First Trip to the Gym

Earlier this week I signed up for a trial class at the Little Gym.  So off we headed today for Avery's first workout.  There was bubbles, balls, parachutes, rings, mats, rolling, and songs.  It took her a little while to try to explore on her own, but eventually she headed through one of the foam tunnels.

I did sign us up to finish out this 'semester'.  We'll see how it goes.  The way pricing works you get the lot in the class you sign up for (Saturday morning) and a free other class if they have availability (you have to text that day).  Well, the only other class that works for working parents is Monday at 5:15.  I was assured that there is typically room in that class, so we'll see how this goes.

More Moving and Waving

We've been working on waving, enough that this morning when I asked her to she waved goodbye to Safyre and hello to her friends at daycare.  Of course a few seconds later she waved goodbye to me - I felt like I was having music played to get me off of the stage.

Last night she also was happy to walk holding my hands and did a great job.  We made it from the kitchen down the hall and on another trip from the kitchen to the computer room.  I don't think it will be long before she's headed off on her own.

Our final movement to report on is dancing.  I've been able to get her to bounce a little when I sing to her or when I play music that moves her.  Last night, in an effort to encourage her I made a fool of my self for her - dancing while she stood in the exersaucer playing her drums.

I'm also happy to report that cranberries were also a big success.  That's my girl!

Who gave my child sugar and caffeine?

I don't know what on earth was going on, but Avery was NOT going to sleep last night.  We headed up a little late to get her bathed etc due to circumstances, but not so much so that she should have struggled.  However, she just sat there - eyes wide - for over a half an hour (I'm usually putting her in her crib in 3-5 minutes of sitting down to rock with her).  I tried putting her down and was called back shortly thereafter.  This went on for a while.  I even brought her to my bed and when she rolled to her belly (as she often does when she falls asleep) I tried taking her back again.  At this point she stood right up but was quiet.

I watched and waited... and then her dad went in.  He said she was standing there, leaning on the crib wrap, almost falling asleep.  It was probably still another half an hour or more until she fell asleep for him.  I've never seen her like this.  Her legs tend to kick a little when she's tired and fighting it a bit, but she was just wiggling and moving.  I worried maybe her stomach was upset or whatever, but she made no indications of not feeling great.

She napped for two and a half hours across noon, but didn't take a second nap - so by the time it was all said and done the girl was running on her 9th hour awake, so she had to have been over tired at that point.  It's interesting that they say that around the 10 month mark you might see some changes in sleeping and eating behaviors - I just never expected to be 10 month ON the mark.

Surprisingly she woke up right on time this morning and seemed happy enough.  I guess we'll see how she was at daycare.  I suspect she'll be grumpy simply because of the food I sent in - which when I gave it to her yesterday she was shaking her head no and waving goodbye at me.  Admittedly it did smell like chicken soup and looked like congealed chicken soup.  This mix has some cauliflower in it, which is what we're currently working on.  She also has now had papaya (with cardamom) and grapes along with this cauliflower.

Longer naps and other changes

This past weekend Avery took significantly longer mid-day naps.  I wish I had known she was going to stay down for 2 hours, I would have also napped!  They say around this age things evolve to consolidate naps.  Of course, with the activity at daycare I suspect she'll remain a short napper there, and ready to take another good one after getting home.

We've also noted an uptick in the need to use aquaphor or rash cream.  I don't know if it's the warmer weather or an increase in the number of daily poos (and thus more wipes) getting her.  This morning she struggled a little on her poo, even started to cry a bit at the end, and what she produced definitely reflected that it would have been more difficult than her normal movements.  On one hand I think we might have cause to pull out the prune food tonight, on the other hand I'll also note that she's been pooping about 5-6 times a day, so I'd hate to encourage more.

Bathroom Safety

I picked up our first toilet seat lock from resale - it was a style I had looked at on Amazon, but couldn't decide.  I figured for $2.50 (instead of $7) it was worth giving one a try.  We decided to put it in downstairs in the half bath, but obviously have plans to procure for the other bathrooms too - once we know if this is a design we want to stick with.

Now that it is in place I hope one of my next posts isn't about me wetting myself because I failed to get into the lock fast enough after returning home.  It's hard to use public facilities w/ the little one in tow - and sometimes you get home REALLY needing to go!

No more cuddles

Now that Avery is standing and crawling the last thing she wants to do is sit on my lap, that includes in the morning after her bottle.  That also means I am not getting the cuddle time I want and I miss it already.  Fortunately, she does still chill with me a bit when she's going down for a nap or the night.  I know the time will come when she's very cuddly, but I'm not rushing it.

Since my last comment on food we've added cheddar cheese, blackberry, kale, black bean, and a big one - peanut buttter!  I was nervous and eager to get PB out of the way.  I definitely didn't want the kid who was allergic.

