She likes feet...

Roxanne seems to love feet and toes. She tries to get mine during the day when I'm sitting on the couch and she's playing on the floor. I guess that's another great reason for me to never ever wear flip flops again. I know that they are gross, but sometimes I just put them on in the morning because they are easy. Of course, Roxanne also tries to eat Ben's feet. I let Ben lay on the couch next to me in a Boppy and feed himself his bottles. Usually Roxanne is content to sit on the floor and play by herself during all of this, but sometimes she gets fussy and wants to be held. When this happen, she sits on my lap and tries to grab Ben's bottle. Then I move her backwards a little, and she tries to eat Ben's feet. Personally, I can't see the connection between the two items, but I guess they are equally fun for her. Of course it makes me really nervous, because when she play-bites me, it hurts. She bit my knee-cap yesterday and it really felt like a cat bite. Actually, more like a bunny bite. Regardless, it hurt. So I'm nervous that she will hurt Ben, but he of course thinks it's really funny when Roxanne tries to eat his feet.

Babies are so awesome.

Mommy Wrist...

Goodness me... Reading about all of the afflictions that can happen to new moms is pretty daunting. I mean, some of the highlights include massive hair loss (polite way of saying "balding"), hemorrhoids, leaking fluids from various parts of your body, etc. etc. I remember being 9 months pregnant and reading the list and wondering if my pregnant lady cankles were really as bad as I thought, and that maybe I wasn't in such a rush for Roxanne to be born. One weird thing that I never read about is a type of tendinitis or carpal tunnel that a lot of new moms get. From what I read, it happens more with really new moms, like a month or two after the baby is born, but I'm guessing the sudden increase in picking up several children all day long is what is causing mine. It started in one wrist and has now spread to the other. It's really uncomfortable, and it doesn't look like there are a lot of options for treating it that don't include a doctor. And I'm definitely not going to ask for a morning or afternoon off of work considering I have only been working for them for a month and a half. I read a lot of moms recommending some stretches, and using ice and heat alternately to help the pain. I think I'll try this. I'm sure it will clear up soon. In the meantime, I've got to try to keep my thumbs down when I'm picking up the little ones. Fortunately, Ben just started walking this week, and I think Maddie is close behind. I think this job is definitely helping my weight loss crusade...

Roxanne's fifth tooth is mostly out now. I'm trying to get better about brushing her teeth every night, and tonight when I did it, she loved it! I'm guessing it felt good to have her gums rubbed and she kept trying to bite down on my finger. Usually she fusses a little when I brush her teeth, so this is a great improvement. Maybe she finally noticed that the Orajel is kind of tasty.

So Roxanne is not crawling yet (still) but she is really getting very mobile. She's pretty quick at scooting around on her booty, and she can traverse pretty long distances like this. It's really funny to watch. She's also really good at sitting on her booty and then bouncing herself forward onto her hands to reach for a toy and then falling back onto her booty. She's started taking toys from Ben and Maddie every once in a while, and much to their chagrin, they can't always effectively snatch them back. Watching the three of them interact is hysterical. Maddie is the funniest in some ways, because when she's having a tough day, she fusses whenever anyone grabs a toy that she's playing with, but if they don't try to take the one she picks up as a replacement, she sticks it in their face so that they can play tug of war with it. Keep in mind that she continues to fuss through this whole procedure. Roxanne is much less into mind games. She just puts anything and everything she can get a hold of into her mouth.

The photo above is Roxanne meeting Benson. He's the first horse she has touched! We went to my Dad and Colleen's farm over the 3 day weekend, and Roxanne had a blast with her cousins.

Playing with her shadow

Today Roxanne spent a while playing in the sunlight on the floor of the rug in Ben's living room. She was waving her arms in the air like a little monkey and watching all of the movement in her shadow. Then she would lean forward and scratch the rug, like she was trying to pick it up. She's like a little lady Peter Pan.

I tried putting Roxanne in shoes today, since I know it will be getting cold soon and her little feet will need to be covered. Plus, my sister got us some very cute little Teva baby shoes that are bright orange and green and have a soft suede sole. They look very hip and granola-y. Of course, midway through breakfast she was banging one of them on her food tray and getting cheerio and peaches all over it. I saved it before it got yucky though, and we're going to keep trying. I'm sure she'll get used to them eventually.

