Deep Reading

I promise I did not set up this pose. This is how I found Gabby.

Apparently she finds those colorful cardboard books about animals a bit dull....

Food Foibles

Gabby's first "adult" meal, eaten all by herself.

Gabby's life as an almost 11-month-old pretty much revolves around the consistent schedule of eating. No matter what is going on or where we are at, she knows every 4 hours she will engage her taste buds and fill her belly, invigorating her spirit. But with this lifestyle comes some predicaments:

Predicament #1: You may have noticed by the photos of our little cutie, that Gabby is not a picky eater. While many a mother takes her child to the doctor for check-ups concerned about her child eating enough, we worry that she eats too much. At her 9-month visit, she tipped the scales at nearly 25 lbs., putting her at basically the 99.99th percentile. The only food she has ever rejected is the plain pureed meats (which only shows that she is still sane - those things seem disgusting!). She outgrew her infant car seat at 6 months and even if her Baby Bjorn allowed for her weight, there is no way our backs could take it any longer. Luckily, her height is staying caught up with her weight, so she is not unhealthy. She just happens to be the size of a two-year-old.

Predicament #2: Gabby believes that she is a baby elephant. A few weeks ago, she decided that it is necessary to make an elephant noise every time that you take a bite. This causes food to spray out all over the provider. We have tried everything to teach her that elephants are not allowed in high chairs, but to no avail. While she usually understands the word "no" and is even frightened by it, while in protection of the chair "no" is suddenly a humerus word. Ignoring her or taking away her food also does not seem to deter her. I literally have to wear an apron when I feed her.

Below is a video clip of this process. The fact that I took a video is probably why she continues to do this (I know, I am a horrible mother, but I couldn't resist). But I do promise that this was taken on meal two of her new habit, before I realized just how long it would persist. (Excuse the camera work, I was trying to film with one hand and feed her with another.)

Predicament #3: Jason & I have taught Gabby some basic baby signs, to help her communicate until she is able to talk. Her first learned word was "plus/more", followed by "manger/eat", followed by "fini/all done". Do we see a trend here? They all have to do with food! (The latter she knows but uses less frequently for reasons explained above.) The problem is that when she does them, we want to follow through and show her the link between the word and the action, but at what point do we stop giving her more when she asks for it? Snack time could go on for quite some time with her appetite, so we do our best to distract her with something non-edible after she has learned the cause and effect of signing.

Predicament #4: Gabby's favorite song is "Tête, épaules, genoux et pieds" (Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes). As soon as the song comes on, she begins touching her head. She also will touch her head whenever we ask her where her head is. Jason's favorite trick is to wait until her hands are all covered in food and then ask her where her head is. Gabby responds immediately, coating her hair in bananas or whatever else is impossible to get out. Then she claps, proud of herself for her accomplishment of making Mommy work harder.

Ah, the joys of feeding a baby!

Halloween Costume Poll

We need to solve a huge dilemma that is on my mind 24 hours a day: What should Gabby be for Halloween? (Alright, maybe it is not on my mind that often, but I really wanted to try out the poll option on Blogger.) In my minimal costume research, I have discovered that costumes are EXPENSIVE. $50 to wear something once? Yikes. But Target has some great toddler costumes for $12.99 (in the store, but for some reason $14.99 if you buy them online). We narrowed it down to two: A ladybug or a doctor. (Click on the links for the images.) I realize these are not as cute or creative as the image above (copied from www.comradechufood.blogspot.com) but I am not so sure that Gabby would sit (or fit) in a pot like that....

Gabby's favorite book is her ladybug book, so I figure she would not object to being a ladybug if she was capable. Plus, it is so darling! It is also girly, which is always a good thing when people always mistake you for a boy (despite being in a pink dress).

The doctor's costume is pretty much only because she looks so much like her dad. Why not make it even more so? It is cute, but she would definitely look like a boy. Should I care? The other thing is that we are considering making her 1st birthday party a Halloween party, where the kids can come dressed up. She wouldn't exactly look like a birthday girl in a doctor's outfit. (By the way, any thoughts on the Halloween birthday party? Would you want to take your 1 year old to a party dressed up or is that an inconvenience if you weren't planning on buying a costume?)

So, take the poll to the right and we will see which one wins! (I included "Other" in case you just aren't happy with any of my lame options.)

Jammin' with Mary

Gabby has a book that Mémé (grandma) gave her that plays "Mary Had a Little Lamb" in the highest pitch I've ever heard. (I am not sure if you can really appreciate the sound in the video because I believe the book was made for dogs - it's that high.) But Gabby loves it and will push the button over and over so she can rock out to the "beat". Below is a glimpse of that.

Also, since the last video of Gabby's first steps was basically a video of her falling, she requested that for her sake, I post one of her more recent wobbling. Notice the book that she remains attached to - lovely. (Note: I tried not to talk too much in these videos. Last time was a little embarrassing.)

29 + 1

I am officially old now. Age 30. Crazy. As a child, I thought you were supposed to be "grown up" when you were in your 20s. When I hit those 20s I decided it wasn't time yet and post-poned that title to the 30-somethings. Now that I am surprisingly here, I am starting to wonder if I should start acting like an adult. Aren't adults supposed to be mature, know everything and own their own house? Don't adults love every vegetable more than any sweets? Shouldn't they be done paying off student loans? I certainly do not fit those qualifications. On the other hand, over the past years I have managed to pick up a wonderful husband and even a child, somehow convinced a school to give me a master's degree, and at one point I am told I had a "real" job. Above all this, I am starting to listen to NPR more than music radio and am driving a crossover that if you look really fast, could have the appearance of a mini-van! When did all of this happen? Am I an adult now? Or does real adulthood begin at age 40...?

In memory of my long lost childhood, below are some photos of mini me:

Around age 1 1/2 with my parents

Around age 2

Around age 2 with my mom

Around age 6

Around age 7, with my sister, Kira, age 3

Around age 29. Okay, fine - 30. Celebrating my birthday over the weekend.

We went to Anthony's Pier 66, a great seafood restaurant that has panoramic views of downtown Seattle, including Mt. Rainier in the background. We sat outside along the water and watched the sunset as we ate.

We celebrated with Jen & her husband, John. Jen & I have been friends since about 2nd grade. Her birthday is only 4 days after mine. It was a great evening!

May - June Photo Slideshow

Yes, I realize that I should have posted these pictures quite some time ago, but better late than never, right? Included in this album: Our trip to Santa Barbara, visit from Jen Keune, 5K run, beach trips, Randy & Katie's wedding, trip to Seattle and, of course, lots of pictures of Gabby! Just click here to start the slideshow.

P.S. A July through August slideshow is coming soon....

Gabby's First Steps!

Now we are really in trouble. Gabby is steadily gaining more mobility. She is no longer confined to scaling walls and furniture when she is walking. Her first steps arrived about a week before she turned 10 months. It was a picture-perfect moment. She took several steps from Mommy toward Daddy, who had his arms outstretched. Unfortunately, we didn't actually get that on camera. Nor did we get several other successful strides recorded (she tends to do better when she is not aware of what she is doing). Her current record is 10 steps in a row, but she is still pretty wobbly. Here is what we got on video: