The separation anxiety seems to be back but only slightly. She suffered it pretty badly around 5 months, seemed to have gotten over it but lately she's started crying when I leave her again. She doesn't go on and on. Typically she'll stop crying when I'm out of sight although on occasion she's launched herself into a minor tantrum with the mama tears setting her off.
Yesterday, I was dropping her off with her Nana before work. She's usually thrilled to be there, thrilled to see Nana and jump into her arms. Yesterday, she wasn't. Her Nana reached out to her and she actually swatted her hand away and turned back into my arms. I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows.
This morning, to prevent a major fit, her Da distracted her from seeing me on my way out. He even blocked her view of me so that I could get my shoes.
The things we do.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Tickle.
Me (hand up in the air, scrunching fingers at Animalia): Ay viene la luna...
Animalia smiles.
Me (hand creeping closer): ...comiendo las tunas...
Animalia scrunches her face and smiles wider.
Me (hand still creeping closer): ...hechando las cascaras...
Animalia starts to giggle.
Me (tickling her): EN LA LAGUNA!
Animalia just laughs and laughs. Then when we start all over again she starts laughing before I even touch her. She knows this one since we've been doing it since she was tiny. She also knows "Los pollitos" and an Animalia-ized version of "Las Mañanitas" and some of our favorite songs that we made up especially for her. We still sing to her all the time. The songs are still occasionally insane, most recently starring the giant stuffed Banana in Pajamas that's going to eat her. She thinks it's hilarious.
Animalia smiles.
Me (hand creeping closer): ...comiendo las tunas...
Animalia scrunches her face and smiles wider.
Me (hand still creeping closer): ...hechando las cascaras...
Animalia starts to giggle.
Me (tickling her): EN LA LAGUNA!
Animalia just laughs and laughs. Then when we start all over again she starts laughing before I even touch her. She knows this one since we've been doing it since she was tiny. She also knows "Los pollitos" and an Animalia-ized version of "Las Mañanitas" and some of our favorite songs that we made up especially for her. We still sing to her all the time. The songs are still occasionally insane, most recently starring the giant stuffed Banana in Pajamas that's going to eat her. She thinks it's hilarious.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Bumps and bruises
Animalia. Lately she thinks she can stand up all by herself. And no, I don't mean let go of the couch after pulling herself up, which she does often. What she does is push herself up like a little crab and then, when she feels stable on her feet, she pushes off the floor with her hands. I'm not quite sure how she expects herself to stand up like that but I can tell that she's shocked when she hits the floor again, a few times with her face. And then there's the crying. The shocked shrieks. So far these tears go away once she's soothed. I fear the real tears, coming soon, since she's the baby with no fear. Like her Tío Tío was, a baby who would try anything and paid the price with scars and bumps and bruises. The Animalia just goes, goes, goes and explores everything. She has to SEE and TOUCH everything.
The other day after her dinner she was still in her high chair and I was sitting in front of her. I gave her a book. She dropped it. Then she managed to tuck her feet under herself and push herself up and over the tray, looking to see where the book had gone. If I hadn't been there she would have flipped herself completely over.
She's also liking to push things. Thing is, she's not at the point to where she can stand up and walk behind something that she's pushing. She pulls herself up on a large object, like her high chair, and starts to push it. Only she's using it for support so if we're not very vigilant she'll fall along with the movement of the thing.
She's also liking to climb. I mentioned the stairs before, now it's monkey stuff. Like reaching up to grab her her high chair, dangling from it and trying to climb up the legs with her tiny feet curled around them. Like trying to climb a rope. Like a monkey.
The other day after her dinner she was still in her high chair and I was sitting in front of her. I gave her a book. She dropped it. Then she managed to tuck her feet under herself and push herself up and over the tray, looking to see where the book had gone. If I hadn't been there she would have flipped herself completely over.
She's also liking to push things. Thing is, she's not at the point to where she can stand up and walk behind something that she's pushing. She pulls herself up on a large object, like her high chair, and starts to push it. Only she's using it for support so if we're not very vigilant she'll fall along with the movement of the thing.
She's also liking to climb. I mentioned the stairs before, now it's monkey stuff. Like reaching up to grab her her high chair, dangling from it and trying to climb up the legs with her tiny feet curled around them. Like trying to climb a rope. Like a monkey.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
"Come on!"
The Animalia likes to explore, occasionally alone, occasionally in the company of adults. When she's in exploring mode, crawling in the deliberate way that she does, and she wants company, she'll start crawling, pause, sit down halfway and look backward. Then she extends her tiny little arm toward you and then points in the direction that she's going. She'll wait. When you're up and ready to go, she continues on, every so often checking behind her to make sure there's someone there. If you pause too long or get up too slowly, she'll glare.
Yesterday, she did that to her Ata. She started crawling away from him while he was sitting on the couch. He didn't get up. Instead, he waved her back to him the same way she waves people on. She stopped and went back to him instead of going exploring.
Yesterday, she did that to her Ata. She started crawling away from him while he was sitting on the couch. He didn't get up. Instead, he waved her back to him the same way she waves people on. She stopped and went back to him instead of going exploring.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Well rounded baby.
Sunday we (me, Nana, Ata) took Animalia to the Tucson Museum of Art for the very first time. We wanted to see the current exhibit of Mexican photographers. She seemed to really enjoy it, oohing and aahing at the right times. She seems to like museums, maybe the lighting or the very defined points of interest? Anyhow, she does this thing at museums and other places. When it's very very quiet, she starts chatting. Loud. She did that and started blowing raspberries at some of the photographs. It wasn't so bad, she was louder at the Art Institute in Chicago. It didn't last too long either. After a floor of photographs, she fell asleep.