I joined the zoo yesterday and I'm really excited. There is a members only night this Saturday called "Wild Child" and it starts after zoo hours. It looks really fun, with a costume contest and a family band, etc. I think we will be debuting as zoo members. Also, just as a gentle suggestion come holiday season, since we have so many toys and so little square footage, ride passes to the zoo would be awesome for Roxanne. They have a train and a carousel. I'm looking forward to taking her on them both. It looks like sometime in the near future I'll be taking Ben and Roxanne to the zoo during the week. Maddie is starting pre-school on Thursdays and Fridays, so both days will be just the little ones and me. I'm really looking forward to it!

Tooth Number Five is a Mean One

Poor Roxanne is having a tough time. Her fifth and sixth teeth are coming in. The top left one next to the front tooth is just coming through, and the right one is not too far behind. She's really struggling with them. She hasn't been sleeping well, and we've been giving her Hyland's Teething Tablets at least once a day and I've given her Tylenol the last two nights to help her sleep with the low grade fever that the teething is causing. At least she doesn't have the runny nose.

She seems to be an independent lady, and is really not happy to eat baby food any more. I have to offer her the spoon at least four or five times before she will finally take any food off of it. It's just easier to give her table food. She just tried chicken last week (cut into tiny pieces) and she seemed to like it. Her favorite foods seem to be grapes, peaches and avocado. She also loves anything that Gerber Graduates makes. I hate giving that stuff to her, but sometimes it's just too convenient not to. I only give her the banana puffs (they are Ben's), the carrot wagon wheels, the "little crunchies" and the zwieback toast. It seems like all of it is a variation on Captain Crunch or Cheetos, and so she clearly loves them all. Sigh.

The other day I dragged her to Target after work to buy an umbrella for Justin (it was a total waste since it was a rainy day and the only ones they had left were rainbow stripes or High School Musical themed) since he misplaced his. She was tired and hungry, so I picked up a can of the Gerber "little crunchies" in some kind of "veggie" flavor. I hadn't bought these before, but I figured they had to be healthier than apple cinammon wagon wheels, which were the only other option. The crunchies look just like Cheetos cheese puffs, and apparently the are just as addictive. I was feeding them to Roxanne as we walked around the store, and she was ravenous for them. She had one hanging out of her mouth like a cigar, one in each hand, and was trying to scratch the lid off of the can with one of her little chubby fingers. She probably ate like 15 of those things by the time we paid for them. She smelled like she had been eating sour cream and onion chips or something. They will be reserved for emergency situations only from this point forward.

But honestly, I do mainly stick with diced up fresh fruit and veggies and organic cheerios (or Teddy Puffs). She's not really drinking as much water as she should, since I can only interest her in filling her mouth with it and then swilling it back out down the front of her shirt. She definitely loves that part, but the whole "drinking" thing seems uninteresting to her refined tastes. I tried giving her diluted apple juice to see if that sparked her interest, but she couldn't have cared less. Her pediatrician told me she needs to be drinking a few ounces of tap water every day for the flouride. I'll keep trying! It seems like a mom could go crazy trying to meet all of the requirements that books and pediatricians suggest for babies. But, since Roxanne is still nursing at least 3 or 4 times during the day and a few times at night (she still is sleeping in her crib for only half of the night, but we're making progress!), I don't worry as much about her food intake. I've read about a lot of moms who only breastfeed for the first 12 months (as in, no other food), and while I think that's way too extreme, I have read in very reputable places that the majority of a baby's nutrients do still come from breastmilk or formula for the first year of their life. And judging by her rolls, Roxanne is getting by.

The almost crawler

Roxanne is still not crawling yet. I think she's getting closer though. She has started pushing herself backwards while on her tummy, but still not forwards. She is also capable of laying on her tummy and changing her orientation like the hand on a clock. Her favorite trick is to bounce and bounce on her bottom until she is flopped forward onto her belly. The good thing is that she likes to stay on her tummy now. She plays on her belly often now. She loves playing with the other babies at work. I sort of think of her as my co-worker now. She's adjusting really well and is on a great nap schedule.

Sunday we had our family birthday party for my mom. It was held at my aunt and uncle's country club in Gainesville and then over to their new house afterwards. Roxanne had a great time with her cousins. They really are taking an interest in her now. It's pretty cute watching them all interact. At one point, Roxanne flopped forward onto her tummy and then Chloe laid down with her in the same pose. Then the other three little girls scampered over and all laid next to each other. Of course, our camera battery was dead, so we didn't get it, but my sister took photos. So I'll mooch some and put them on our Flickr page.

Where to start...

