Notes

Notes: * I backed up and restored my phone again today. I feel like all of my pictures of Milo are getting filed away somewhere and I’m going to forget about them or lose them. I hate picture storage.

• Milo tried to carry her box of blocks, which are far too heavy for that. She’s persistent, though.

• Tonight we had dinner with JP and Puja. It was nice to spend time with them, as always, and see Avani. She’s such a joy to be around!

• Milo now likes to carry around her basket and other things with handles. She picks up whatever she can and totes it around. So, things are finally beginning to be misplaced. Especially because she often puts objects inside of any other receptacle. Example: I found blocks in my clothes bin.

Day Three Hundred and Twenty-Two

Wild Child

• Milo was a wild kid today. She moved stuff all over the living room, turned her carseat over and pushed it around like a walker, then she climbed on top of it and sat down like it was a ride or something. She loved it, laughed and smiled the whole time. She also nearly climbed inside the suitcase, which we still have on the floor of the living room. I got a picture of her with her head and shoulders in the suitcase and her little booty up in the air.

• Chase decided to go in to work a little late so that he could get a copy of Milo’s birth certificate today. So we finally have proof of her birth!

• In her quest for adventure, Milo figured out how to go under the gate. We keep it a bit raised so that Sophie can get in and out of the room. I’m guessing that Milo saw her going in and out and decided it was finally time to try it herself. She succeeded handsomely. A few times, actually. So I had to lower the gate to the floor, and then Milo wasn’t pleased at all.

• Milo also used her walker like a ladder to get up by the tv this afternoon.

Notes:

• One of the newest forms of affection from Milo is a gentle pat when we are holding her. When we pick her up, she now gently pats our back or shoulder. It’s not only at bed time, it’s just whenever. And I love it.

• Milo has also begun to give kisses when I put her down for a nap. I pick her up, take her in the bedroom, and she pats my shoulder and leans her little face in for a kiss. So sweet. I can’t handle it.

• Another thing Milo has learned is to reach for Chase when it’s time for bed. He’s the one who puts her down now. Our routine consists of bath, then breast, then brushing teeth, then reading, then singing, then bed. During the singing, Chase rubs her feet with lavender oil, and the last step is putting her socks on. She now knows that putting on the socks means bed time, so she reaches for chase as soon as we put her socks on, and then we go to the bedroom. She’s so smart!

Day Three Hundred and Twenty-One

Tiny Dancer

• Music class was fun, as usual. Milo continues to be pretty active during class, so she was all over the place today. Her favorite parts are the dancing (we usually get up and dance to one song) followed by the dumping of instruments on the carpet. She likes to grab one instrument at a time and look at it very intensely. Then she grabs another, sometimes even if it’s in the hands of another baby. But they’re all that way right now, so I try not to hover too much.

• Milo climbed the baby gate and made it fall down. After that, she couldn’t figure out how to climb it again, though she did try a few times.

• We keep a stuffed lamb attached to the baby gate. It has a pull tab that will play music when pulled. Today, she finally pulled the cord on the lamb and danced. I love to see her little booty move when she dances!

• For some reason, one of her newest ways to amuse herself is to drop things on the other side of the busy board or baby gate. She just takes things over there and drops them over. She doesn’t whine to get them back, either. Her whole enjoyment is just dropping things over some barrier. Weird.

Notes:

• Her poops have become unbearably stinky, but they’re more regular now that she’s used to eating more food.

• Yesterday we bought Milo’s birthday present: a wheely bug! I can’t wait to see her on it!

Day Three Hundred and Twenty

Day Three Hundred and Nineteen

Monday

Notes:

• Milo is fully walking now. I’d say that she walks more than she crawls now. It’s really a new development today. She’s still pretty unsteady on her feet, but that doesn’t stop her.

• This morning I figured out that it’s much easier to get her to eat if we’re holding her; she refused to eat her oatmeal while in her high chair, so after Chase left, I fed her oatmeal while standing up holding her. She ate the whole bowl without hesitation. I probably could have given her even more.

• Milo toon an early nap, possibly because she’s recovering from the weekend? She decided it was nap time by climbing in my lap and putting her head on my shoulder, which was very sweet.

• Lunch didn’t go so well. We use a plastic placemat, and there was a bulge in it today, so when she slapped it, the food flew. Yeah, she didn’t eat any food after she discovered that.

