Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Cabinets!
Last week while I was preparing her lunch, Reese figured out how to open one of the cabinets in the kitchen. While we had baby proofed most of the house already, we had not yet secured the cabinet doors. She opened the cabinet with our cutting boards and a few of our nonstick pots and pans. (She's naked in these photos since she was preparing to eat lunch--no clothes makes for less clean up and laundry afterward.)
Grandma babysits
While it's a few weekends overdue, I thought I'd post some photos from Grandma Bailey's visit to Austin. The weekend of our 5th wedding anniversary, Grandma Bailey made a visit to babysit so we could go out with some friends. Reese played all
day with Grandma and had a great time. Grandma even took some photos of Reese playing w
ith Mommy and Daddy.
day with Grandma and had a great time. Grandma even took some photos of Reese playing w
ith Mommy and Daddy.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Big 1-0!
Today is Reese's ten month "birthday!" Hard to believe we're now in the double digits.
Below are pictures of Reese at (aprox.) ten days, ten weeks, and ten months just for the sake of comparison.
Some updates:
1. Reese's eating is hit or miss lately. She still refuses almost all baby food. (Occasionally we can get her to eat some oatmeal with apple sauce and once this week she ate some sweet potatoes along with her dinner.) Unfortunately, the amenable baby who liked all foods just a short while ago has been replaced by a picky pants. We've got breakfast down to a science--a combo and rotation of pancakes, banana, yogurt melts, shredded wheat, bagel,and cheerios (we're trying to add scrambled eggs into the rotation, but it's not going well so far). Lunch and dinner, however, are total toss ups. Sometimes Reese will devour what's served, other times she hates it. One day last week she greedily ate some peas, chicken strips, and cherries for lunch, but then refused the exact same meal the next day when it was presented at dinner. There seem to be a few standbys lately when it comes to dinner and lunch fare, though: cheese crumbles, hot dog (skin removed and cut into TINY pieces), stuffing, and macaroni and cheese. Anything else is any one's guess. Reese is also "great" at letting us know when she's unhappy with her food choices--she throws terrible tantrums. On Saturday night, nothing we offered was acceptable (including all her usual favorites, as well as baby food) and she cried and screamed for over an hour. Finally, she ate two bitter biscuits before going to bed--high on the nutrition charts, I know... When Reese is done eating her meal, she also lets us know by using both of her hands to spread any remaining food back and forth across the eating tray. Shortly after this, she begins picking up food and dropping it over the side of her chair to the dog. (Annie doesn't complain.) I'm trying to make her meals big enough and well balanced, but it's a tough act right now. I just have to take solace in what a pediatrician friend of mine said: "No child has ever starved themselves. She'll eat what she needs." I just hope her food aversions don't persist indefinitely. And I wonder: when can she start taking a vitamin?
2. In the last month Reese has decided she doesn't want a bottle before bed anymore. I thought that this would be the last feeding to go, but she has clearly decided otherwise. Her bedtime bottle used to be her biggest (liquid) feeding of the day, but she started taking less and less and eventually pushed the bottle away when offered. So, we're now down to milk at breakfast, lunch, before her afternoon nap, and with dinner, as well as a cup of juice/water for afternoon snack. It seems to be working great for now. While on the topic of bottles--we'll be starting the transition to sippy cups only soon. I'm a little nervous. The pedi (and everything I read) says to try to rid yourself of the bottle by the first birthday or shortly after. I can't believe that's only 8 weeks from now! Reese takes her juice and water from a sippy cup, so starting next week I'm going to try to replace one of her mealtime bottles with a sippy cup of milk to see how that goes. Wish us luck.
3. Reese continues to enjoy the pool. We go to the pool in the late afternoon, just before dinner, two or three times a week. She loves crawling in the shallow end, "jumping" off the side of the pool into my arms, and watching the older kids go down the slides. She's got a tan line developing on her arms from where her swim shirt stops. It's a classic farmer tan. I have mixed feelings about her having tan lines--I SLATHER her with SPF 50 and we're never at the gym pool for more than a hour, so I feel like I'm taking precautions, but it still seems strange. I'll just tell myself she's getting her dose of vitamin D.
