Army Crawl

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Firsts

This blog is essentially Abby's baby book, so I think it's appropriate to comment on some of her firsts that occurred this week.

• Abby experienced her first earthquake.  She wasn't phased.
• Abby had her first fever.  Not sure what caused it.  She never showed any other symptoms.  During the fever she wanted to be held by Mommy at all times.  I went with it and finished a book while she slept in my arms.
• Abby attended her first wedding.  She was a polite guest.
• By the end of this weekend, Abby will have encountered her first hurricane.

Not too shabby for a week's work.

Oh, and Desmond walked on Abby in her cradle for the first time.  Again, Abby wasn't phased.  I briefly panicked and then grabbed my camera.

Seven Months

Time is flying by and Abigail is growing so fast.  I feel like I may have already caused irreparable damage to this tiny human.  

How?  Don't know.  Am I responding to her needs?  Am I offering comfort?  Has she been in the sun too much?  Will that french fry result in childhood obesity?  It's crazy how I want to do so much better for her than I do for myself.  I guess that's parenthood.  I'm allowed to be neurotic from time to time, right?

In most birthday-month posts I list Abby's accomplishments, likes, dislikes and quirks.  The past few days I've been thinking about things Abby no longer has or does, her fleeting and precious attributes.

Abigail. . .

• doesn't have a mohawk anymore.  Only a bit of hair sticks up on the back of her head.
• has long lost the baby reflexes: grasp, fencer, and my favorite, startle.
• no longer raises her hand in her sleep, passes gas, and slowly lowers her hand back down.
• only rarely makes noises in her sleep.  Gone are the coos and clicks I so loved.
• won't nurse for long periods of time.  Three minutes flat and she's put away a meal.
• doesn't fall asleep in my arms nearly as much.  She prefers the bed or the carseat of a moving vehicle. 

  But with all this loss comes a brave new world.  Abigail now. . .

• "eats" a variety of solid food.
• refuses to be spoon fed.  She needs to hold the spoon herself.
• holds a sippy cup.
• army crawls across the floor.
• can army crawl to the vacuum cleaner and chew on the power cord (err. . .what?  Bad mom.)
• poses on her hands and toes.
• pulls her knees underneath herself.
• loves playing with blocks.
• rolls around in her sleep.
• babbles "dadada" and "bababa."
• grunts loudly to show she's mad. 

 

• does not like to be still.
• still sucks her toes.
• is mesmerized with other people's toes. 

So I'm assuming it will all change again soon, eh?

Solids

As of late, we've been experimenting with solid food over here.  Good times.

I'm not a health freak.  I have a weakness for ice cream and baked goods and burgers.  But Greg and I do try to maintain a generally healthy diet.  Whole grains, leaner cuts of meat, fish and lots of fresh veggies and fruits.  Rarely do we buy processed food and most of our meals are made from scratch.

Growing up as fat kids we both agreed that Abigail would start her adventures in eating with healthy wholesome foods.  So what was the first table food she tasted?

Sweet potato?  Avocado?

Nope.  A stinkin' french fry.

Greg and I were out to eat for burgers and fries (Remember, the weakness.) when Abby showed interest in being at the table.  I passed a fry to Greg so she could play with it.  Just play.  Then my fabulous husband places the fry to Abby's lips and it's all over.  She got the taste.  Salt and starch and fat.  She gummed that sucker until it was a half inch shorter.

So much for health.

Since then Abby has tasted all kinds of foods, including more mommy-approved  options such as avocado, oatmeal, sweet potato, apples, avocado, carrots, banana, beets, whole wheat bread and chicken.  

Abby makes the most sour expression when she puts a new food in her mouth.  It's hilarious.  And, yes, she feeds herself.  She does not like to be spoon fed.  She'll take the spoon out of my hand and put it in her mouth like a big girl.  Or she'll suck on a big piece of apple or avocado, holding it (and soon dropping it) all by herself.

And then there's the sippy cup.  Abby holds the sippy cup and chews on the spout and sometimes the handles.  She doesn't seem to understand that she needs to suck on the spout to get water.  Or maybe she doesn't want water.  Actually, that's nonsense, because when I offer her the cup of water without the lid she enthusiastically drinks from it.  Or at least attempts to drink; most of the water spills onto her bib.

 

That's the latest in Abby's nutrition adventures.  Applesauce, anyone?

 

 

Bachelorette Weekend

A couple of weeks ago Abby and I got together with friends to celebrate a very special person.  This is her:

Marlene.  

My friend since third grade, my college roommate, the person who knows every embarrassing adolescent detail of my life and still talks to me.

Marlene was my friend when I had glasses and braces and had to wear Pretty Plus clothes from Sears.

As kids we had different hobbies but still managed to have fun as a team.  I forced her to make-up dances with me.  She made me practice softball.  I got her to join the cheerleading squad in 7th grade.  She invited me over to watch The Lost Boys and I practically peed my pants I was so scared.  

Freshmen year of college we lived in a dorm room so small that once we put a backpack on the floor, the whole room was a complete mess.  Marlene would skip class to watch Oprah and paint her nails. One day she sang everything she wanted to say out loud.  It was "Musical Day."  People, not knowing quite why, sang back to her.  We gave "concerts" together - singing at the top of our lungs into hairbrushes while wearing our pajamas and dancing around the room like maniacs.   

Marlene and I witnessed each others drama as we tried to discover the human beings we wanted to become.  We laughed and cried together.  We got into fights.  We traveled together.  We prayed together.  She helped me work through one of the most frightening times in my life.  She was and still is my constant.

Back to the present:

Marlene is getting married in September.  Her bridal team wanted to throw her a bachelorette party.  Bars.  Strip clubs.  Drinking till you puke.  NOT!

We're thirty-somethings and those crazy party days are behind us.  (OK, I never actually had any crazy party days, but I won't speak for the rest of the bridal team.)  All Marlene wanted was a weekend at the shore with her friends and good food.  So that's what she got.

I think the part of her that didn't want to hurt my feelings when I asked if Abby could join us took over, bound and gagged the part that wanted to respond "Hell no!"  Turned out that Abby was more or less a well-mannered baby and, I hope, paid her dues by providing a source of entertainment.

She made new friends.

She played on the beach. . .

. . .and slept on the beach.

She played by the pool. . .

. . .and in the pool.

Abby partied so much that she even fell asleep in the pool.