Avery at the Aviary

I took the day off today, as did Avery and we had some girl time with Nonna.  Our destination was the National Aviary in Pittsburgh.  It was nice and I think Avery enjoyed seeing some of the critters there.  I love the penguin area and of course the flamingos (I don't know why I love them so) and the bats.

Not who I used to be

Avery has been a different little girl for a few days.  She's still probably more pleasant than most babies, but we've seen/heard our share of tears lately (for no apparent reason).  Today she'd cry every time she was back w/ her Dad and I tried to get things done, but would settle for me (as I carried her about).

Friday daycare called and sent her home before noon as she threw up.  I worry it was another overfeed situation. I sent her the same amount of milk as I had other days, but I also sent yogurt (to replace her oatmeal) so that morning bottle didn't have 1 1/2-2 ounces poured off.  If the kept pushing it on her, she'd over drink and pop.  She did appear to have a _slightly_ elevated temp that afternoon, but it dropped down quickly.  She didn't get sick again all weekend though - so...?  But like I said, she's been a bit moodier, so maybe it's teeth.  That could cause lots of extra mucus too, which could cause the throwing up as well.

Her cribwraps arrived and I'm very pleased.  They are a higher quality/finished product than I expected.  They're very soft, the perfect color, and waterproofed on the back side.

Tonight I got her down a little early, despite a nice long nap earlier in the day and a shorter second one that was a bit late and not waking until 8am.  It does seem like she might be willing/able to shift to an earlier bed time without waking too early.  I was up pretty much all night last night due to a friend visiting, so I really should be in bed myself.

Last related item of the weekend:  on Saturday I got a bill from the hospital (actually care providers there) stating I still owe several hundred dollars from Avery's birth.  She's almost 10 months old.  Are you kidding?  Of course, I see nothing correlating those numbers w/ my healthcare (as having been paid - for that matter never billed, but they claim to have gotten money from my plan).  Regardless, I was maxed out last year, so good luck with that.  But it's annoying that I have some calls to waste my time on tomorrow.

Crabby Climber

Last night I peeled Avery's onesie off, put her arms into her sleeper, and then set her in her crib for a minute so I could get spray on the would-be onesie stains.  (Side note - her proficiency at making a mess while eating has also on point lately.)  I was gone, what, 40 seconds?  I returned to Avery standing, clutching to the railings, and bouncing up and down.  She then reached up and grabbed the mobile and started tugging.  I did take the mobile down and put it in the closet immediately.  She then tried to chomp on the railings while I videotaped the moment - so after she was tucked in for the night I ordered cribwraps to protect both the crib and her teeth.

Last night she was in a bit of a mood.  It may be teething given how much she wanted to chomp on the crib and the plastic bumpers on the corners of the coffee table.  We haven't found a normal teether yet that she has any interest in - they all get tossed to the side.  She was just fussy and discontent for our evening time together.

This morning she was once again standing at attention by the time I got back upstairs with her bottle in hand.  So this is definitely a thing we do now!

Sad Things

I find myself sitting here thinking about how big Avery is getting, once again.  On one hand it will be nice to get the swing and the exersaucer out of the living room, freeing up a good bit of floor space (only to add other toys I'm sure); but on the other hand, I don't want to move these things - I want her to stay in them forever and I'm just not ready.

The swing has a max weight limit of 25lbs.  Since she's a bit under 21lbs we are nearing that limit.  It isn't like she uses it often anymore, maybe once a week - but when she naps there she looks so peaceful and happy.

The exersaucer is now latched into the tallest position.  She doesn't care so much to play in there as she does to get to move around, now that she's able, and who can blame her?  It does still get more regular use as it buys me a minute to step away from her to use the restroom or to get something prepared for dinner without worrying.

I had these pangs of sadness when we parted ways with her By-my-side Sleeper as well.  I know her childhood will be a series of these feelings - from all of these milestones to watching her climb on a school bus and all too soon graduate; each step towards independence feels like a moment lost to time.

Crawling Pro

It is safe to say that Avery is now a pro at crawling.  She was headed into the computer room earlier tonight and towards the kitchen and hall.  Go go go.  Then up up up as she pulls up constantly to standing.  I guess the one good thing is that we'll soon be done with a few larger items that are hogging up space in the living room (the swing and the exersaucer), but I'm not ready as it's just another sign that she's getting so big!  In the mean time, I snapped the exersaucer up to the last/tallest setting.

We are once again snotty all of a sudden.  Teeth?  Is that you?

Since my last report, Avery has added spinach, pineapple, and beets to her list.  Beets were way too fun, talk about Halloween in June - from the first bite she looked like a little vampire and quickly looked like a freshly fed zombie.

I also discovered another baby-proofing item that I didn't know existed - power strip safety covers that.  I ordered a couple of those and I plan on lifting some of the wires that run in front of my fireplace (since it isn't an option to get conduit run to hide them more eloquently at this time).  I also ordered some little stoppers that prevent the doors from closing onto little fingers.