Milestones part II

Dear Luthien,

It has again been much too long since I have written you, however, I need to make this quick if at all possible.  This past month has been huge in terms of your development so I need to update you.  

I'll start with your eating.  When you were 7 months I brought you to the pediatrician since you were sick.  They were a bit concerned that you hadn't gained any weight since your 6 month appointment- still 14 lbs 10 oz.  So they told me to bring you back in 2 weeks.  As you know, I'm not totally excited about mainstream medicine so I waited a month and tried my best to get lots of food in you (in other words, my milk, because you weren't really into solids/baby food at this point).  So at the 8 month appointment you were a whopping 14 lbs 15 oz.  You had only gained 5 oz in 2 months and had dropped to just below the 5th percentile!  This was very stressful for me, as I did not want to give you formula (personal choice); yet I knew my body was having a hard time keeping up with your needs since I am away from you 40 hours of the week.  The doctors were also concerned as to why you were not really eating real foods yet.  I explained you just seemed bored by the whole process.  I obviously knew there was no eating or swallowing disorder, you were/are just picky and seem to have a high metabolism (big surprise- who does that sound like?).  I have to also mention that this entire time I had been making most of your foods using fresh ingredients, so it was extra frustrating when you would take one bite and then be done.  Now to the good news...about a week ago I started writing down every little thing you ate.  And it seems that since that time your appetite for real food has grown a lot!  I am happy to say that you are eating much better, feeling heavier (we'll see at the next check-up), and pooping much more (not so fun since you are digesting real food now).

On a different note, your slither/scoot maneuver has finally progressed to a crawl!  I would say you officially started crawling at 8 1/2 months.  You still tend to get lazy with this and will often revert back to using the slither.  You don't go very fast when you crawl, which also is reminiscent of me- we like to take our time- but this is perfectly fine with dad and I.  You also try to pull yourself up on things a lot but usually only make it to a kneeling position.  Most pieces of furniture are not quite the right height to do this.  Much to my dismay, however, you have discovered that the toilet is the perfect height for pulling yourself up.  Needless to say we are doing a lot of cleaning these days, and keeping you out of the bathroom as much as possible.

I want to update you on your language skills and then I will have to write another time.  You can say CV words with initial consonants /d/, /f/, /m/, /n/, /b/ and /p/.  Sorry for the speechie lingo, just ask me what this means and I'll explain.  I am almost positive you are saying "dog"- you say "dat" whenever you see Roofus or other live dogs, or even when you hear them barking. This is a pretty consistent pattern but I don't want to say for sure just yet!  (By the way this is the only CVC word you are using).  Also, although you can use these other consonants, you prefer to stick with /d/ (very typical).  Your comprehension is, as expected, much further along.  I am pretty sure you understand mommy, daddy, light, up, kitty, more, no, music, water, all done, eat, drink, and milk, and probably a few more that I am missing.  We are working on waving, pointing, and developing a few signs.  You used to always respond to your name but lately you haven't been- must be more of a choice than anything!

I knew this would be a longer one- sorry no pictures this time.  To be continued....

Love,

Mom

  

Miscellaneous

Hi Luthien-

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written to you. You see, I've been really run down lately trying to manage full-time work, our home, finances, and your often absent-minded daddy all while trying to be a good mom. I hope that I am putting the most effort into the latter item.

You and I have been sharing sicknesses- you got sick first with bronchiolitis and an ear infection but soon recovered, then I got sick (and am still sick), and now you are sick again. I used to pride myself on having a super-immune system but that has not been the case lately. Too much stress and not enough free time spent laughing, singing, dancing, eating, etc. is what I say. It is my new goal to be able to spend more time doing these things and being with you. I am hoping sometime in the near future we can move away, creating our own little organic garden and semi-farm so that we can all be happier, and help the environment in the process. Just some things that have been on my mind lately....But I digress.

What I really want to share with you is what has occurred in your life and development in the past week, so here goes:

Remember your new tummy sleeping habit? Mom thought it couldn't get any worse but I'm afraid it has....You have now taken to kneeling, banging on the side of the crib to get my attention, and then falling asleep with your face literally in the crib bumper like so:

I don't think I have mentioned this before, so I wanted to tell you that you absolutely love the guitar, and have since you were about two months old. Here is a recent picture of your fascination with the guitar (and with all music, for that matter). And thanks Rome/dad, for always playing to our girl :

Just for fun here is a picture of you when you were only three months old in a similar scenario:

This past weekend you and I went to Utah to visit your Poppa for his 90th birthday. Dad had to stay home to play a show with his band. We went with your Nana, Grandad, Uncle Rhett/Aunt Stefa and Amelie. Mom felt very sick the whole time but everyone was happy to see us there. Long drives (especially those with changing altitudes causing ear discomfort) may have to be out of the question for a little while. I took only a few pictures to document the trip:

This basically sums up your reaction with all new people, especially when mom is around. Luckily cousin Ember thinks it's hilarious that you cry with strangers- others, on the other hand, do not, and mom gets a little stressed because she doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

Your first experience with snow. Note that it is actually just a small patch of snow in an otherwise grassy area, and the temperature was quite warm.

