She's just little, I can't help it

I am occasionally filled with an irrational and unreasonable need to diagnose. If I have a rash, I get online and start looking at pictures of rashes. I once diagnosed myself with scabies on my elbow and have also diagnosed a multitude of sniffles, coughs, random aches and pains in this fashion. Lately, I have been using this irrational and unreasonable "skill" on the Animalia. What is that dry patch on her shoulder? It's scabies again. Why has she stopped making consonant sounds in favor of grunts? Autism or hearing loss? Both? Why has she stopped grunting and started doing raspberries again? Autism? Hearing loss? Getting used to chatting with her two new teeth? Is she sweating because she has a fever or because it's 95 degrees outside? Did she spit up because she's reacting to her most recent vaccination or because I put her on her belly after she nursed? Why is she so energetic today? Why is she sleepier the next day? Did she scratch herself on the nose? Did she eat enough today? Is she warm enough? Is she too warm? Panic. Panic. Panic. Why? WHY?! WHY!?

I guess I should stop. She's a healthy, bright, active baby girl. She has done everything on schedule, sometimes ahead of schedule. I am just unreasonable. I. Am. Being. Unreasonable. Repeat three times. There. Is. Nothing. Wrong. I. Am. Being. Unreasonable. Right? Right?!? Crazy mama, coming through!!!

OK, so I'm really not that bad. She's just little. I have to balance the incessant urge to protect her and to scoop her up in my arms and never let her get vaccinated and keep her in the house forever and ever with the part of me that wants her to explore and grow and get dirty and grow a healthy immune system and not be afraid of anything. Crap. Even when I sound less crazy the crazy shines through.

She's the only baby and don't you forget it!

I picked up Animalia from my parents' house yesterday and sat down a bit to chat. My dad was sitting with the Animalia across from me and my mom. Animalia was staring at us. My mom hugged me and petted my head and said "Look, Animalia, this is my baby. Your mama is my baby." And the Animalia made a sad sound and the corners of her mouth turned down in the most perfect frown.

She was fine after my mom stopped teasing her.

It was hilarious.

Baby poop on vacation.

Obvious title.

So while on vacation, the Animalia only pooped twice. I think it was because although she was getting some solids, she was mostly nursing since she was with me all the time. I also have to admit a teeny bit of laziness on my part. I'm already lugging nourishment around, attached to my person.

Anyhow.

One poop happened at Mars' Cheese Castle. This was actually fairly convenient. We were sitting in the bar (OH MY GOD, BABY IN THE BAR!) finishing our delicious beers and food from the deli and she was standing on my lap. She turned around to face me, stuck her butt out and started doing the baby pooping grunting red face thing. With her butt sticking out. It was pretty entertaining. So we paid up and I changed her in the back of the rental car. It was ugly.

The second time was so much more convenient, the mom said sarcastically. It was during takeoff. That's right. Headed back home, the airplane is leaving the ground, and the Animalia starts grunting. My daughter is both convenient and considerate to others, the mom said while rolling her eyes. So yeah. She pooped. And I couldn't do anything about it. She must have gotten all cozy though, right after, because I gave her a pacifier to suck on and she dozed off. She woke up a little after the seatbelt light went off. I started to head to the rear bathroom and a flight attendant told me that there was a changing table in the front. I headed there and wow. Airplane bathroom changing tables are SMALL. But it worked. And her baby poop had a couple of beans in it. From Frontera Grill, the Rick Bayless restaurant. Yum.

Diaper changes on vacation are no picnic. There are TONS of places that don't have changing tables. On the flight there, no one offered the "baby changing table in the front bathroom" advice either. So I balanced her in one arm and changed her standing up. It's really exhausting. I did that in a couple of bathrooms on the trip too, bathrooms where I wouldn't put her on the floor even with a changing pad underneath. I kind of felt like a badass when I changed her midair. Like a very tired badass.

Animalia takes a trip.

So we took the Animalia to Chicago. It was more difficult than traveling alone or with the drunken adults that I'm used to traveling with but not so difficult that I wouldn't do it again. I was a little concerned for her tiny ears on the flights but she was fine, charming even. She chatted and smiled at flight attendants and other passengers, wiggled around, ate and napped. Nice. She was lovely.

There were more tears once we got there though. I think it was because she was in unfamiliar territory and not following her usual patterns of eating, sleeping and playing. That AND she's teething. That's right. No false alarms this time. There are two teeny tiny baby teeth peaking out of her bottom gums. They're cute to look at, interesting to touch and I'm sure they're incredibly painful for her. Pobresita.

She met her Aunt Barbara and cousin Cathy for the very first time. She bonded with Cathy. She also made friends with BL, smiling at her and trying to eat her watch every chance she got.