• Her second nap was short, only 45 min. I had no idea why, and it kind of frustrated me since I was trying to read (I am also terribly sunburned still, so it would have been nice to have a little extra time without her climbing and slapping at me). She was so fussy upon waking, too. I gave her a bit of tylenol to help with the teething. It helped her feel better, so we made a trip to the store, and she seemed fine.

Notes:

• I like to give crackers or baby snacks when we go into a store now. There were a few times when she got super fussed and started trying to get out of the stroller when I was at the grocery store. So now, I give her the toddler bowl with crackers in it while I shop, and she lays back and snacks and looks at everything and doesn’t fuss at all. Problem solved!

• Milo still insists on tearing everything off the book shelf whenever she has the chance. Now that there’s an empty shelf there, she has started to limb and try to get more things. She’s wild.

Day Three Hundred and Eighteen

Drive

Today was mostly a driving day. We went to breakfast with Jackie and her cousin, and then we intended to go to a park and have a walk around. However, driving to drop off cars and get to the park took enough time that Milo fell asleep in the car before we got there. So, instead we took a drive on the coast to let her get a bit more sleep.

We ended up stopping at Pebble Beach after Milo woke up. It’s pretty cold out there, so we bundled her up and got out. Someone had built a little circle of stones, so we took the opportunity to let Milo explore the sand by putting her in there. She was slow but curious, grabbing sand and crawling around in it a bit. Jackie found a couple of beach toys that had been abandoned, so she brought those over and Milo played with the sand a little. After we decided that we were all sufficiently cold and Milo was sufficiently sandy, we got her up and got back in the car.

We stopped again to take a look at some wildlife and walk some more, and then we just drove for a while longer, looking at the trees and houses and people. It was a nice drive.

The drive home didn’t go very well, though. We’d stayed out too long, and the drive home was 2.5 hours, which was about an hour longer than we expected. Milo napped in the car, but she really had to cry herself to sleep this time. And her nap wasn’t long, either. Maybe 30 minutes.

Milo was happy to be home, and so were we after all that time in the car. I get so stressed when Milo cries in the car. It makes me never want to drive anywhere ever again. But, of course, she’s fine, and I know she’s fine. It just upsets me. Soon, hopefully, she’ll learn to tolerate the car better since we’ll be driving around a lot more.

Day Three Hundred and Seventeen

Boardwalk

We’ve been vaguely planning to go down to Salinas to visit Jackie for a while, but today we finally did it. She suggested that we meet her in Santa Cruz at the boardwalk, so that’s where we headed.

The drive down wasn’t great. Milo was sleepy but wouldn’t go to sleep in the car, so there was lots of crying. We got there at around 10, and since Jackie was running a little late, we walked around the wharf and got to see a pretty cool wood car show. Milo napped in the ergo for about 40 minutes, and then we walked toward the boardwalk.

Since Milo was awake, we let her walk a bit on the sidewalk, which she loved. We weren’t expecting it to be so hot or sunny, so we only packed Milo’s baby sunscreen, which Chase and I don’t use. Needless to say, we got pretty sunburned. Jackie showed up with her adorable niece and nephew, and we walked around a bit. The kids (and Jackie and Chase) got on the carousel, marking Milo’s first ever ride.

Her second ride ever was a train-thing, which she liked a bit better than the carousel because she got to sit next to Alina (Jackie’s niece). Another first was Milo’s lunch; we got her a hot dog and gave her bits of it. She loves hot dogs. She put up absolutely no fight about eating it.

After a while at the boardwalk, we decided it would be great to get Milo a proper nap in her crib, so we headed to the hotel. Chase picked up some In N Out, which was right across the street from our room. Lucky! Milo napped 2 hours, and Chase and I got some rest, as well.

Jackie showed up to take us to dinner, and she even brought a little aloe for our burns. Dinner was amazing - Mexican food. Milo kept trying to climb out of the high chair by swinging a leg over the side like she was getting down from the bed (another first), so we ate with her in our laps. She ate a good bit of avocado and had bits and pieces from all of our plates.

We all went to bed shortly thereafter, exhausted from the sun. Not a bad day.

