Age: 37 Weeks

Ta-da!  I'm now 37 weeks old.  My next big holiday is just around the corner and mom and dad took me to visit the Easter Bunny at our church and I theoretically participated in an Easter Egg Hunt.  The timing just wasn't right with my napping these days, but I sure do love those colorful eggs.  Although everyone told my mom that I wouldn't be afraid of the Easter Bunny until next year, I was terrified.  Though, it doesn't seem to take much to terrify me these days.  Grandpop, the gentleman at Wegmans behind us in line, dogs, and cats have all been known to make me howl.  I'm sure I'll love all of these things again...I'm just a bit fickle, that's all.

The Baby Made Me Do It

The last few days, Cecelia's been resisting eating from a spoon.  I've had to basically trick her into eating, which is frustrating since she seems to enjoy such a nice variety of foods.  So, since she's started eating food with her fingers, she doesn't seem to want to eat from the spoon.  I made a ton of pureed food and have it frozen, so this was especially frustrating, even though (of course) it's a step in the process of growing up.  I would have to sprinkle her tray with cheerios and each time she'd grab one she'd open her mouth and I'd slip the spoon in.  She'd eat, distracted by her own quest to get more and more cheerios, all the food and I'd let her finish off what was on her tray.  But, the last few days she seems to have caught on to my trick.  She'll turn her head each time the spoon comes anywhere in her line of sight.

So, this brings me to Baby Led Weaning, and boy was it ever baby led.  A friend told me about this a while ago, but since I had made all that food already, I figured I'd look into it later.  She told me the general gist of it though, so I had a pretty good idea what it was all about, but I still haven't read the book I've been meaning to get.  So many books, so little time.  Regardless, with her hunger strike reaching a critical point, I decided to just start her on softer food chunks and slivers.  She loved it, naturally, and took to it right away.  She ate what she wanted, and left the rest.  It wasn't too messy and I was able to just toss the leftover chunks.  Now, I have to prep and stock up on foods made in this way!

Another friend suggested a way to use all the surplus of purees too - cook them into pancakes, waffles, etc., making them into instant fun finger foods too.  Cece's been loving waffles as a treat/teether, so this is a no-brainer.  I may have to invest in a waffle iron.  Though, I'm pretty sure she'd love fruit and/or veggie pancakes just as well.

Finally, while we're on the topic of food.  Dairy is one interesting topic.  So, you're not supposed to introduce cow's milk until baby is one year old, though we probably aren't going to even then since we drink other milks in our house as it is, but now we have even more reason not to...and back to topic...so, no cow's milk til 1 year, but you're supposed to start yogurt and cheeses well before that.  Which have...milk in them.  Which brings me to my point.  I introduced yogurt about three days ago, and quickly realized that it did not agree with Cece's body.  This should not have been surprising since dairy doesn't agree with her daddy's body either.  It was somewhat surprising though, since I've had yogurt all through breastfeeding with seemingly no consequences.  So, after I finish off all the baby yogurt I stocked up on (when will I learn my lesson?) and greek yogurt I got to try out, I might take a break from it too to see if there are any behavioral changes...i.e. maybe she won't be quite so crazy.  And maybe she will, but it's worth a try.  So, I will never again question anyone's interpretation of a food allergy/sensitivity based on frothy poo, because when you see it, you believe it.  I credit EC with helping me to tell when Cece was constipated in the past and now it helped me to detect a food sensitivity - I cannot say enough good things about this process, it really helps you to stay in tune with your baby and his/her needs.

Age: 36 Weeks

Blue Jean Baby

This week, I'm getting around and pulling up on anything and everything.  I'm also very social.  I went to visit lots of friends this week and was gentle with all the other babies.  My friend Isabella has two big doggies.  My friend Brian has one little doggy.  The first few times I've met Brian's dog, Maggie, I got VERY upset.  Then, at my Aunt Mary and Uncle John's shore house, when I saw their cat, Maynard, I started shaking and crying.  When I met Isabella's dogs, I was not a fan at first.  They came outside and ran up to me and barked and that was a little scary.  When we got inside and they laid down, I crawled right up to Floyd, nose to nose.  But then, someone came to the door and he barked and ran past me and I did NOT like that one bit.  Pets are something I'm going to have to get used to, but my mom is just fine with us not getting any pets in the future, so if I ask for one, she will remind me of these days to dissuade me from that.  Mom won tickets to a show called Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up and we went this past Sunday.  Even though I'm a little young for this sort of thing, I was very well behaved and watched what was going on up on stage.  I also watched everyone else in the audience and kept trying to grab my neighbors in the seat next to mom.  Fortunately my seat friend was all for it.