Taking a bath in Great Aunt Shelly's sink in her newly remodeled kitchen. Please forgive mom's cheesy grin- she was totally out of it by that point.

Finally, re-uniting with Dad after the long and interesting (to say the least) journey.

More to follow regarding your eating habits, language, and circular obsession. I thought this was enough for one post.

Love,

Mom

Sunglasses

Luthien,

Today while out shopping with dad, you picked these sunglasses out for him.  I think you're one of the only babies that actually would want to wear something on your face- we thought you would rip them off but you just can't get enough of them.  You get excited when we put them on each time.  Just thought I'd let you know!

Love,

Mom

Attention to Details

Hi Luthien,

I promise this is the last entry of the day. I wanted to tell you about how ever since you were very small you have been obsessed with the little things. Whether it's a tiny screw on a toy, a minuscule spot on a glass, or the itsy-bitsy picture of the moon in the corner of a big page in your bedtime book (there seems to be a circular theme), you love the details. In fact, you become quite fixated on them. If I wasn't a speech pathologist I may not take notice of this, and I definitely wouldn't worry about it. This peculiar habit does, however, remind me of many of the children I have worked with. For now, though, I will consider it perfectly cute, and remember that you come from an overly observant father and a mildly obsessive-compulsive mother :)

On a similar note, I must mention that you have always had both hypo- and hyper-sensitivities to various textures. A perfect example of your hyper-sensitivity occurred tonight. Dad's guitar was delivered and he quickly opened the large package. It was filled with styrofoam packing peanuts, which I thought you would love. After he tipped over the box and the peanuts were all over the floor, I sat you in the middle of the pile, and you completely freaked out! I later attempted to hand you one piece, and you still were terrified. I tried one more time, and this is what you had to think about the whole situation:

All I can say is I'm sorry for traumatizing you!

On a completely different note, here is a picture of you from my good friend Lyndsay's baby shower this past weekend:

I had to save this picture somewhere because it is the only one you will see where you are wearing a headband. Daddy will not allow you to wear these, and since mom isn't a big fan either, we've never even tried one on you. I actually thought this plain version looked quite nice, but Dad still isn't having it. So I hope you enjoy this picture, as there will never be another like it!

Love,

Mom

A few more pictures...

Luthien,

While I'm at it I've decided to post a few more pictures that are my recent faves. Hope you enjoy-

Love,
Mom

Looking totally confused



A perfect pose for Daddy- Valentines Day




You also on Valentine's Day at our good friend Wes Johnson's "Recession Session." Of note, he claims this is one of his favorite shots from the whole day. Mom and Dad were not having the best of days so, although we are in need of a good family shot, we opted not to be in the picture with you.

With Beckam, looking like Daddy

Addendum

Luthien,
I must add a number 3 to the list below. Also as of this last week you are reaching, with astute awareness and purpose, for the things, and mainly people, that you want. Usually this means you put your arms up or out reaching for mommy (and sometimes daddy).
Love, Mom

Tummy Time

Luthien,

This morning as I was tip-toeing around the house getting ready for work so as not to wake you up, I walked past your room and you were staring back at me from your crib. This surprised me with cuteness, and worried me a bit, because it meant you were sleeping on your tummy (which, as most moms raising babies in the last decade or so know is a big no no). Flash forward to the night time, when I just had to let you cry for about 10 minutes in order to fall asleep (since you've recovered from your sickness it was time again- I can explain my reasoning in a different post). I walked in to check on you after you suddenly stopped crying, and lo and behold you were stuffed in the corner of the crib, sleeping on your tummy. Now I'm not only concerned about your breathing, but also about the way in which you seem to be inhibiting the development of your leg musculature since you are positioned width-wise in your crib- yes, I do realize this may sound crazy....After much contemplation, dad and I decided not to move you. I actually did some reading recently that reminded me we are only instructed to put you babies on your backs to sleep- we can't help what you actually do during the night. So I take comfort in this bit of wisdom and in the fact that we have checked on you practically every 15 minutes, and most importantly, because we have prayed for you this (and every other) night.

Just a couple quick more quick notes before I go to bed:

1. Your backwards slither almost turned into a crawl today. You stayed up on your knees and went forward a bit.

2. For the past week or so you are actually making a point to feel the different textures in your baby "touch and feel" books- watching mommy do it and then following. So cute.

Good night Lufin, and please try to turn around (and over) while you sleep tonight.

Love, Mom