Day Three Hundred and Sixteen

Two Girls, Part 2

Our second day babysitting Avani went really well. Chase decided to take the day off and spend it with us, which was an extra special treat. Avani and Milo got along very well, but they didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend together due to their alternating nap schedule.

Milo got up early this morning, so she was already sleeping when Avani got here. Chase and I played with her, gave her a snack (she likes kiwi, too), and had a blast. Milo woke up at around 11, so they were able to run around a little bit before lunch.

Lunch wasn’t great - Milo still makes it difficult to feed her, but she did eat a little bit of everything we put in front of her, including boiled eggs, chicken salad, kiwi, plum, and banana. Avani was a great eater, of course. She ate most of her eggs and okra, and she demolished her raisins.

Shortly after lunch, it was Avani’s nap time. So, Chase and I played with Milo for the 2 hours that she was sleeping. Milo was surprisingly quiet during that time, which we were grateful for. At one point, we tried to put her down for a nap, but she wouldn’t have it. So, we waited for Avani to wake up and then put Milo down.

Chase took Milo to the park while Milo was napping, and he said they had a grand time. “This girl loves to slide!” he said when I called him to check in. He was also impressed with the way she sucked down her applesauce snack and nearly a whole banana on their walk back.

JP came to pick up Avani early, so when Milo woke up, she was the only kid in the house. So, we played some more, and Milo finally got a chance to give Chase some raspberries on his tummy.

Notes:

• The raspberries are never ending. She has given me raspberries on my arms, legs, tummy, and face. It’s slightly terrifying still because her raspberries always feel like bites at first. But all’s well that ends well.

Day Three Hundred and Fifteen

Her Way

Notes:

• We keep wicker baskets on the book shelf, full of paperwork or craft supplies, etc. Milo nearly pulled a wicker basket onto herself because she was trying to climb the bookshelf this afternoon. I was right next to her so I saved her and caught the basket. Then she got fussed because I wouldn’t let her have the basket. Go figure.

• Milo figured out how to pull out the pillow that I had protecting the books on the bottom shelf, so now she pulls it out and gets the books out ALL THE TIME. She also likes to mess with one particular shelf: the one with the printer (it sticks out on the shelf, so it’s an easy target). Well, today I finally packed the printer and other stuff from one shelf of the bookshelf. So now she likes to climb up into the bookshelf where the open space is and sit. Of course.

• Chase got home early! We had chicken salad sandwiches for dinner. Milo loves chicken salad, but since she’s taken to not wanting to be fed by us (only wanting to feed herself) and not wanting to eat from a different plate (only wants to eat from our plates), we only really succeeded by putting extra chicken salad on one corner of my sandwich and letting her bite it off. We do what it takes.

• Milo was very fussy and slobbery today, probably because that darn 6th tooth won’t break through. I gave her a little tylenol to help with the pain, and it helped a bit.

Day Three Hundred and Fourteen

Summer Fun

Today is summer fun at Chase’s office, which means that he isn’t getting home until super late. Which means that it’s another bed time without daddy :-/ At least Milo’s bed time is a bit easier since I don’t have to worry about nursing her to sleep. Sleep time (both bed and naps) have become so easy since we started the new routine! She just goes to sleep. That’s it! Sometimes there’s a minute or two of crying, but not usually. The white noise and sleep ritual are so ingrained that she actually fusses to be put in the crib now! No rocking, no shushing, no nursing. Just lay that baby down and she’s out! So good.

The day was pretty good overall. Milo and I played a lot and she was very good. We went to music class, picked up lunch on the way home, and Milo ate pretty well. Her naps could have been longer (I’ve been reading more and trying to nap occasionally during naps these days, so I can always stand for them to be a tad longer), but they were still a good length.

In the evening, I had her in bed by 7:57, which I’m pretty proud of! I ate after she went to sleep to avoid the hassle of trying to cook while she tears through the kitchen. I had been dreading today because I knew Chase would be out late, but it wasn’t bad at all.

Day Three Hundred and Thirteen

Stacking

The most exciting development of the day was Milo’s ability to stack rings. We have a little set of wooden rings that stack on a peg. Milo plays with it all the time, but she doesn’t ever stack the rings. She watches me stack them and then she takes it and dumps it over. She takes great joy in taking the rings off of the peg. Then she hands it to me and we start again. Today, though, she finally put the rings on the peg! It was so exciting! She did get frustrated when she couldn’t get one on there, so I tried to keep her calm and help her out. The focus didn’t last too long, but it was still a very exciting event.