Eco In a Word

The Great Green Baby Giveaway

I can't wait to check out the "Eco-nomical Baby Guide"  I read "The Green Baby Guide" and got so much great info from it, so I'm sure this will be no different.  I'm finding that many eco-friendly, as in environmentally friendly ideas have also proven to be quite economically friendly too.  Let me clarify.  We've saved money by many of the choices we've made, so I guess it hasn't been economically stimulating when you look at the worldwide big picture, but we've done well.  Some money saving examples...
* Cloth Diapering and EC
     By default, we've bought far fewer disposable diapers and utilized less diapers through this process.  Some argue that you spend as much in water washing diapers, but (a) we don't pay a separate water bill because of living in a condo, it's included in our association fee...but this isn't an environmentally friendly way to look at the issue...so, (b) EC cuts down on even cloth diaper use dramatically.  When baby's going on the potty, you don't really need the diapers at all.  No mess!

* Cloth Wipes
     In addition to using cloth diapers, we used cloth wipes, which are really just wash cloths soaked in a moisturizing solution.  I've been using the baby wipes we did get to clean up Cece's hands and face after dinner.  At this point, she's such a pro with EC that we don't really use wipes much anymore for her bottom because we just use toilet paper.

* Breastfeeding
     Talk about free food!  It's...free, it's ready to serve, self - warming, always with you, and the perfect food for your baby.  Supply will always increase to meet demand and serve up what your baby needs at each stage of his/her life.  The health benefits also save you money at the doctor's office.  We've only been in for well visits so far (knock on wood).

* Home Made Baby Food
     According to "Super Baby Food," making your own saves a third of the cost.  In addition to the cost savings, you're not creating more waste with containers (even if they are glass jars), you can expose your child to a much greater variety of foods (anything under the sun), you know there are no preservatives or junk you don't want your kid to eat, and it's easy to make.  All you need is a pot and a food processor and you're on your way!  I've become much more adventurous in the kitchen since making Cece's baby food.  I've learned about different fruits and vegetables and different ways to prepare them.  Her taste buds have encouraged mine to try new things.  Baby steps indeed.

* Simple Living
     We didn't get a lot of the things you "need" to get when you have a baby.  Primarily because of space...or lack thereof in our case.  Secondly because of plastic.  A LOT of things for baby are made of plastic.  A few examples of things I consider non-necessities: bouncy seat, full swing, exersaucer, walker...and I'm sure there are more that I can't think of at the moment.  Don't get me wrong...there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things.  Keep in mind our space is limited...but I have found that we don't need these things either.  A lot of people look back at the short time span a baby uses many different items compared to the cost of those items and lament having spent it.  When you find something your baby loves, that becomes invaluable to you.  But think in advance whenever possible about how something can multi-task to prevent you having to buy more "stuff".  I found an item I'm excited about to serve a few different purposes.  It's a push/ride toy by Prince Lionheart.  It comes in a ladybug, bee, mouse, and cow version and it comes in a small size (18 mo.-3 yrs) and a large size (3 yr. and up).  It has a wooden base instead of plastic.  When I first saw it in the ladybug version, I fell in love.  But I didn't fall in love with the $70 price tag.  Last night, I was checking our credit card Thank You rewards program and guess what I found....I'll bet you figured it out.  Originally, I enjoyed the ladybug, but then decided the bumblebee was more unisex in case baby 2 is a boy.  Oh, that's another way to save...even if you know the gender of your baby, try to get as many gender neutral items as possible for use in the future should you have more babies and should they be a different gender, and also for hand me down/consignment resale value.  Anyway back to the bee.  Cecelia likes to pull up and lean on things and she's done so on a push toy before.  Rather than having one "just because" we're supposed to, I've paid attention to what I think she needs at each stage.  Hopefully she'll like it, and if not...I do.  And that's what's really important, right?

Anyway, to digress...there is also a contest by the people over at "The Green Baby Guide" to win their newest book and a ton of other cool stuff.  Check it out!!!