4. Contrary to what I may have thought a few months or weeks ago, Reese seems slightly disinterested in walking. She crawls quickly (and all over the house), pulls herself to standing, and cruises along the furniture often, but if you try to hold her by her hands/fingers to help her "walk" while away from the furniture, she gets crabby and instantly sits down. We'll see if her attitude changes in the next few weeks/months.
5. Reese continues to babble up a storm. She doesn't have any consistently "real" words yet, but we swear we've heard her point to Kevin and say "dada" at least twice and today she crawled over to Annie, pointed to her and said what sounded just like "dog" then did it again a few minutes later. (We call Annie "dog" around Reese.) There are other times when I think she mimics my words and she'll come out saying something that has a similar inflection, initial sound, or final sound and it makes me think she's talking. She continues to point at things all around her. She waves (still mostly to me and Kevin, and others she feels comfortable with), and has begun clapping when she's happy or excited. (She also dances when she hears music, which I will try to get on video.) I can tell that her receptive language skills are getting better, because she shows that she's understanding more phrases-- "No," "Arms up," "not in your mouth," "give that to ____(mama, or dada)," "come with me," and "stop/stay." She doesn't always like what she's told/asked to do, so sometimes her compliance also comes with some tears, but she does show she understands.
I can't believe we're only 8 weeks away from her first birthday. When I read about what one year olds can do I can't help but stare in disbelief at Reese. In 8 weeks will she really start walking (or at least get ready to)? Will she be done with bottles? Will she start drinking 'real' milk? Will she start using more words? It seems impossible because while she's definitely not the helpless baby she once was, she still seems like a baby to me.
Below are pictures of Reese at (aprox.) ten days, ten weeks, and ten months just for the sake of comparison.
Some updates:
1. Reese's eating is hit or miss lately. She still refuses almost all baby food. (Occasionally we can get her to eat some oatmeal with apple sauce and once this week she ate some sweet potatoes along with her dinner.) Unfortunately, the amenable baby who liked all foods just a short while ago has been replaced by a picky pants. We've got breakfast down to a science--a combo and rotation of pancakes, banana, yogurt melts, shredded wheat, bagel,and cheerios (we're trying to add scrambled eggs into the rotation, but it's not going well so far). Lunch and dinner, however, are total toss ups. Sometimes Reese will devour what's served, other times she hates it. One day last week she greedily ate some peas, chicken strips, and cherries for lunch, but then refused the exact same meal the next day when it was presented at dinner. There seem to be a few standbys lately when it comes to dinner and lunch fare, though: cheese crumbles, hot dog (skin removed and cut into TINY pieces), stuffing, and macaroni and cheese. Anything else is any one's guess. Reese is also "great" at letting us know when she's unhappy with her food choices--she throws terrible tantrums. On Saturday night, nothing we offered was acceptable (including all her usual favorites, as well as baby food) and she cried and screamed for over an hour. Finally, she ate two bitter biscuits before going to bed--high on the nutrition charts, I know... When Reese is done eating her meal, she also lets us know by using both of her hands to spread any remaining food back and forth across the eating tray. Shortly after this, she begins picking up food and dropping it over the side of her chair to the dog. (Annie doesn't complain.) I'm trying to make her meals big enough and well balanced, but it's a tough act right now. I just have to take solace in what a pediatrician friend of mine said: "No child has ever starved themselves. She'll eat what she needs." I just hope her food aversions don't persist indefinitely. And I wonder: when can she start taking a vitamin?
2. In the last month Reese has decided she doesn't want a bottle before bed anymore. I thought that this would be the last feeding to go, but she has clearly decided otherwise. Her bedtime bottle used to be her biggest (liquid) feeding of the day, but she started taking less and less and eventually pushed the bottle away when offered. So, we're now down to milk at breakfast, lunch, before her afternoon nap, and with dinner, as well as a cup of juice/water for afternoon snack. It seems to be working great for now. While on the topic of bottles--we'll be starting the transition to sippy cups only soon. I'm a little nervous. The pedi (and everything I read) says to try to rid yourself of the bottle by the first birthday or shortly after. I can't believe that's only 8 weeks from now! Reese takes her juice and water from a sippy cup, so starting next week I'm going to try to replace one of her mealtime bottles with a sippy cup of milk to see how that goes. Wish us luck.
