Party in my Crib! You're invited!

Unlike most expectant couples, Buddy and I didn't run around looking for the perfect crib and crib set as soon as we found out we were having a girl. Instead, we waited until that girl was 7 months old. No need to call CPS, she didn't sleep on the floor. We were fortunate enough to inherit a Pack 'n' Play with a bassinet that suited Little T quite well for the first two months of her life after which we were even more fortunate to be living with Buddy's parents who are more-than-equipped to house babies quite comfortably. So it wasn't until we moved back to Vegas that she needed a more permanent place to rest her little round head.

MTV wasn't available to cover it, so I felt the need to publicize it myself. Without further ado, I give you: THE CRIB.

Our parents have been more than generous in helping us with first baby expenses, and we have Grandma & Grandpa Richards to thank for this beautiful crib and crib set. So THANK YOU! As you can see, Teagan is getting your money's worth (and with it being so perfectly gender-neutral, we may even consider having another one day so it will really be worth your while!). I often wake up to the sound of her singing to herself. If my room looked this good, I'd wake up singing too!

I'd love to show you the rest of the room, but as our current motif is "Floor to Ceiling Boxes" I'd hate for you to think me white trash. So, we'll limit the glimpse to the crib. We've only unpacked the "essentials". Meaning our movies are all readily available. The blender? measuring cups? Not so much. There's goes that white trash thing!

As you can see, Little Miss T is thoroughly enjoying it and I'm hoping she can enjoy it for a few more minutes while I shower. Or stalk other blogs which, let's face it, is more likely.

7-8 Months

• Woke up on May 25^th a different baby – razzing, talking & screaming on purpose
• Says “dadada” more frequently
• Blew raspberries once in the morning and didn’t stop all day – HILARIOUS!
• Has taken to a blood-curdling scream when she really wants attention because she seems to know she’ll get it
• Early in the month turns around on her tummy and almost scoots
• Gets up on hands and knees and rocks back and forth
• Learning to use a sippy cup

We braved Disneyland when Teagan was 7 months old with our good friends, Mark & Kaylinn Morrell. Teagan was an absolute angel. She sat contentedly in her stroller for nearly 12 hours, napping for only a few minutes at a time. She rode several of the rides – The Little Mermaid, The Haunted Mansion and Toy Story Mania – and sat patiently (usually eating) when the adults went on rides. She met Mickey Mouse and didn’t blink an eye. She shook his hand and stared right at him and didn’t make a sound. It was very sweet. We’re so excited to take her again when she’s old enough to be excited about it and remember things.

6-7 Months

• Thinks kids are HILARIOUS! They only have to look at her and she smiles and coos and laughs. Ivan, the twins and Jessa seem to be her favourites.
• Flew again at 6 ½ months and impressed everyone around her. Someone said she flew better than the drunk guy 3 rows up J
• Grins from ear to ear when Mum or Dad smiles at her – looks really goofy since she’s all gums, scrunches her whole face into a smile
• Doesn’t know quite what to do with a sippy cup, but really enjoys squeaking it against her gums and chewing on it
• Is incredibly patient when it comes to having her nose sucked when she’s sick – I think some part of her actually enjoys the vacuum effect J
• Says “dadada” occasionally (with her tongue between her gums)

At 6 ½ months, Teagan attended her Daddy’s graduation from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and “saw” him receive his Doctorate in Physical Therapy and receive his hood. When I say saw, I mean she was there. She conveniently fell asleep (amongst a roaring crowd, no less) before Brandon was called, but all the better for me to take pictures of the ceremony. She was very well behaved for the rest of it, and we didn’t have to step out once! I wore comfy shoes in anticipation of having to roam the halls of the Thomas and Mack Center with a restless baby, but she was cool as a cucumber the whole time. It helped that it wasn’t like a 3 hour church block where she needs to be quiet as a mouse. With people screaming and shouting for their graduate, Teagan’s squeals went relatively unnoticed. What a champ!

Modest IS Hottest: Daddy Edition

Stumbled upon this gem the other day:

 He's ever so modest when it comes to hiding his hooters.

I'm Curvy and I Like it!

I hope you're sitting down for this one: SHE'S AN EATER! I'll allow you a moment to recover from the shock and surprise of this most recent declaration. Naturally, her rail-thin, practically wasting away parents are stunned that their offspring would take so well to solid food :) If you haven't sensed the sarcasm yet, you may not know me very well at all. 

Teagan's love affair with "food" (have YOU tasted baby "food" lately?) began with rice cereal at 5 months.I feel like I waited long enough that she wanted it. She wanted it bad. Here she is diggin' in on her very first try:

 Judging by her expression, and the burgeoning third chin, I'd say it was a success.

