Day Two Hundred and Nine

Silly Girl

Milo spent the majority of the day crawling around with her tongue out, which I find adorable and funny. I know I’m probably not supposed to encourage the tongue-out fad, but she’s so stinking cute when she’s got it out there. And she LOVES sticking her tongue out, especially when she sees me do it.

Milo continued exploring her surroundings today; she very nearly got into the books on the shelf, and she’s determined to get on top of the subwoofer. She hasn’t ventured outside of the living room yet, even when I walk to the kitchen or bathroom. I think she doesn’t know she can go anywhere else just yet, but she’ll figure it out soon enough.

I was still feeling not great today, so we mostly stayed home. I also napped with Milo twice, which was just as sweet as it ever is. I love waking up with those little gray eyes staring up at me.

This evening, just before Chase headed home, Milo and I went to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner. Milo was excited to be out, and she quietly looked around while I shopped and walked.

We’ve sort of got a custom when Chase gets home from work: I get quiet and tell her to listen for Daddy, and I say things like “Do you hear that? That’s Daddy! He’s home from work. Where’s Daddy?” She usually listens for a few seconds, and then when Chase comes around the corner, I exclaim “There’s Daddy! Daddy’s home!” and she sees him. Today when I said it, she got a huge smile on her face and looked up at him. It was just the cutest thing! It’s not the first time she’s reacted happily to seeing Chase, but it was definitely the cutest.

Notes:

• Giant poop today, and it’s definitely easier to tell when she’s pooping these days.

• Lots of intermittent fussiness during the day today, but it was easily resolved with more attention, walking around, or feeding, so no harm.

• We booked another flight to Austin at the beginning of April, so I’m eager to get back there and see my mom again!

Mobile Milo

It’s been more than a month since my last post, and oh, what a difference a month makes in a baby’s life!

As you know perfectly well if you’ve been reading Misty’s updates on this blog, Milo is not only crawling but pulling to stand on her own. We were told a while ago that Milo’s sleep might regress right after she learns a new behavior because she just wants to practice it in her crib, and although thankfully her sleep hasn’t regressed, it’s true that she’ll try anything in her crib. Sunday morning, we woke to the sound of not only cooing but rhythmic banging on bars. I walked into her room to find that she was fully standing with her hands on the crib rail. In fact, she was hunched over it a bit, as if she’d been trying to crawl over it.

So at just shy of 7 months of age, we have already been forced to lower the base of Milo’s crib.

Misty, knowing exactly which of my scratches to itch, immediately concluded that Milo is a climber, and asked me if I think we should take Milo to an indoor rock climbing wall.

YES. I said. The very minute she’s old enough.

Our friend Joe just recommended the bouldering at Joshua Tree National Park, and my first thought was, I wonder how old Milo has to be before she can boulder, and maybe if she wears a helmet we can go a little sooner.

Man, I’m going to be heartbroken if she’s not interested. But she will be, right?

Day Two Hundred and Eight

Adventures

Another day at home, this time because I had a mild tummy ache most of the day. I don’t like to wear the ergo when my tummy is hurting because of all the pressure it puts on my stomach, and we don’t have a good system in place for using the stroller yet (it’s heavy and I can’t carry both Milo and the stroller up and down the stairs). So it was an indoor day again.

Milo’s adventures:

• She started pulling out drawers in the living room (though they’re heavy and she’s weak, so she hasn’t gotten them all the way out just yet.)

• She pulled the yoga mat off of the subwoofer. It fell partially on top of her, so she got freaked out a bit.

• She pulled up a good portion of the floor mat tiles again (she does this almost daily now). I am trying to teach her how to bang them against things, but she hasn’t picked up on this yet.

• She found the AppleTV remote and got it into her mouth.

• She half stood on her wooden box (it normally has blocks in it, but it was empty this time), with her hands on the box and her butt in the air. Then she (accidentally? on purpose?) pushed the box over to the bolster like it was a walker.

I’m sure there are more things, but that’s what I can remember at this point. This evening, she also got to try banana for the first time, and she seemed to really enjoy it. She ate it right up!

Tonight, we all went out to pick up dinner on Haight, and Milo was curious as ever, due in no small part, I’m sure, to the fact that I have been staying inside with her for a couple of days. It was cool out, and Milo was eager to look at the lights and people.