Age: 35 Weeks

35 weeks already?  This time is really zooming by!  Tomorrow is my very first St. Patrick's day and my cousin, Nick's, birthday - happy birthday Nick!!  Mom doesn't even remember what she wrote last time, but I've been pulling up on everything I can to stand up and look at things from a new view.  I'm still not totally steady, so every now and then I'll take a tumble and sometimes I get very upset about that.  Mostly I'm proud of my standing and crawling.  Now, if mom or dad are in a different room and I'd like to be with them, I just go ahead and join them.  Because I can do things like that.  Tomorrow I'll be visiting my friend Isabella for the first time.  She's only a few months younger than I am.  I feel lucky to have so many good friends already.  Oh, mom remembered something new and funny - on Sunday, I started to play hide and seek.  Mom and dad's friend, Ang, came over and I was shy!  Can you imagine? I hid my head on the ground and I'm pretty sure that no one can see me that way.  Mom got a video of me doing it once before I gave up on that game.  Maybe one of these days she'll get it up for all of you to see.  Ta ta for now!

Age: 34 Weeks

Well, technically I'm now closer to 35 weeks old because our internet was once again being uncooperative for mom, but I digress.  Last week was full of new fun.  I'm really crawling now, like really really crawling.  I'm also discovering new parts of the house to explore that before seemed rather un-interesting.  I'm pulling up on items and standing supported by them.  More on all these developments later, though..so long as the internet continues to more at more than a snail's pace.  Fingers crossed - see you Tuesday!

A Few Of Her Favorite Things

I don't know why people buy babies toys...they're cute, I get that.  Everyone jokes about how much a baby likes the box better than the item inside and I couldn't agree more.  While I appreciate the generosity of others more than I can express, Cecelia still enjoys the simple things in life.   Here are a few of her favorites:

* spice rack
* sunglasses
* hangers
* spoons
* dishes
* bowls
* tissue paper
* paper
* cardboard
* bottles (plastic water/juice bottles, stainless too)
* fruit
* vegetables
* bags (brown paper bags, gift bags, purses, diaper bags...we try to keep plastic bags out of reach lest she throws one over her head and, well - you know, but I'm sure she'd love those too!)
* suitcase - I guess this could lump into bags
* books (mostly mine, though the board variety will do also)
*toilet paper rolls and wrappers
*TV remote control - we have two of the same one (for a TV in the living room and a TV in the bedroom)  I took the batteries out of the one in the bedroom and that's now "hers".  Whenever she grabs the one for the living room tv, I do a bait and switch.  When she first started using the remote, she almost ordered something on the TV.  She'd probably change the language like Ben did on Friends if left unchecked.
*keys - of the "real" variety, you know the ones that actually unlock the door and start the car

Did you notice anything missing?  Cecelia would prefer to play with just about any household item before her toys.  It's amazing.  And she can seldom be distracted once she has something in her sights, so hold onto your prized possessions when she's around!

Windmill

You know how there's always (well, not always...but you get my broad generalization, right?) a windmill at a miniature golf course...well, we have our very own windmill sitting in Cecelia's high chair every now and then.  While trying to insert food in her mouth, she's taken to raising her arms as if raising a guillotine only to bring them down with a sufficient slap/chop...haha, I wasn't even trying to make reference to the device you can only see on TV, but there I did.  This is her newest trick in her repertoire.  Lately her appetite for solids has been touch and go and I blame impending teeth.  This arm flailing just adds a new obstacle for Jeff and I to overcome and overcome we shall.  I will get the ball in the hole, kid, and you will like it.

Age: 33 Weeks

I am 33 weeks old today and now that I've begun to move, I'm hard pressed to stay still once a week for a picture - sheesh.  If you look closely, my mom's foot is keeping me from vaulting on to my hands and knees to crawl over to her or the chair, or the giraffe, or the closet...anywhere but where I'm seated right now!  This past weekend, I had my first trip to two neat places.  1) Cici's pizza - they spelled it differently than my name, but I know its my pizza place.  And what a deal!  2) Bear Creek to go skiing.  No, I didn't go skiing...well, at least as far as my parents know I didn't go.  But they did.  Well, mom went skiing and dad went snowboarding and they took turns having the real fun with me in the lodge.  That's it for this week, see you all soon!