Spring; Sprung

Julia, Aidan,

A new season is quickly approaching, and that means it's time for new growth, new skills blossoming, new friends and new reasons to go explore.

It just so happens that as we're talking about spring springing, Julia, you got a taste of springing as well! We figured you're old enough, and Aidan was out of the house at school to not try to push you (which he did later), so we got out the old swing, your Mommy made some mismatched legwarmers really quick, and we plopped you in and let you explore a whole new world of using your legs, and spinning, and just kind of hanging out. You weren't intimidated at all, and took to springing quite calmly: no major jumps, but no major upsets. It was almost like dancing!

But Julia, you're not the only little seedling growing this spring...after Aidan and I got some really good dirt in a bucket, your Mommy and Aidan planted some seeds for our garden.

Okay, well, Aidan did a little, but first he was more interested in eating the seeds...then he was more interested in his new friend, a brave earthworm.

After the incident with the Ladybug a few month's back, and another Ladybug incident that morning (albeit more accidental) it was refreshing to hear you tell me "No Smush, Daddy!" You were determined to hold this earthworm AND keep it alive. As you played outside with the earthworm outside you kept asking it "You Alive?" And, bless your heart, you kept him alive for a good long time. But somewhere along the way, poor earthworm left this mortal coil, and you were so upset. It's hard to hold on to something so small and fragile without it getting smushed a bit. We'll work on that, I promise. It's a hard concept to learn. But, life goes on, and our seeds will grow, and tons of earthworms will make our soil their home. We'll just have to keep them out of little hands for a while longer.

The next day, after you had a lot of fun playing in the sink, I figured "Hey, it's nice enough outside, let's learn about water balloons!" Now here's something that little hands can squish and hold and toss without worry...besides getting a little wet. And you LOVED it.

Orange one! Pink one! Blue one! White one! Tons and tons of fun. 2 days and three 45-minute water ballooning sessions later, and I think we have discovered an awesome way to have fun and get wet...but, then again, 3-year-olds don't necessarily need much help with that.

But between bouncing babes springing in their step, water balloons and planting seeds, I think it's to say that something has sprung.

Five Month Old Fun, Foods and Photos

While we were on the beach you turned 5 months old! And we were so busy doing beachy things, that we didn't have time to do any new developmental milestones and tricks with you.

So the second we got back home to Dallas, we rolled out some new fun, food and photo sessions.

First off, we took your five month picture which, as you can see above, turned out great. There were tons of you smiling, but, unfortunately, you're an animated smiler and all the smiley shots turned out blurry. And you were pretty fidgety, and quite interested in your feet a lot too.




See? So, we had to stick with "Serious 5 month-old." After the photo shoot you were in a super playful mood and we had a fun time playing "Daddy makes me laugh, I will touch his beard and then Eat Daddy's Head." It's a really great game.

Don't worry...I think that my hair gel just makes it LOOK like my hair is thinning.

After the photo session, we were able to let you try a toy that, just a few weeks prior, you were far too small to play in. So I hooked up the door-jam-bouncy-swing thing and let you have at it...and despite a few moments of curious trepidation...
...you really loved it! You struck a pose,
Turned around,
And generally bounced all around!

We even have video evidence of what an incredible bouncer you are!

Your Mom and I were so thrilled that on your first outing you had such a fun time! It also made us wish that they made bouncy door jam swings for adults.

And since you worked up such an appetite working out on the bounce master, you had to have a big meal to top it off and replenish all those burnt calories. So, we gave you your first solid foods!

Keep in mind here that 'solid' foods is a relative term. Your first non breast-milk meal was...drum roll please... RICE CEREAL served in a Breast Milk reduction broth. Otherwise known as "gruel" or "mostly breast milk." But it was definitely thicker than anything you'd ever eaten before...and definitely your first time using a spoon...and you were brilliant at it!







I even set up our new waterproof camera (which turned out to be very useful while feeding a baby) on a tripod and I recorded video of your entire first feeding frenzy!

We had you all nekked for your first feeding, but the good news about you starting on 'solids' is that -well, besides all the developmental and nutritional advancements- we finally get to start using the thousands of bibs you have! So, get your bib on and get ready to eat!

So, after three nights of progressively thicker and thicker rice gruel, you were finally able to switch to something more meaningful...like whirled peas. And, as your bib said, you did give peas a chance! And you loved them too!

After three nights of peas came three nights of SQUASH, which you squished all over your face and in your mouth. Squash was a smashing success too!

Judging by the way you're mimicking us when we eat and by the way you eyeball our motions when we feed ourselves on top of this stellar 9-day first feeding frenzy, I'd have to go ahead and call you a grade A eater!

Eight bibs down and 92 to go!

This week was also super cool because you got to have a special baby sitter! No, it wasn't Mimi or Pops or Grandma (formerly known as Nanneh)...it was your Godmother, Aunt Kari!

Auntie Kari got to stay with you all week and had a super fun time with you. She didn't feel up to writing a guest blog entry because she said she wasn't funny or witty. I told her that your Mom tells me I'm not funny or witty all the time, and I still write and that Mimi and Pops didn't INTEND to be hilarious in their guest post. But, we respect our Godmothers' opinions around these parts and, so, Kari's amazing photographs (and hilarious video) will tell you her deepest insights about the week she spent kindly babysitting you!

Aunt Kari's week also happened to be a very special kind of week as well: it was SHARK WEEK! Aunt Kari let you watch a little bit of shark week in the afternoons and you really seemed to follow a roller coaster ride of emotional reactions to a week all about shark attacks. It's only natural to react this way!

As you can see, you really sank your teeth into Shark week, which is actually perfectly fitting because, I almost forgot to tell you, over the past two weeks (Galveston week and Shark week), you sprouted your very own TEETH!

I haven't been able to snap a picture yet, but, I definitely saw the outlines of little subterranean chompers on your bottom jaw in Galveston while you were particularly upset and screaming bloody murder (don't worry...I calmed you down with a soothing song!)

And then last week your little vampire teeth emerged from their gummy prisons and finally, over last weekend, reared their sharp, pointy little heads.

They are still very tiny, and still causing you a lot of grief and pain (thank modern medicine for teething tablets, gel and orajel), but you've definitely cut two little itty bitty (sharp as hell) teeth and are trying to chew on everything in sight to ease the pain. That's why Toby and Preston are keeping their distance and breast feeding is a sensitive subject!

But with one more tooth almost on its way to the surface, I don't think your teething is taking a break now that Shark Week's over.

In fact, judging by your appetite and the chompers, by the end of the summer we may be dealing with a Jaws all of our own!

Oh yeah, and you got to meet one of me and your mom's very dear friends: Brianne!

We told you that she didn't bite so that you wouldn't be too scared...but we sure couldn't honestly say the same for you!