Notes:

• Milo woke up twice last night and slept until about 7am today, which is about how things have been going lately. So sleep is good, in general.

Day Two Hundred and Seven

Exploring

Milo is taking more spills these days due to her absolute need to stand all the time. She takes them in stride most of the time, though, and only cries for a moment (when she cries). But she’s just such an adventurer! We’re trying not to discourage her from crawling and climbing and exploring her surroundings, so we try not to react too much when she falls.

Her exploring is definitely exciting for us! We can’t help but talk about the days when she starts really climbing things and running around. For now, though, we’re trying to enjoy her crawling and standing. Today, she pulled herself up to standing at the exersaucer, the sofa, the bolster, the subwoofer, the backpack that’s leaning against the sofa, me. She just can’t help herself.

We hung out at the apartment today, but not for any reason in particular. I was feeling a little lazy, it’s cold out, and I just wanted to hang out at home. But Milo didn’t seem to mind much. She had good naps and played hard all day.

In the evening, Chase got home early, we ate leftovers for dinner, and he lowered the crib mattress before it was Milo’s bed time. It’s harder for me to lay her down in it now, but I feel better knowing that she won’t fall out of it when she stands up in the middle of the night.

Notes:

• Still no teeth or signs of any teeth.

• Milo is getting to that stage where she’s incredibly difficult to keep still during diaper changes. Even distracting her with toys doesn’t work too well these days.

• One of my favorite things: Milo farts when she bends over or reaches for things. She basically farts whenever she exerts herself in some way, and I probably laugh every time. And man are her farts stinky!

Day Two Hundred and Six

Sunday

Chase found Milo standing in the crib this morning, which was really exciting but also kind of freaked me out. We’re going to need to lower that bed tomorrow. (We meant to do it today, but we forgot and then it was bed time, so.)

Today was slightly less lazy than yesterday. Chase enticed me out of the house by promising lunch at Burma Superstar. Unfortunately, we had to walk there (and home) because I forgot my bus pass, but it’s only about a 20 min walk, so not too bad. And it’s mostly down hill on the way home.

Milo was absolutely adorable at the restaurant, but the servers had to pick up her toys several times when she dropped them where we couldn’t reach them (the restaurant is tiny and our seating was weird). She was all smiles, she wasn’t loud and didn’t cry at all, and she was very eager to look at her surroundings. We had her in the high chair, and she’s now learned how to turn almost completely around in it, but she hasn’t yet begun to try climbing out.

After lunch, we went to Green Apple Books and bought a couple of things before walking home. Milo fell asleep and got in a good 40 min nap before waking up at the apartment (we walked super slow and made an extra stop at the coffee shop). Then, it was day two of movie watching; today: Amy, the documentary about Amy Winehouse.

This evening, bed time was easy, and Chase and I got to unwind before our own bed time. The weekend felt short, but it often does.

Notes:

• Milo has begun twisting her tongue around in her mouth. She does this all the time now, probably practicing this new skill she’s just learned. So, I like to twist and curl and click my tongue at her so that she can maybe practice that, too.

• Today, Milo got into our paperwork on the book shelf for the first time. What did she go for first? The envelope containing our most important documents (passports, etc.), of course. The girl knows.

• The doctor gave us some medication for Milo’s diaper rash and told us to try that and see if it helped. Now, the diaper rash is nearly gone, which is a relief.

Day Two Hundred and Five

Recovery

Another recovery day, and I think I’m finally mostly over the food poisoning. We spent much of the day indoors watching movies and playing with Milo today. It wasn’t too rainy today, but it was still drizzly and gray out, so it was a good day to be lazy. Highlights:

• Chase went out this morning and got some baked goods from Neighbor Bakehouse, and they were excellent. A nice break from cereal, and we ended up snacking on them all day.

• After Milo’s first nap, we set out to do a bit of grocery shopping at Costco and Trader Joe’s. Milo was great on our outings and was basically ready for a nap by the time we got back.

• For dinner this evening, we made chicken and dumplings, which was delicious.

• We finally watched The Revenant, which was just as good as we’d hoped. Also, Milo didn’t pay too much attention to the TV, which we were happy about.

Notes:

• Milo is now pulling herself to standing at every platform she can find, even the ones that are very low or don’t support her well. She is also determined to crawl over me and Chase as much as possible.

• We gave Milo some frozen sweet potato in one of those “fresh food feeder” things (the little net with a handle). She liked it after she got the hang of it.