We've moved on to bigger and (I hesitate in saying) better things. She's faced off with:

• bananas
• applesauce
• pears
• avacado
• squash
• peas
• sweet potatoes
• prunes (more to come)

and so far, avacado is the only one that seems to have bested her.

And by "bested" I mean plugged her right up. Several days of pure agony each time she even thought about #2."Prunes, prune juice and more prunes" came the cries of sympathetic grandmas and doctors. The effects were almost instantaneous. And pungent. Here's a picture of the cuter end happy after chowing down her prunes with a side of prunes. The aftermath on the other end was the stuff of horror movies and scary stories. Sometimes I can still smell it at night.

I'll have to look it up, but I think she's setting records in the How Fast Can A Baby Down A Jar Of Baby Food category. I can't seem to shovel it in fast enough - she whines between every mouthful. At this point, it would be incredibly beneficial for me to be ambidextrous and double-fist the spoonfuls of goodness. Sometimes she'll slow down to savour the flavour. We encountered a particularly tart jar of applesauce at the cabin last week. She made this face after almost every spoonful, but always came back for more.

It's not often that the food disappears before her appetite, but just once she's sent us the message that she's finished.

Try as he might, he just can't seem to lactate, so it's been really nice for Buddy to be actively involved in feeding Teagan of late. She certainly seems to enjoy it - perhaps because she gets dinner AND a show. Nothing is boring with her Daddy...especially bum changes. The running commentary is an absolute treat listen to.

I must confess that now is the first time I've worried about Teagan's diet. I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to nurse Teagan and have it come fairly easy to us both - and I recognize that it's a rarity and I'm really grateful. After months of being told that breastmilk is the best thing I can feed my baby, it seems like all of a sudden it isn't adequate when it comes to iron and other things and I find myself worrying constantly that I'm not feeding her enough. The doctor reassures me that at 17 lbs. 12 oz. she's doing just fine and that 3 jars a day + rice cereal is probably sufficient. Buddy was a wee bit disappointed at her 6 month stats - she's fallen from the 95th to 90th to 85th percentile in weight. But one look at those healthy thighs (the rolls at the back of her knees are two of my favourites) tells me she isn't wasting away. Just like her mummy.

5-6 Months

• Smiles at strangers
• Grabs hair and loves having it in her face
• Typically gentle with people’s faces – holds their face in her hands instead of scratching and clawing J
• Loves to eat
• Semblance of a schedule, but still adjusts really well when it gets disrupted
• Thumps her chest with her right arm when she gets excited
• Got SUPER constipated just before 6 months
• SCREAMED whenever she tried to poop
• Pooping “bricks” and wedges that stick between her cheeks
• Bum was red raw and sore – heartbreaking to see
• Gobbles up prunes, but not a huge fan of prune juice, unless she was really in pain and she’d drink it right up
• Able to pick up her binkie and put it in her mouth…often upside down or sideways, but she seems to like it that way and will suck on it like that for quite some time

It’s the end of an era: she’s rolling. Gone are the days when I can leave her on the bed while I run to grab something in another room. She has to be watched constantly now, which is a wake-up call, to be sure. She rolled once on a Thursday and by Friday she had rolled all the way across the room!

Teagan and I had a moment today (4.9.11). We came home from Women’s Conference and we laid down on the bed together and just “chatted”. We gurgled back and forth and she stroked my face and pulled my hair. I love when we make eye contact and hold it – I catch glimpses of the future when we can have actual conversations and it’s a beautiful thing.

We took a picture of all of the Richards grandchildren when Shawn & Annie visited in April 2011. It was quite the production. Nine boys and five girls in jeans and matching white shirts was absolutely adorable! Unfortunately, our timing was a little flawed and poor Landon was woken up from a nap and was less than pleased. He screamed the entire shoot and Teagan ended up beside him and wound up crying as well. So Teagan, arguably The World’s Most Contented Baby, winds up being immortalized in the family photo red-faced and screaming. Awesome. 

 

6 Month Check-Up

• Palouse Pediatrics – Pullman, WA – Dr. Lennis Boyer
• Height: 26” (75%)
• Weight: 17 lbs. 12 oz (85%)
• Head Circumference: 43 cm (75%)
• Daddy came to this appointment – the first time he was available
• Daddy held Teagan for her shots, which she took really well, crying only from the shock of the needles and calming down very soon after
• Mummy & Daddy are older and wiser now and kept the Tylenol coming, avoiding a fever and extreme fussiness (you have to expect a little)