3. Reese continues to enjoy the pool. We go to the pool in the late afternoon, just before dinner, two or three times a week. She loves crawling in the shallow end, "jumping" off the side of the pool into my arms, and watching the older kids go down the slides. She's got a tan line developing on her arms from where her swim shirt stops. It's a classic farmer tan. I have mixed feelings about her having tan lines--I SLATHER her with SPF 50 and we're never at the gym pool for more than a hour, so I feel like I'm taking precautions, but it still seems strange. I'll just tell myself she's getting her dose of vitamin D.
4. Contrary to what I may have thought a few months or weeks ago, Reese seems slightly disinterested in walking. She crawls quickly (and all over the house), pulls herself to standing, and cruises along the furniture often, but if you try to hold her by her hands/fingers to help her "walk" while away from the furniture, she gets crabby and instantly sits down. We'll see if her attitude changes in the next few weeks/months.
5. Reese continues to babble up a storm. She doesn't have any consistently "real" words yet, but we swear we've heard her point to Kevin and say "dada" at least twice and today she crawled over to Annie, pointed to her and said what sounded just like "dog" then did it again a few minutes later. (We call Annie "dog" around Reese.) There are other times when I think she mimics my words and she'll come out saying something that has a similar inflection, initial sound, or final sound and it makes me think she's talking. She continues to point at things all around her. She waves (still mostly to me and Kevin, and others she feels comfortable with), and has begun clapping when she's happy or excited. (She also dances when she hears music, which I will try to get on video.) I can tell that her receptive language skills are getting better, because she shows that she's understanding more phrases-- "No," "Arms up," "not in your mouth," "give that to ____(mama, or dada)," "come with me," and "stop/stay." She doesn't always like what she's told/asked to do, so sometimes her compliance also comes with some tears, but she does show she understands.
I can't believe we're only 8 weeks away from her first birthday. When I read about what one year olds can do I can't help but stare in disbelief at Reese. In 8 weeks will she really start walking (or at least get ready to)? Will she be done with bottles? Will she start drinking 'real' milk? Will she start using more words? It seems impossible because while she's definitely not the helpless baby she once was, she still seems like a baby to me.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Goodbye Gerber?
Reese may have declared an end to eating baby food. I made a post a while back that talked about Reese's growing interest in feeding herself. To accommodate her desire to be "involved," as well as make sure she was getting enough to eat, we devised an eating schedule where she ate a combination of finger foods as well as baby food at each meal.
It was going really well until the last few days. Now Reese is spitting out even her favorite baby food meals. While I've never thought they seem that appetizing, she definitely had her favorites. Now she won't even eat the fruit or dessert items when offered. Instead, she spits them out (projectile style), pushes the spoon away, clamps her mouth shut, and starts fussing when offered baby food.
When the baby food is replaced by a tray of "grown up food," though, she happily begins feeding herself.
In some ways, it's a lot less work since there's no need to sit and spoon the food for her; but the prep is definitely more intense (especially if she can't eat what we're having for lunch or dinner). She's gotta make the switch sometime, though, and if she's telling us she's ready, we'll just have to follow her lead.
The Great Elephant Switch
A few months ago Reese adopted a pink stuffed elephant as her "lovie" for bedtime and naps (first image below). She quickly became attached to the elephant and it could soothe her instantly. While the elephant was primarily a buddy for bedtime, if we allowed, Reese would crawl all over the house with the elephant in one hand. Once, she even scaled her bookshelf with elephant by putting its ear in her mouth so that both of her hands were free. All of the loving she showered on the elephant was leaving it's mark--the elephant seriously needed to be washed. Unfortunately, elephant had a music box inside that played a tune when you pulled on its tail. This neat feature rendered the elephant un-washable except by damp washcloth...and the damp washcloth just wasn't cutting it. I began to explore the option of getting a second elephant of the same kind. My plan was to perform "surgery" on the second elephant to try and remove the music box so that it could then be washed in the washing machine; this would also ensure I had a second elephant on hand for emergencies. I dare not try this move on the "one and only elephant" since if things went wrong, bedtime minus her elephant pal might not have been pretty. Alas, her elephant was discontinued. Some enterprising folks on eBay are currently trying to sell theirs (their beginning bids range from $25-$50+). 