I've waited a whole week to post again, and now I'm not sure exactly what to share. Lots of new things have happened. Roxanne is basically the most awesome baby ever. I'm a little biased, but still. She's been getting more and more fun for me and Justin. This weekend was more or less perfect. We went to the zoo on Saturday morning (it was free for Atlanta residents!) and we really had lots of fun. Of course, Roxanne was so focused on the kids and families at the zoo that she was sort of ignoring the animals. But we got to see a close up show with one of the elephants (Kelly) and her trainers and Roxanne watched Kelly pretty closely for about thirty percent of the time. The rest of the time she watched the kids around her. In the petting zoo, Roxanne and I found a friendly goat that let her pet him for a while. His name was Willow. He even gave her some goat kisses before walking off to find the hay. Justin got a little video of it, so I'll post it when I find a few billion hours to let it load on Flickr. After the zoo, we went to Ria's Bluebird in Grant Park for lunch, and it was really wonderful. It's a neat restaurant with a cool patio (covered) and they offer a side item of sliced avocado. So Roxanne was able to eat with us! She loves avocado.

This morning I gave Roxanne Teddy Puffs and banana pieces for breakfast. She loves that breakfast. The only problem is that she tends to be a greedy gus and tries to shove as many Teddy Puffs in her mouth as possible. It makes me nervous. The other night she stuck one in her nose. Justin and I thought it was the funniest thing ever but were unfortunately not able to get the camera in time. Too bad, since it was absolutely hysterical. That leads me to Roxanne's newest habit. Picking her nose. She does it constantly. She's even somehow learned to stick her finger in her nose and then her mouth. I don't understand how or why, but I swear I didn't teach her. And I'm fairly sure Justin didn't either. I haven't seen it yet, but Justin swears that she also has figured out how to put her big toe in her mouth and her second toe up her nose. She might be part monkey.

We went to my sister's today for a tea party/baby shower for my Aunt Ellen. It was really fun, and Roxanne got to see all of her cousins. They are fun to watch. She loves watching them play big girl games, and eventually, they all took an interest in Roxanne and set on her at once. I think it freaked her out just a bit, but she still liked it. She's kind of a ham. It was really a good time. Seeing everyone is always good, and then celebrating the arrival of a baby boy is extra fun! My Grandma and Aunt and Mom were totaling the number of years it's been in our family since a boy was born. By the time Ellen's boy is born, it will have been 101 years! My great-grandmother had a brother born in 1907, but that's it since then. I don't even know what we'll do with a boy. Picking out boy stuff was fun. Of course, as I type, Roxanne is snoozing in blue jammies. I couldn't help myself. Target had blue jammies with drum sets, flying v guitars, and music notes. How perfect is that?

Ok, sorry

I had vowed to try and keep up with my blog better, since I am trying to keep in mind that someday Roxanne might be interested in reading this, and the more the better... So there. But I'm going through this big adjustment, and it's been really kind of tiring! But things are great. I really am enjoying my new job. I've only had two days on my own, but things have been fine. There were one or two moments where all three babies were screaming, and I kind of thought "hmm, that's pretty serious," but it just doesn't go on for very long, and that kind of stress does not compare to the stress of billing time, answering phone calls, dealing with COPIOUS emails, etc. etc. etc. I guess for now, babies make great bosses. I hope to do this for at least a few years, since it's just a great situation. Roxanne and I are both having a lot of fun. OK, she really wants to type, so I'm going to humor her:
/l b m rtdrcdrivvb b xd bbbbbbbbm707

Alright. So Roxanne is really starting to seem more interested in crawling. Yesterday she started scooting backwards a little bit, but it wasn't really crawling. I've discovered that she hates laying on her tummy, but if she falls forward from a sitting position onto her tummy, she seems kind of proud. She loves watching the other babies, and she bounces up and down and waves her arm when they crawl around her. I can just hear her saying "wait for me guys!" I'm scared that both babies will start walking around the same time as Roxanne starts crawling. That will be a sight to see...

We went to brunch at Agnes and Muriel's in Midtown yesterday, and they brought Roxanne a special bowl of bananas. She loved it! She's eating some things diced up now, since Ben does, and it's just easy. So now she is eating diced avocados and diced peaches and bananas. Everything else is still baby food. Some days she seems more interested in milk and doesn't really want anything to do with solid food but other days she is a great little eater. I took a CPR class on Saturday, so I feel a lot more comfortable with letting her eat some table food. I'm still trying to avoid processed foods, and no dairy or anything, but I need to start some bread products I think. Justin got some nectarines and a zucchini for me to make her some baby food with, but I haven't had a chance to do it yet. Sometimes I really miss the days when I was her sole food source. It was kind of a lot easier... But as we get closer and closer to toddlerdom, I am just thankful that I have this chance to see her all the time. It's amazing.