their membership and the YMCA (when factoring in childcare costs). Hands down, Lifetime has a MUCH better childcare facility for little ones. The only draw back is that we have to make an "appointment" in the childcare facility at least 24 hours ahead of time (this helps ensure they have proper staff:infant ratios in the 4-12mo room).

Today was our first day to try it out. I was probably more nervous than Reese about her first non-family babysitting trial. When I arrived there seemed like a lot of infants were in the room, but I soon learned that I had arrived at a transition time and most of them were being picked up. They gave me a pager in case Reese had trouble and I was off. I stayed for an hour and then went to pick her up. When I arrived, she was the only "baby" left, so the staff were holding her and carrying her around in the 1-3 year old room so she could watch them have "bubble time." Reese was in heaven watching the other kids. I asked how she did and the staff said she was great and didn't have any problems. Then they added, "You know, she's VERY mobile. She was interested in everything." Yep, that's my girl!

More Easter Photos

Trouble With a Capital T

Reese has been having a blast creeping around the house. As predicted, she is into everything she can get her hands on (or near). Today, though, she couldn't seem to stay out of trouble. Every time I set her down she was on the move--and always toward something she shouldn't be near. It started with some "playtime" in the dog's water dish--no real harm done, just a few wet fingers. After moving her away, though, she took advantage of the second it took me to get a new trash bag out of the cabinet and she had made her way (fast as lightening) back to the food dishes. This time, it was the cat food that caught her interest. She got her hand in the dish and was moving an entire fist-full of cat food toward her mouth when I intercepted her. She was not happy to have to move away again. Immediately following this incident, she went after the dog toys. The pictures I took are from separate attempts today to repeat her explorations of the dog and cat areas. This is taking "real toys" (see earlier threads) to a new level.

Easter

This weekend was Reese's first Easter. Her Grandma and Grandpa Bailey accompanied by Aunt Kate came to Austin to help celebrate. Reese wore her polka dot dress and occasionally sported some bunny ears (when she wasn't busy chewing on them). Following a big Easter dinner, Reese watched the Masters with Daddy and Grandpa in between her naps.

Crawfish Boil

This weekend the Daniel Clan hosted an amazing crawfish boil! Reese came along with us and watched us enjoy some of the 200lbs of crawfish they had on hand. She wasn't quite sure what to think of the mudbugs.

Creeping

Reese is on the move. While before my trip she spent a lot of time on her hands and knees, she now creeps around the house "inch worm" style. She's getting pretty good at it and can move quickly when she's motivated. She seems a lot happier now that she is able to go after things she's interested in. She definitely has a nose for trouble, though. If she's not carefully watched, she will get into anything and everything that's unsafe (electrical cords, fireplace tools etc.). She's also getting used to where her body is--she gets a little frustrated when she creeps into a corner and doesn't have room to turn around or when she accidentally lifts her body up and bumps her head into something.

Maui Momma

I apologize for a lack of blog entries lately. After our trip to Iowa there were only ten days before I left for a vacation to Hawaii. Factor in a hail storm and having to pack for myself and Reese, and I just didn't find the time. That being said...

On April 1st, Kim and I left for a trip to Maui. We had a great time relaxing and enjoying the beautiful island. Highlights of our trip included: a morning at the Grand Wailea Spa, TONS of reading, LOTS of Mai Thais, a terrifying drive down a winding one lane highway, hiking to waterfalls, driving a convertible, and an adventure rafting snorkel tour.

While I was enjoying my time away, Reese got to spend time with both sets of her grandparents in San Antonio. She handled the trip well and had a great time. It was my first extended trip away from her. (Defined: More than three consecutive hours of absence during any single daytime period. It's a little different if she's in bed for the night and I'm not there--I feel like I'm not missing much.)

When I got back it was amazing to see how much she had "grown" in such a short period of time. Her creeping skills were greatly improved and she started babbling much more. When she first started "talking" to me on the drive home to Austin I was shocked by how conversational her voice and tones had become. Now that we're home and getting back into our routine, I will be posting more items soon.