So, I took to Amazon to search for a similar elephant to replace the original. I came up with an elephant of similar size and color that was touted as machine washable (image below). BINGO! For a little over $20 I got two elephants shipped to my house. When they arrived, the old elephant "disappeared." Kevin originally thought it was overkill to get two elephants, but when Reese puked all over one last week just minutes before bedtime, I was pretty happy to be able to pull the identical replacement out of the closet while throwing the other one in the wash. If this elephant is going to be the security blanket of choice for the next few years, a back up is absolutely necessary. Just ask my mom sometime about my childhood traumas with "Bun Bun." As I recall we lost one down the toilet and there was a terrible tantrum episode when he had to be washed one day...
So, I took to Amazon to search for a similar elephant to replace the original. I came up with an elephant of similar size and color that was touted as machine washable (image below). BINGO! For a little over $20 I got two elephants shipped to my house. When they arrived, the old elephant "disappeared." Kevin originally thought it was overkill to get two elephants, but when Reese puked all over one last week just minutes before bedtime, I was pretty happy to be able to pull the identical replacement out of the closet while throwing the other one in the wash. If this elephant is going to be the security blanket of choice for the next few years, a back up is absolutely necessary. Just ask my mom sometime about my childhood traumas with "Bun Bun." As I recall we lost one down the toilet and there was a terrible tantrum episode when he had to be washed one day...
Illness Update
After a few days of antibiotics Reese seems to be doing much better. Her HFMD rash is now completely gone. It has left behind some healing scabs, but nothing too bad. She's also been less fussy and sleeping much better at night. We're still trying to keep on top of the teething discomfort the best we can, but even that doesn't seem to be bothering her as much. It's amazing that she can now go without wearing a bib--since the front teeth have all broken through the gum line there's been a HUGE reduction in her amount of drool. Yeah all around!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sick Kid + Other Surprises
This week was more hectic than I imagined possible. Monday evening should have been an omen when Kevin ran over a roofing nail for the second time in a month. He spent part of the evening attaching his spare while I made plans to try and get the tire patched Tuesday morning. Bright an early on Tuesday, Reese and I made a trip to the tire repair place only to discover that his tire was unrepairable since the puncture was too close to the sidewall. We proceeded to spend the rest of the day researching tires and making trips to drop off and pick up daddy's car in between Reese's naps and meals. (BIG thanks go out to Aunt Kim who helped make the day as normal as possible--i.e. we didn't have to wait around in CostCo for 2 hours while the tires were being replaced.)
Our week only got "better" from there. On Thursday night Reese experienced her second major hailstorm. While this storm turned out to be less damaging than the one we experienced at the end of March, it was pretty scary since there were reports of a confirmed tornado touch-down just down the road from our house. We waited out the storm in the bathroom again. Luckily, we suffered no broken windows or serious roof damage this time around. (Yea for the new roof!)
Friday morning Reese and I made a trip to the pediatrician so he could inspect a strange rash she had developed. At first, the rash started on her bottom and I assumed it was a case of diaper rash. With our recent trips to the pool, it seemed a reasonable conclusion---until the rash spread to her feet and hands. The pediatrician confirmed my new suspicion--Reese has hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD). HFMD is nothing like the hoof and mouth disease that cattle suffer from; instead it's a common childhood virus. Since Reese puts most things in or near her mouth and she now spends some time at a daycare facility (at the gym) I'm not surprised she's caught something. The virus manifests itself in small fluid filled bumps on the patient's palms, soles, and the inside of their mouth. Other symptoms include fever, "diaper-like" rash on the bottom, and generally lethargy. Reese's case is pretty mild since he only has a few bumps and she's never run a high fever. There's nothing that can be done to treat the virus, it just must run its course. While at the pedi, however, they also gave her a "once over" just to be safe. This inspection revealed that she has an ear infection in her right ear. Double whammy--now we're on the 10 day amoxicillin treatment. I'm super glad they checked her all over. If not, I might have assumed additional fussiness was a product of her virus or teething and her infection may have gone unchecked until it was much worse.