Day Two Hundred and Four

Food Poisoning

Last night, instead of cooking, Chase went and picked up some food from the food trucks at Off the Grid, which is becoming sort of a Thursday night ritual. He got me some fries with meat and gravy on top. They were delicious, but I woke up sometime during the night with horrible food poisoning - the worst food poisoning I’ve had since Peace Corps, actually. I basically got no sleep and still had a stomach ache most of the day today. By this afternoon, I had a fever and was feeling just awful.

Chase got home from work at around 6pm, and he let me rest until it was time to put Milo down for the night. Then we kind of laid in bed for the rest of the night until it was time for bed.I’m really hoping I feel better tomorrow.

As a result of being sick all day, I was a terrible play partner for Milo today, and we missed our first session of baby sign language (the second series). So, I was pretty quiet and still most of the day, and Milo did a great job of playing on her own, most of the time right next to me.

Notes:

• Milo is outright crawling, though she looks a bit like a robot - very halting movements and a slow pace. But she’s getting around.

• I still hold Milo for naps sometimes. I know there will be a day when she doesn’t let me hold her anymore, so I take what I can get while she’s this little and still likes being in my arms.

• It rained all day today, so it was a good day to stay indoors. I couldn’t have taken Milo out if I’d wanted to, though, because the ergo would have upset my tummy too much. It all worked out.

Day Two Hundred and Three

Day Two Hundred and Two

Home Again

While we were away, we didn’t try to get Milo to adjust to the time difference, so it was an easy transition for her nightly sleep schedule when we got home last night. However, Milo did wake up earlier than we would have liked today: 5:50am. Maybe she’ll sleep better tonight. Who knows.

Chase took Milo to the grocery store this morning to get milk for our cereal (we are desperately out of groceries since we didn’t shop when we got home last night), and I got a bit of rest. Then, almost immediately upon returning home, Milo was ready for her first nap. It was brief: about 40 minutes, and when she woke up, she was all smiles and cuteness. I love that cute little face! I couldn’t even be upset that she woke up so soon. She’s such a charmer!

Milo and I spent a lot of the day on the floor, crawling and playing. She’s still very interested in climbing and standing, so she was all over me and did a lot of standing at the sofa. She’s also learned how to take apart the floor mat, which she does several times per day. So that’s fun.

We went out once to pick up something to cook for dinner, but mostly we stayed in and tried to relax after our big trip. Milo took two long naps in the afternoon, which I was so relieved about. And after each nap, she was ready to roam all over the place. Her crawling isn’t perfect, but she’s finally moving all four limbs at least a tiny bit before falling forward or spinning around on her tummy. So she’s getting to everything very easily now. We’re going to have to order some babyproofing stuff soon.

This evening, Milo and Chase spent some time playing and talking. She successfully pulled herself to standing again, this time without headbutting anything. She just grabbed her music machine with both hands and negotiated her feet under her. It was difficult, and it took a few minutes, but she figured it out. The bigger deal, perhaps, is that Chase and I were not very near her and offered no assistance. So she stood up and then turned around to look at us, and we were so proud! It was an exciting (and slightly terrifying) moment. And even though I thought she would, she didn’t fall down!

It was a good day.

Day Two Hundred and One

Austin Trip Recap

We got back from Austin tonight, and we are exhausted. Highlights below.

• Sunday morning, we got up early and went to eat breakfast with Mom and Kenny in Manchaca, which was really nice. Milo was smiley and active through breakfast, and she was ready for a nap by the time we got back to the apartment.

• On Sunday afternoon, we spent a lot of time in the car, and Milo did a pretty good job of adjusting. She managed to get in a good nap before we left the apartment, and then while we were out, she cried herself to sleep in the car. It never gets easier to sit by when she’s crying, but at least it didn’t last too long.

• Sunday evening, Milo managed to pull/push herself to standing for the first time. When she tries to climb things, she usually puts her head down and pushes with her legs. She did the same this time, though she was trying to climb a mountain of pillows on the couch and ended up pushing up her top half, only to find herself in a standing position. I think she was genuinely surprised. Also, ecstatic.

• While crawling around on the floor of the apartment, she was drawn to the chrome of the base to the bar stools. She managed to crawl herself over to them and give them a good lick several times before we could catch up. I think she’s really happy to be mobile. She gets to lick so many more things now!

