Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Milestones and Memories: Weeks 25-27

Dear Bellabean,

The fall has been so very beautiful.  I love crunching on the leaves with you in my arms, snuggling up, dressing you in cutecutecute fall clothes and showing you the new sights, sounds, and smells of the new season.  I can't wait to take you pumpkin and apple picking! Here's what we've been up to. 

Week 25: September 18-24
We had a great week together.  Tuesday, I went into school for the first time this school year to help out with Percussion Ensemble.  It was nice to be with my school kids, but I just couldn't wait to be home with you! (Ok, I may have teared up in the car a little bit. Or a lot. <3) When you are a little older, and can wear hearing protection, I will bring you to night rehearsals!

During this week, SU made the move to the ACC.  I am definitely not embracing this! You have many SU outfits, and none of them are emblazoned with Big East logos, so we're still fashionably current.

Thursday, you ate solid food for the very first time! What a step! For your first food, you wore a bib from Auntie Erin that says "Treble Maker" (Adorable!).  We mushed up Avocado and put it on your tray.  You played, and painted, and nommed, and gummed, played with your spoon, and even ate a little! LB sidled up to your high chair and showed you how he ate with a spoon five or six times.  Honest-to-goodness, you took the little spoon and put it right into your mouth with a big bit of avocado! You made the most hilarious face, looked at me like "Um, Mom? This is SO not Mamamilk", but then smiled big because we all cheered!  We're doing a combination of Baby-led Weaning (which is not about stopping nursing, but about starting solids) and home made baby food!


On Friday, we had a lunch date with Karen at the Coppertop, and you were so sweet!

Week 26: September 25-October 1
6 months!
On Monday, I left for Lorie's 5:30 yoga class, and just as I pulled in to park at the Studio, I got a call from Dada.  He was breathless, and at first I was worried that something was the matter, but then I realized he sounded really happy! "You will never believe me, but she just said DADA!!!" Oh my goodness, Bellabean, he was completely and totally ecstatic.  From that night on you've been Dadadadadadaing up a storm!

When we visited Natalie, Lauren, and Pat over the summer, Lauren recommended the book Baby Love for making your food.  The book came in on Monday, we food shopped on Tuesday, and we cooked and prepared your first months of food on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday! It was a blast! No jars for you, little one! Most of the time I was cooking and prepping, I wore you on my back in the Ergo (omg. I linked to a new color that makes my heart flutter! Repeat after me: We don't need a new one only because of the color, We don't need a new one....).  I have never cooked with so much love.  We hand picked every ingredient, cooked together, and marveled at the beautiful colors, textures, and tastes.  At the end of our first cooking experience we had frozen cubes of Carrot, Peas, Apple-Butternut Squash, Pomegranate-Pear.


Friday, we attended our first Music Together class, taught by my friend Steph, whom I met at prenatal yoga.  You love her daughter Amelia, and you knew each other before you were born! You love the Jumping, Jumping song, My Paddle, and the Train Song. We play the CD in the car and before naps and have rewritten almost every song to be Bella-centric.

Auntie Emily came to visit on Saturday! She snuggled with you, we hung out and chatted, went to dinner at Grimaldi's Luna Park with Handsome Dada, and cooked a big breakfast together.  It was a short visit, but so sweet!


Week 27: October 2-8
This last week was wonderful.  The leaves are starting to fall and they really changed towards the end of the week.  You love to have me hold you out on the back deck while you watch the puppies play and the leaves flutter to the ground.

You had your Six month appointment on Monday with Dr. Purnima! You are 19.12lbs and 27.5 inches long! You're now so long that you are wearing new 12 month clothes.  Speaking of clothes, we sent a love-care-package to Jackie V and baby VB this week with clothes that were passed down from Bryanna and her daughter Charlotte, that came from a Crouse Mama (Betsy MH) before her! Jackie and Tom have now dubbed the Crouse Mamas' Club as the 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Onsie'.  I LOVE it! 

We have been introducing foods slowly, and you love the Pomegranate-Pear and Avocado-Bananas, really like the Butternut-Apple (especially with a little banana added) and well, you actually gagged, and made moves similar to those of a hairball-coughing-up cat when we tried the peas.  Perhaps we will try adding some banana to those also! You certainly have a flair for the dramatic and let us know that peas weren't your idea of deliciousness! Unfortunately, for you, I have heard that it takes 14 tries to learn to like something, so we won't give up!

Well, Wednesday you said your first looking-at-Mama "Mama!"  I swear my heart skipped a beat and you better believe I cried!! You are now saying Mama and mamamamamama! and it nearly makes my heart explode every. single. time.

Also on Wednesday, Steve Jobs, past CEO and founder of Apple computers died.  I think that he is one of the most brilliant artists and entrepreneurs to create and innovate during my lifetime, and I will be interested to see how you will learn about him in your life.

I wore you in the Ergo at Wegmans for the first time! You are SO good in your carseat, and seem to enjoy the vantage point, but I usually put you IN the cart rather than on top of it.  Throughout my pregnancy, I read a number of articles about babies getting hurt (some fatally) by falling from being perched on top of a shopping cart.  We had a big bit of shopping to do, and I did not think everything would fit comfortably in the cart with you in it too, so on my back you went! You were great and the best part of the trip was when a four year old boy saw you, grabbed his Mom's arm, and started yelling "Mommy, Mommy! There is a BABY IN A BACKPACK! You don't see that every day! Mommy! A backpack baby!!!!" You dutifully grinned back at him with all of your might!

Grandma and Grandpa arrived on Saturday for their birthday celebration visit! BEB and LB made cards, and you signed a card from the family with a beautiful handprint.  We went to Riley's for dinner and had a great end to the week.  

I adore you, Bellabean.  I love you every moment of your day, and I hope you feel the love your Dad, brothers, puppysisters, Grandparents, other loved ones, and I feel for you.  I hope that feeling lasts for your whole life! <3

3 comments:

  1. Erin,
    I love your updates for Bella! And when we have baby number 2 I am ABSOLUTELY getting that purple Ergo! Thank you for linking to it!

    Can't wait to see you & Jim and meet Bella at Thanksgiving!

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  2. Kristen - If you have a boy, you are NOT getting a purple Ergo.

    Bella - I don't like peas either. That 14 times thing is crap, don't let your mom pull that on you.

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  3. The purple Ergo is totally gorgeous. Katie, you are SO not helping with the Pea thing...
    Can't wait to see you both!!!

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