In addition to her virus and her infection, Reese is getting all of her four top teeth right now. They are all breaking through the gums simultaneously. As a result, Reese is having a tough time eating and drinking. We can't be sure what the culprit is since a) it could be the sores inside her mouth from HFMD, b) it could hurt to suck on the bottle or sippy cup since she has an ear infection, c) her teeth/gums could hurt when she eats and drinks, or d)all of the above. So, we're trying to keep up with giving her ibuprofen which should help the pain and discomfort on all fronts.
Fingers crossed for a smoother week ahead!
Our week only got "better" from there. On Thursday night Reese experienced her second major hailstorm. While this storm turned out to be less damaging than the one we experienced at the end of March, it was pretty scary since there were reports of a confirmed tornado touch-down just down the road from our house. We waited out the storm in the bathroom again. Luckily, we suffered no broken windows or serious roof damage this time around. (Yea for the new roof!)
Friday morning Reese and I made a trip to the pediatrician so he could inspect a strange rash she had developed. At first, the rash started on her bottom and I assumed it was a case of diaper rash. With our recent trips to the pool, it seemed a reasonable conclusion---until the rash spread to her feet and hands. The pediatrician confirmed my new suspicion--Reese has hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD). HFMD is nothing like the hoof and mouth disease that cattle suffer from; instead it's a common childhood virus. Since Reese puts most things in or near her mouth and she now spends some time at a daycare facility (at the gym) I'm not surprised she's caught something. The virus manifests itself in small fluid filled bumps on the patient's palms, soles, and the inside of their mouth. Other symptoms include fever, "diaper-like" rash on the bottom, and generally lethargy. Reese's case is pretty mild since he only has a few bumps and she's never run a high fever. There's nothing that can be done to treat the virus, it just must run its course. While at the pedi, however, they also gave her a "once over" just to be safe. This inspection revealed that she has an ear infection in her right ear. Double whammy--now we're on the 10 day amoxicillin treatment. I'm super glad they checked her all over. If not, I might have assumed additional fussiness was a product of her virus or teething and her infection may have gone unchecked until it was much worse.
In addition to her virus and her infection, Reese is getting all of her four top teeth right now. They are all breaking through the gums simultaneously. As a result, Reese is having a tough time eating and drinking. We can't be sure what the culprit is since a) it could be the sores inside her mouth from HFMD, b) it could hurt to suck on the bottle or sippy cup since she has an ear infection, c) her teeth/gums could hurt when she eats and drinks, or d)all of the above. So, we're trying to keep up with giving her ibuprofen which should help the pain and discomfort on all fronts.
Fingers crossed for a smoother week ahead!
Monday, June 8, 2009
More Photos
Here are some cute pics from the last few weeks. She's starting to look like such a little person--rather than a little baby.
Grandparents Galore
I've gotten a little behind on posting lately, and I apologize. With summer now fully in swing, we've been busy, busy, busy. Yard projects, trips to the pool, and lots of outside time have made me a poor blogger.
Because Grandpa Righter hadn't had a chance to see Reese since the beginning of April, Reese, Annie, and I took a day trip to San Antonio for a visit last week. Reese had a blast exploring the downstairs, and took particular interest in the doors on the entertainment center. She also enjoyed hanging out in the pavilion and climbing on the outdoor furniture.
This weekend, the Bailey Grandparents made a visit to Austin to surprise Kevin with an early birthday present. Our lawn mower recently made its last stand (it would only run if rigged with a pair of vice grips). Coincidentally, the grandparents were already planning on getting Kevin a new mower for his birthday in August. Since the lawn couldn't wait that long (and it was hard trying to prevent Kevin from replacing the mower himself), they brought the new mower up early and visited for a while.
You may see Reese wearing a bow in a few of the pictures posted. While I've never been much of a "bow head" myself, we received some clip on bows for shower gifts. Now that Reese's hair is a little longer, they are able to clip on to her hair. As long as Reese is occupied, she doesn't pay any attention to her accessory, but if she gets bored, the bow is the first thing to go. Oh well, it's a cute experiment while it lasts.
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