Desert Museum is next.
Desert Museum is next.
Poor Animalia
Thursday. Doctor's appointment to follow up on Animalia's "problem."
"Constipation," her mother whispered to not embarrass the delicate sensitivities of the Animalia.
Poor baby. It gets better, then worse and back and forth like that in a way that her doctor thinks is slightly abnormal. But not the most abnormal as she continues to gain weight and grow. She's 21 lbs and 30 1/2 inches now. Go baby!
Anyhow, we'd had a rough patch the night before with the "issue" and well, there we were, at the doctor for the 3rd time in a month. Her doctor ordered tests. Fortunately she combined some that are typical at her next regular well baby visit so she wouldn't have to go through the blood draw thing more than once. So we left the doctor and hit the lab where they proceeded to torture the Animalia. They tried to draw blood from both arms and got nothing. The Animalia left with bandages covering the giant bruises forming on her tiny arms. Sadness. We would have to try again in a few days.
I was dreading the second attempt but it went swimmingly. The Animalia only cried when she tried to struggle and she couldn't move from being held down. It was quick and hopefully relatively painless. Then me and her Tío Tío took her to San Xavier for her to ooh and ahh over the santos and touch San Francisco's head. I said a tiny prayer for her health and then we climbed the hill and stared at the nearly empty grotto and the green fields momentarily before our drive home.
"Constipation," her mother whispered to not embarrass the delicate sensitivities of the Animalia.
Poor baby. It gets better, then worse and back and forth like that in a way that her doctor thinks is slightly abnormal. But not the most abnormal as she continues to gain weight and grow. She's 21 lbs and 30 1/2 inches now. Go baby!
Anyhow, we'd had a rough patch the night before with the "issue" and well, there we were, at the doctor for the 3rd time in a month. Her doctor ordered tests. Fortunately she combined some that are typical at her next regular well baby visit so she wouldn't have to go through the blood draw thing more than once. So we left the doctor and hit the lab where they proceeded to torture the Animalia. They tried to draw blood from both arms and got nothing. The Animalia left with bandages covering the giant bruises forming on her tiny arms. Sadness. We would have to try again in a few days.
I was dreading the second attempt but it went swimmingly. The Animalia only cried when she tried to struggle and she couldn't move from being held down. It was quick and hopefully relatively painless. Then me and her Tío Tío took her to San Xavier for her to ooh and ahh over the santos and touch San Francisco's head. I said a tiny prayer for her health and then we climbed the hill and stared at the nearly empty grotto and the green fields momentarily before our drive home.
Happy 4th!
This was Animalia's first 4th of July and probably the latest she's ever stayed up in a decent mood. Ever.
She met some other babies, some 5 month old twins that visited briefly on their way to another party. They were all put together in the Animalia's crib. I warned the supervising adults but they didn't listen and the Animalia went right for the eyes of one of the defenseless infants. She wasn't trying to hurt him, only pet him, but it didn't quite come off as planned. These twins were small and wobbly and I held one, remembering when Animalia was small and wobbly. Ahhh, the memories.
The Animalia also wanted to play with her cousins, boys who are 5 and 8 years old. They didn't want to play with her either as they were playing with a model plane with thousands of tiny parts. Later they would run in and out of the house and the Animalia would feel acutely left out as she is unable to run.
My cousin carried her around and occasionally disappeared with her, feeding her sweet potato puffs and keeping her happy and away from my uncle, just to be mean. When she finally gave her to him, the Animalia cried because she didn't want to leave her puffs. There was another cry, later, that said that she was tired, and I nursed her but the second I put her down she cried herself awake and just stayed awake despite Nana's best efforts to rock her to sleep. She can't sleep when people are hanging out and having a good time.
The fireworks didn't start til almost 10pm but she was awake, did a few oohs and ahhhs and clapped her approval a few times. The display was a little long though so she ended up distracted by one of the visiting dogs wandering around our yard. Was it worth throwing her off her sleep schedule? Hm. Maybe, maybe not. As of yesterday we weren't quite back to it. On the other hand, it was very cute for her to see the fireworks and entertain the guests with her extraordinary clapping skills, squealing, judgy looks and general cuteness and happiness to be held by many strangers.
She met some other babies, some 5 month old twins that visited briefly on their way to another party. They were all put together in the Animalia's crib. I warned the supervising adults but they didn't listen and the Animalia went right for the eyes of one of the defenseless infants. She wasn't trying to hurt him, only pet him, but it didn't quite come off as planned. These twins were small and wobbly and I held one, remembering when Animalia was small and wobbly. Ahhh, the memories.
The Animalia also wanted to play with her cousins, boys who are 5 and 8 years old. They didn't want to play with her either as they were playing with a model plane with thousands of tiny parts. Later they would run in and out of the house and the Animalia would feel acutely left out as she is unable to run.
My cousin carried her around and occasionally disappeared with her, feeding her sweet potato puffs and keeping her happy and away from my uncle, just to be mean. When she finally gave her to him, the Animalia cried because she didn't want to leave her puffs. There was another cry, later, that said that she was tired, and I nursed her but the second I put her down she cried herself awake and just stayed awake despite Nana's best efforts to rock her to sleep. She can't sleep when people are hanging out and having a good time.
The fireworks didn't start til almost 10pm but she was awake, did a few oohs and ahhhs and clapped her approval a few times. The display was a little long though so she ended up distracted by one of the visiting dogs wandering around our yard. Was it worth throwing her off her sleep schedule? Hm. Maybe, maybe not. As of yesterday we weren't quite back to it. On the other hand, it was very cute for her to see the fireworks and entertain the guests with her extraordinary clapping skills, squealing, judgy looks and general cuteness and happiness to be held by many strangers.
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