Reading

Here is something new.  Maia will now pick up a book and read me a story.  Whether or not the "story" she is "reading" has anything to do with the book in front of her... eh, maybe, maybe not.  But I absolutely LOVE this development!

In this particular case, she's mostly reciting bits and pieces of the books that she has memorized. Apparently this "Angry" book (series) she received for Christmas was familiar, as they also have it at school.   And Goodnight Mr. Night we read often, and she also sleeps with her own Mr. Night (thanks Adrian) nearly every night.

Parker at Seven Months

SEVEN months? Can you believe it? We're on the downhill side towards 1 year old!

I haven't weighed him recently, but my arm is about ready to fall off after holding him on my hip for about 5 minutes.  So I'm guessing: Heavy.


Unfortunately, this is coinciding with the "I want to be with mommy all the time" phase, so we're back to some serious weight lifting.  


Up until this weekend, we weren't really seeing any inclination toward crawling.  He's much more tolerant of tummy time than a month ago, but once there... he is generally content to push himself up on his arms and look around.  If there is something just out of his reach, then he has several possible ways to resolve this.  If he can get there by turning himself in a circle or pushing backwards, he's good. Needs forward motion?  Well, let's see if I pull this blanket toward me... yep. The toy is coming too.  Rock On.


Should these options fail to work, then we start crying and see if mommy or Maia will help out.  That said, if you leave him on the floor (sitting or on tummy) and wander out of sight, he will often be in a different place when you return.  I keep asking him if he is a stealth crawler.


In addition to the videos you've seen here of some of his favorite games, he's starting to enjoy Peek-a-boo.  Other things that are cool (either for us, or for him):

• trying to sit up from lying down
• pushing arms through sleeves when getting dressed
• reaching toward Mama, Maia, Daddy
• fave babble: ba ba ba ba ba
• drooling
• playing with interactive toys, like the driving toy, alphabet spinner and his tool bench.

He is mostly good at getting himself to sleep when put to bed sleepy/drowsy but awake. Sometimes he fusses a bit, but can usually get himself to sleep w/in 10 minutes without cuddling/rocking. In the last month, Parker finally slept through a feeding... for the first time since I went back to work.


General schedule:

• wake between 5-6:30 am for 2nd feeding. If it's closer to 5 am, he will go back to sleep. If it's closer to 6:30, he'll be up for the day, because we're all up and getting ready.
• 7:45 drop off at daycare
• play
• bottle around 8:30-9 am
• nap
• cereal around 11
• bottle (or I will feed) around 12:30
• play, nap
• bottle around 2-3
• play, nap
• cereal around 4-4:30
• home by 5 pm
• family dinner between 5:30-6:30
• bathtime around 6:30 a couple times a week
• (7:00-7:30 bedtime for Maia).
• 30 minute nap anywhere between 6:00 and 8:00 pm
• feed and play after nap
• to bed for the night between 8:30-9:30
• wake between 12 - 1 am for feeding (this is the one we need to drop, soon!)
• Start over at the top!

 Rawr.  How can you not love this happy guy?

And check it... a little pre-crawl "swimming."

Shoveling the Yard

We've had about a week of every-day snow. Mostly lake effect with big fat flakes, but some from passing storms. Saturday morning, more of the fluffy snow came down for a few hours, leaving a few inches on the driveway that Ray thought he ought to take care of before it got too deep.  I suggested that a small person might be thrilled to assist him, and has her own shovel.

So she got on all her gear.  She blows me away with her independence sometimes. She's able to put on her snow pants and zip them all by herself, as well as her boots (correct feet optional) and hat.  She has a great trick for putting on her coat, but still needs help zipping up and fastening the velcro.  She can also put on her mittens.  I just have to say, I remember struggling with those things in first grade.  Of course, in first grade, I had this red jacket with a white "fur" edged hood (it may have been a hand-me-down), which had the worst zipper ever.  It routinely split or got stuck in a misaligned position. I remember asking my teacher (Miss Walters) to help me in and out of that stupid coat so many times...

But I digress.  So. Maia is bundled in weather-appropriate clothing and Ray sports his sweatshirt, wind pants, goggles (to keep the snow out) and work gloves. Together they head outside.  Ray situates Maia out of harm's way, in the yard, with her shovel.

She proceeds to shovel the yard...

 ... and has a great time doing it!

She made trails all over the yard.

And when she was done, she came inside to have some "Hawt Chawk-oh-lit to warm me up! Jus' like the Backyardigans, right momma?"