I feel like I just wrote a monthly update...and here we go again! What a fun month we had winding down summer. We swam, played with friends, went to the zoo, McWane, the splash pad, and various parks. And, we spent a long weekend in the North Carolina mountains. Great fun was had by all -- including sweet Small Fry, who is so aware of his surroundings and part of all of our happenings.
The month ended with Fawn's return to school. While I miss him (and I'm sure Small Fry misses him), the twelve hours a week Fawn's at school provide Small Fry and me some one-on-one bonding time. He can have a nice, quiet morning nap. And, it is so peaceful to sit and play with a baby! He's also a great companion on my various errand trips -- I'm trying to knock all of that out during Fawn's school hours so when he's home we can play, play, play!
I'm the queen of mommy guilt, though I'm working very hard on letting it go. Part of that guilt with respect to Small Fry is that I know he has received so much less time with my full attention than Fawn received in his first year of life. That's just the nature of the beast, I realize. And, I also realize that Small Fry's life is enhanced in so many ways -- mainly the fact that he was born into a child-centered world with an awesome older brother at the center of it! But, I'm trying to cherish our alone time and really use it to get to know this sweet soul that has been entrusted to my care.
Small Fry is moving and grooving. While I wouldn't say he's crawling in the traditional sense, he's getting himself where he wants to be. He rotates between the mountain man (hands and feet) maneuver, crawling but dragging one leg behind, and more of a flopping crawl. Buck described the flopping crawl as follows: "That's exactly what a beached whale would look like trying to crawl." That's our buddha baby! Despite his methods, the boy is quick. It seems he is especially quick when going after one of Small Fry's toys, which is met with an urgent "No, Waa!"
He also continues to pull up and has perfected getting himself into a standing position. Needless to say with all this movement, we've lowered his crib. That's a step that makes me feel like I don't have a little baby. We've never found him standing in his crib, but we knew that the first time he did he'd be out of it so we went ahead and lowered it.
He continues to be quite the houdini, learning how to remove himself from the bouncy seat, the bumbo seat, his reclining baby bathtub, and our inflatable baby bathtub. My goodness! The boy cannot be contained! This has resulted in two new baby items -- a bath seat (lifesaver!) and a walker (thanks Pops!).
Eating is going pretty well, though Small Fry is not nearly as interested in it as he was when we first started solids. We are still only doing solids twice a day. He continues to really enjoy rice cereal, though doesn't care for oatmeal (the complete opposite of Fawn). With respect to fruits, he still really enjoys bananas and pears. He also loves avocado, sweet potatoes, and carrots. I was shocked when he basically rejected butternut squash because it was -- and still is -- one of Fawn's favorites. I had been so excited to introduce butternut squash that I've been stalking Whole Foods waiting for them to be in season. We've branched out a bit, giving him MumMums (his snack on our stroller rides), puffs (just a few at lunch time while Fawn and I eat), yogurt, and tiny bites of muffin. And, he's loving his sippy cup of water, which we practice every day.
Unfortunately, the sweet little guy has had the sniffles not once but twice this month! I remember when Fawn was a baby that it was about this time that he had his first bout with the crud. I'm so thankful we've escaped so far, but it's still so sad when a baby is sick -- especially when they can't breathe through their nose.
In other news, separation anxiety rears its ugly head. I know it's a perfectly normal stage of babyhood -- and a great sign that Small Fry is forming attachment bonds with me. But, it can wear a mama out! We went a solid week where Small Fry screamed his head off every single time I put him down. Literally, if I wasn't holding him, he was crying. It was virtually impossible to get the dishwasher loaded, fold a load of laundry, even get myself dressed without major tears. He's working through it -- and now is content again to sit right by me while I tend to a household duty.
All in all, a wonderful month with a precious baby! Looking forward to month eight -- and hoping picture taking is more successful next month. This little fella just wouldn't sit still and was so interested in the piece of paper. We had to call in reinforcements in the form of daddy.
What you got there dad?