Also, we got some kiwi and plums from Goodeggs, so I let Milo try kiwi for the first time. She loved it!…at first. Later in the day I couldn’t get her to eat it. But that’s par for the course lately. She has been refusing foods a lot, mostly because she wants to feed herself all the time. But there are some foods we can’t let her feed herself yet, like slippery ones (kiwi) and oatmeal. We’ve been having some luck with toast, rice, chicken, and other things she can grab onto. We’ll figure out this food thing soon enough. I’m sure of it.

Milo was fussy on and off much of the day, which is probably a result of a sixth tooth that is just under the surface but hasn’t cut through yet. I’m hoping it comes through soon so she can be back to her usual, chipper self. She wasn’t totally fussed, though. She also played well and napped well.

After Chase got home, we went out to pick up a bike seat we found on CL. It was in the north bay, so we treated ourselves to some In N Out on the way home.

Notes:

• Milo’s high chair is disgusting. It’s a clamp chair, and it’s cloth, so it’s not that easy to clean. Milo has a habit of turning and wiping her mouth on it while she eats, so there’s all kinds of food on one side of it. She also loses food in the seat, so we get extra surprises when we take it off the table and dust it out. So gross. I’m going to start petitioning for a new high chair as soon as we get to Texas and have more room.

Day Three Hundred and Twelve

Monday

Notes:

• Milo started blowing raspberries on my belly this morning. I like to lay on the ground sometimes because it gives her an opportunity to crawl all over me, which she loves to do. Today, she lifted up my shirt and found my tummy. After slapping it a great deal, she lowered her face to it, which scared me because I thought she was going to bite me. Instead, raspberries. Lots and lots of raspberries. We both laughed so much! I even got a little video of it. Priceless.

• Somehow, Milo now has 5 teeth! I felt in there and realized that she’s got two more on top! She’s going to be eating everything soon!

• Milo tries to sit in any and all boxes all the time. Most of the time it’s her toy bins or our clothes bins, but today she did something slightly different. She has a small wooden box that stores her alphabet blocks. It’s small. Today, after dumping out all of the blocks, she tried to sit in that tiny box…while also trying to fill it with the blocks. It didn’t work out. But she didn’t stop trying.

• After she pulled everything out of one of the clothes bins, we had some fun playing with scarves and hats. Milo even let me put a couple of things on her without getting fussed.

Day Three Hundred and Eleven

Father's Day

For Chase’s first Father’s Day, we got out of the apartment early and headed over to Dottie’s for breakfast. We haven’t been there in such a long time! We were the first in line, and before we even got in some of the serving staff came out to say hi to Milo! It was a really great dining experience, hands down the best we’ve had at Dottie’s, because everyone wanted to talk to and play with Milo. The food was great, too.

After breakfast, Milo went down for her first nap, and Chase and I relaxed for just a bit. Then I gave him his presents: a set of 3 magnets featuring pictures of Milo holding letters that spelled out D-A-D, and a mini photo album with a picture for every month that he’s been a dad. He liked them, and I felt pretty good. I also got us tickets to see the Giants, but that isn’t until the 9th.

After her nap, we decided to go for a bike ride with Milo. We installed the bike seat for her a while ago, but I’ve been too nervous to ride with her so far. Today I faced my fears, and we had a great time. I did learn, though, that the bike seat we got for her is not ideal because its place in front of me both blocks my view and makes riding pretty uncomfortable. So we’re going to look for a rear seat soon.

Milo had a blast, though. She kept putting her feet up on my handlebars as though it was a foot rest or something. She was all smiles as we rode around, and we ended our ride with Chase taking over on my bike and me walking his bike home. This way, we both got to ride with our girl.

After that, it was off to Bacon Bacon for lunch! Then another nap for Milo and play time in the afternoon. Chase was happy with his Father’s Day. We all got out and had some fun!

Notes:

• Ever since Milo let me play with that scarf a while back, she likes to try to put it on. This involves her putting it over her head and behind her back, then pulling it around the side and doing it again. She also likes it when I drape the scarf over both our heads like a shade. She squeals with delight and smiles so big with that scarf on her head while we’re looking at each other. I just love it.

Day Three Hundred and Ten