Other firsts on the trip:

Her first Cubs game. EVERYONE in the bleachers thought she was the most adorable baby ever in her Cubs cheerleader outfit and red legwarmers. There were even some drunk guys sitting behind us who were discussing the best way to smoke in the "no smoking" ballpark and they were trying to decide whether or not to light one up right there. They decided not to. Because of the Animalia.

Her first frijoles. She had her first taste of frijol at Frontera Grill, the Rick Bayless restaurant. What can I say? She's fancy. She liked the beans too.

Her first (brief) visit to a zoo. We took her to Lincoln Park Zoo. It was near closing time so she just got to see a tiger, monkeys, takin, and sea lions. She liked the monkeys and tiger, she chatted and smiled at them. Didn't even notice the takin. She liked the sea lions too, their big bodies swimming by surprised her I think. Now google "takin."

Her first museums. We took her to the Museum of Science and Industry. She was cranky. The Art Institute was better, though she split her time between cranky and chatting at the paintings. We got dirty looks from people either way, whether she laughed or cried, so we left earlier than we wanted to. At first I didn't care what everyone thought but after about 30 dirty looks it starts to get old so we left a little earlier than planned. She loved the Field Museum, I'm not sure why, maybe it was because there were things to touch, it wasn't as loud and insane as Science and Industry, and there were more animal type things. Or maybe it was because her teeth didn't hurt so much.

Her first aquarium. She LOVED this. She loved the turtles, brightly colored fish and dolphins.

Her first trains, both the CTA in Chicago and the small train on the Jelly Belly tour. Two completely different things, I know, but I thought I'd put them both under the same heading.

What else? She mostly just liked walking around, making her happy noises at passers by. She got some things, souvenirs for when she tells us we never take her anywhere and we tell her that she just can't remember when we did. She got to spend time with Tío Tío and crawl around on his floor. She also got to play with a stuffed puppy that he has and try to chew on his (dirty) carpeting.

I think we can do this again sometime too. I hope our future holds a trip to DC to visit the Nina, a potential jaunt to the Cayman Islands to visit begrid, and maybe a weekend in Puerto Peñasco. Now we just have to win the lottery.

See my next post for information on baby poop while on vacation.

"I'm glad you found someone like you."

Coworker: How's Jimmy with the baby?
Me: He's hilarious. He loves being Animalia's dad.
Coworker: Does he play with her?
Me: Yeah. Constantly. He makes her laugh so hard too. Sometimes he puts her on his head, tummy down, and walks around saying "I'm wearing a baby hat" and "Why is that baby on my head?"
Coworker: I'm glad you two are together.

Me too. I can't imagine having a child with anyone else.

High anxiety

We're taking the Animalia on her first plane trip in two days. Actually, her first trip. We're going to Chicago to visit her Da's family and her Tío Tío. I'm a little nervous about how she'll do on the plane but will do my best to convince myself that I'm not nervous so she doesn't get upset. I'm also nervous because our flight is VERY early in the morning and the Animalia usually sleeps til about 7am. She'll be cranky. AND I'm concerned about airport security letting me travel with frozen breastmilk. I'm planning on taking some with us, in case I can't always nurse when she's hungry. How will they react to frozen milk? I've asked my dad to wait at the airport til we get through security just in case. I just don't want to throw out the milk that I worked so hard to save.

Yesterday was spent packing. The Animalia's stuff fills up ONE WHOLE SUITCASE. Her Da and I are sharing a suitcase. How is this possible? We are big people, she is a little person. She has SO MUCH STUFF though. I guess this trip is a rehearsal in a way. Next trip we'll know what we used, what we didn't use, what was insane to pack.

We were able to take a nap though. A family nap. We slept with the Animalia between us and when she woke up she decided that everyone needed to wake up. I woke up first. She was grabbing my face. I sat up and she decided that Da needed to wake up. She wiggled toward him and started sticking her head in his armpit, trying to burrow under his arm. When that didn't work, she started grabbing his face and tugging on whatever hair she could reach. It was hilarious. She didn't stop when he mumbled "good morning" to her. His eyes actually had to be open. Then she stopped. She was satisfied that everyone was awake along with her.

BFF.

The Animalia has found a best friend in our dog. We'll call him CPS. For Cooper Pooper Scooper. We imagine that if he was a boy and in school, the other dog/kids would call him that when mocking him during recess. But anyway. Every time Animalia sees him she just breaks out in a huge grin and starts babbling. Every single time. She can be pitching a huge tantrum and she calms right down when she sees him. It's amazing.

Unfortunately the feeling isn't quite mutual. Not that he's aggressive or anything close to it. He just alternates between indifferent and aloof. She touches him and he turns his head or walks away. I think he's getting better though. The other night he was on his back in front of her and she touched his belly and he made this wiggle like he was getting more comfortable. Maybe he's finally realizing that there's something in it for him.