Easter, etc.

Luthien- Well, here are some recent pictures of you, as promised....

I was dying to take you swimming since it started warming up (actually by now it has more than warmed up- record heat, which we're not fond of/ready for).  It's a long story, but by the time we finally got to the pool the day of your first swim, it was a little chilly.  You didn't mind one bit- you are not affected by water temperature we have come to find out (hot water heater just got fixed after almost a week of being broken and you still took your bath like a good girl every night).  This picture is pre-pool, we forgot to bring our camera to document you actually in the water :(  Just know that you loved splashing around with mom and dad.  

I'm sorry but I just have to add, isn't your halter bathing suit totally adorable?!
 

The Friday before Easter we had a party at your great Uncle Tyler's house.  Here is just one picture of you during the egg hunt.  You loved crawling around and picking up all the eggs.

The next day we went to Tucson to celebrate your Grandpa Edward's birthday, Easter, and attend your great grandmother Alberta's funeral.  It was a very tiring weekend for all of us for a variety of reasons.  You definitely enjoyed the Easter egg hunt with Grandma Linda, Uncle Ben/Aunt Kristin and cousins just as equally as the previous celebration, as you can see below:

Sitting nicely with your cousin Chloe:

This is the toothy grin you've been showing off lately.  Believe it or not this version is not as exaggerated as we often get.  Notice the arch in your eyebrows- looks exactly like daddy. When you make this face you simultaneously breath very loudly out your nostrils.  Where do you come up with these things?!

One highlight of the trip was going to the top of Mount Lemon (just the three of us), where you were able to see snow for the second time.  You loved it- again, you aren't very sensitive when touching cold things, so you loved picking up chunks of ice and snow and playing with them.

Last but not least, a stop to the Bedford home (your Aunt Carlie's family)...After peeing all over yourself and Holly at church, mom stripping you naked, etc., you were happy to spend some quality time in the sunshine with Garret:

A quick developmental update before I finish this entry: You have, for the most part, developed your pincer grasp (gripping items between your thumb and forefinger) as of this week!  Mom was pretty anxious for this since you will mainly eat finger foods only at this point.  Of course, you will only use it to pick up your organic puffs at this point- fruits and vegetables still frustrate you because they tend to be more slippery and harder to grasp, so you give up pretty easily.  

Congrats on your fine-motor progress baby girl!

Love you,

Mom

Hi Luthien-

Well, it has again been a long couple of weeks, but this is about you, not me. I am writing while on my lunch break at work so again there will be no pictures. I promise to post some after our Easter adventures this weekend!

Lets re-cap: at 8 1/2 months you finally started crawling- we always said it wasn't a completely normal crawl- kind of like you had a bum leg. Well, that has officially disappeared and now I can call you a full-fledged crawler. When you see something you want (usually a cat or dog) you are very speedy, too!

Mom is starting to accept the fact that you are not really into any foods that have to be eaten from a spoon. This means all my long hours spent making deliciously fresh (mostly organic) purees are coming to an end. I'm not quite ready to let it go yet since there is an exception to this rule- you LOVE my potato leek soup. You also seem to prefer anything that is very fresh- if it was made the day before and re-heated, forget it. I'm still determined to find more purees that you like because then we could get more volume into that skinny body of yours! Although you have more teeth than most your age, you still tend to cough/choke a little with some of the finger foods, so we can only do very small amounts at a time. For some reason whenever you have to eat off of a spoon you purse your lips and take the tiniest bites I've ever seen, except with the potato leek soup! I'm starting to wonder if/why you have an aversion to the spoon- my initial thoughts are to trace it back to the NICU or the oral vaccines....of course this is just my inquisitive, research-based mind at work. We haven't been back for your 9 month check-up but I am hoping you have gained some weight according to their scale. You definitely feel heartier to me and we've been working really hard to find things you like!

Speaking of teeth, your two top teeth came in and it looks very funny, and of course cute. I have to admit it is a bit hard for me to adjust to your new "look," I'm not sure why! You also have two more teeth on both sides of the middle top two that have poked through- just not quite visible when you smile yet. You have this habit of tapping/grinding your teeth together that is like 'nails on a chalkboard' for Dad and I...seriously, how is it possible to grind your front teeth?!

No new language milestones to report just yet. We're still working on various signs, pointing, waving, and consistent/meaningful productions of 'mommy' and 'daddy.'

You've been having a hard time sleeping at night again- last night you woke up screaming 4 or 5 times. I'm thinking your teeth are bugging you and hoping we can go back to only 1 waking per night.

You continue to have an obsession with anything that is circular shaped. This is probably tied with or a close second to your obsession with other babies/kids! We recently went to a friend's 2nd birthday party and it was very obvious how much you love being around other children-sometimes more than they do- you had the best time playing with and watching all the other babies. I was able to see your age cut-off the other day at the grocery store. You were totally engrossed with a girl who looked to be about age 6. You were totally uninterested, however, in her sister, who was desperately trying to entertain you but was the unfortunate age of about 9. My crazy, picky girl!

Well, we are off to Tucson this weekend and I will report the events of the trip when we get back!

Love you,
Mom

p.s. I forgot to mention how sad you get now when I have to go to work. I'm sorry I have to leave you and I wish I didn't have to go- it really breaks my heart. I do know that you are safe with Dad, even if he doesn't always do things the way I would do them!