• Monday was another long day of driving around, and it was easier for Milo to get herself to sleep in the carseat. I should mention that both Sun and Mon, Milo had a nice, long nap while we drove.

• Milo laughed so much at her Gramma when they played together! She really seemed to love their interaction.

• Today we drove a bit more, saw some of Round Rock and Georgetown, and got stuck in traffic getting back to the airport for our flight. Milo was a trooper on this third day of car travel, and she fell asleep without any fussing at all while we made our way north.

• The flight home was pretty good; Milo had a nice nap, but she was extremely active most of the time, which was difficult to manage in those tiny seats. She wanted to climb, and the only things around to climb were me and Chase. So she climbed and looked at people behind us (luckily it was another mom with her kids, so they didn’t mind), and then we’d sit her in our laps and encourage her to play with toys for a while before she wanted to climb again. It was exhausting.

• When we got home tonight, it was Milo’s bed time, so we got right to it, and she was out easily. She’s had some waking moments, but each time has been brief and she’s made it back to sleep quickly. She’s exhausted, and I think she’s getting used to the crib again.

Day Two Hundred

Day One Hundred and Ninety-Nine

Day One Hundred and Ninety-Eight

Fly Girl

Milo didn’t have a nap before we left for our flight, so she was super tired while we were on the plane. Because of all the stimulation, she had a hard time getting to sleep, but eventually she got there, and she slept maybe 40 minutes, which wasn’t too bad.

The flight was pretty good until the end, when Milo started fussing, presumably because her ears were hurting. For some reason it was hard to get her to nurse, so we had to really almost wrestle her to get her to comply. Once she started, though, the crying stopped, so I think it helped.

So now that she’s older, we know that flights are going to be quite different. No more sleeping through the whole flight; now, Milo wants to be up and looking at everything and smiling at everyone. It wasn’t bad, actually. It would have been better if Chase and I had gotten better sleep last night, but we stayed up pretty late preparing for the trip. So, we are super tired at this point.

After the flight, we made it to our rental and let Milo crawl around on the floor and play with some toys. She loved looking around at everything and was eager to explore. She was also eager for a nap, and when I got her to nurse again, she was out almost immediately and slept for about an hour. Not a great day for naps, but maybe that means she’ll have a super great night of sleep tonight.

This evening, Debbie made it to the rental and she spent some good, quality time with Milo before bedtime. Chase and I even got to run to the store while Grandma watched our girl, which was nice.

Because of all the stimulation all day, Milo was very reluctant to nurse or calm down before bed. It was a struggle, but we finally got her to sleep, and right now she seems to be out like a light. She didn’t stir at all when I put her down. I think we are all very eager for a good night’s rest.

Notes:

• We used Babies Away for the first time to rent a pack and play, and it was super convenient. Milo liked sitting in the play pen, and she went to sleep in it easily tonight. I think we’re going to be using this service when we travel.

• I think I’m ready to say that Milo is crawling. She gets up on all fours, pushes herself forward onto her tummy, then gets up on all fours again and pushes herself forward again. It’s a form of crawling, and she gets where she’s going pretty quickly. I’m impressed, and I’m super excited that she’s so mobile now!

Day One Hundred and Ninety-Seven

Water Balloon

Today felt like it flew by, actually, and I’m not sure why. Chase watched Milo for a while after she woke this morning, and she was ready for a nap pretty much right after he left for work. After that, she was really fussy and a bit feverish most of the morning. Her fever only registered at just above 99, so I decided to hold off on the Tylenol.

After waking from her first (2-hour) nap this morning, Milo’s fever was just over 100, so I bit the bullet and gave some Tylenol. While the medicine syringe was still in her mouth, she had some impressive projectile puke. It was like we both got hit by a milky water balloon; it got everywhere, and there was a slight purple tint to it thanks to the Tylenol. So I refilled the syringe and tried again, this time successfully. Her fever reduced pretty quickly, and Milo was less fussed after her second nap.

This evening, Chase had leftovers and I went out for a burger while he stayed home with Milo. It’s nice to go for a little walk on my own now and then, even if it is only for 15 minutes.

The evening was mostly spent watching Milo, cleaning, and getting ready for our trip tomorrow. Milo went to bed easily, and we’re hoping she is still a good flier. We’ll find out tomorrow.

Day One Hundred and Ninety-Six