Light Bulb Moments

Despite the fact that Kayla is still sick, she has been on a hilarious learning streak the past couple of days. Apparently, having Grams around (Grandma Spatz, that is) makes her want to show-off.

This week she has picked up some adorable new skills:

1. She now tries hard to play Patty Cake along with you. As you sing the song and clap your own hands, she brings hers together, sometimes more effectively than others, and tries to keep up. She also throws her whole body back and up at the end when you exclaim "And put it WAAAAAAAY up in the oven...". Watching her "get it" is so much fun. To know that all of this really is sinking in and to see the little lightbulb inside her head go *ding*...so fun.

2. She now gives kisses. I am not joking. If you now put your face down close to hers and say "Kisses for Mommy (or Grams, or Daddy, or Aunt K, or...)", she'll take your face in her two hands, open her mouth BIG AND WIDE and will plant one on your cheek. It is potentially the cutest thing ever to happen on this planet we call Earth. I could let her goober and slime my cheeks all day long. I love it. LOVE IT.

3. She is starting to get Peek-a-boo. When you place a cloth over her head now, she reaches up and pulls it off and then smiles at you expectantly, waiting for the "PEEK-A-BOO" that necessarily must erupt from adoring adult lips.

4. She is starting to realize that certain things she does get a reaction from the adults around her. The kisses for instance...she definitely knows that her kisses cause adults to giggle and cheer and smile and coo...and so now, after she does it, she pulls away and looks up expectantly, oftentimes initiating the giggling herself. "Hello...did you see what I just did? Love and adore me! I am adorably hilarious!" It is so fun to see her socialization skills coming through. The fact that she now looks for a reaction from you, realizing that she has the power to create a response...it is too cute. This even extends so far as to have her sit and smile across the room at Daddy for minutes on end, patiently waiting for him to turn, see her and smile back. Nothing is better than a reaction from Daddy. And nothing is better than a smiling baby. Seriously, this kid just gets more amazing everyday.

And along those lines...I am realizing more and more every day how lucky I am to be working from home right now. To be able to spend so much time with Kayla, to watch her every little development, every little change...it is getting harder and harder to picture being back in an office every day and to picture not having the ability to share so fully in her life. Part of me knows that it would be fine. I have plenty of friends who are doing it and doing it well. But, when I think of leaving her full-time...my heart contracts a little. This little girl is changing me and changing Chris. She is changing our world in such new and amazing ways. We are still us and we still have our own wants, needs, desires, dreams...and yet we are also so much hers now. It is really an incredible, incredible thing.

Sickness

Poor Kayla...

Stuffy, runny, all-around snot-infested nose, nasty cough, and watery eyes...our little baby is having a rough time right now. Apparently being stuck on an airplane for 6 hours got the best of her. Some germ-infested person managed to spread their sickness to her via the illness-incubator that is the plane cabin and now she is down for the count. Well, not down. Actually, the cold has managed to make her want to do anything BUT go down. I can't say that I blame her. She lays her poor little head down and immediately starts making the most horrible sounds. You know when you have a really bad cold and breathing is anything but easy? Well, imagine that, only now you also don't have the luxury of being able to blow your nose, clear your throat or take drugs. Fun, right? And so, poor Kayla just lies there pathetically snorting and wheezing and moaning...it's horrible. And yet, when she's up...she is still UP. I don't know how she does it, but she's still managing to smile and giggle her way through the day, pausing only briefly to sneeze or cough or snuffle. Her Aunt Kristen came over Friday and I had warned her, after being up with Kayla much of the night, that she shouldn't expect K to be in a very good mood. But clearly I need to have more faith. Kayla not only smiled at Kristen, she giggled at her, went out to the park with her, showed her all her new tricks...I say again, my kid is a TROOPER. She's more of a trooper than me. I've managed to catch the cold and I just want to curl up in a ball and sleep for about a week straight. Alas for the unencumbered days of my youth.

This is Kayla sick:



This is me:



Okay, no, that's not REALLY me. That is some random girl whose picture is up on the Internet under the Google Search heading of "Fetal Position". The picture isn't protected, so I have ganked it for my own use. That's right. Ganked. I am not posting a real picture of me sick because, come on, I have a reputation to maintain. No one wants photos of my sick self up for the world to see. No, really, you don't. Plus, how would I get such a picture? Chris would mock me if I asked him to take one and setting up the tri-pod to take it myself is far too much effort for my temporarily crippled body to make. Not to mention, that I feel like taking a picture of myself sick would be a whole new level of crazy blogger that I am just not ready to explore.
Anyhow, you get the point. Kayla, the 5 month old, is tougher in the face of sickness than her mother. For shame.

Bugs In My Bottle

Super cute title, right? Except that there literally could have been B-U-G-S in Kayla's last few bottles. Allow Abbott Industries to explain:


"Abbott is initiating a proactive, voluntary recall of certain Similac-brand, powder infant formulas in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and some countries in the Caribbean.

Abbott is recalling these products following an internal quality review, which detected the remote possibility of the presence of a small common beetle in the product produced in one production area in a single manufacturing facility. The United States Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) has determined that while the formula containing these beetles poses no immediate health risk, there is a possibility that infants who consume formula containing the beetles or their larvae, could experience symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort and refusal to eat as a result of small insect parts irritating the GI tract. If these symptoms persist for more than a few days, a physician should be consulted."

In case you missed it, what Abbott is saying is that Kayla, over the past few weeks, may have ingested some yummy beetle bits. And here I was worrying over the fact that her formula contains sucrose. A little sugar seems far less nefarious when you compare it to this newest uncovered ingredient of bug eggs. Larvae for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Guess we can cut out those protein supplements...

In happier and less stomach-churning news, Kayla has been on a people meeting mission lately. In every store, at every bus stop, on every park bench, she has been a smiling, flirting, friend-making machine. The butcher in the grocery store is her new bud. The cashier at Target is her bff. My old friend, Mike, from high school, her newest love interest. It is so fun to watch her coo and smile and flirt with anyone who comes into her line of vision. Guess the book is right - those socialization skills have kicked into overdrive.



And you know what else has kicked into overdrive? Her desire to crawl! Yup, crawl! She definitely hasn't perfected her technique yet, but she is on a mission to go places as soon as she is set down on the ground these days. Right now she looks a little ridiculous doing it (Shh...don't tell her). Her current method for inching along is to pull her legs up under her, push her butt up as high into the air as it will go, then pedal her legs until she gets enough momentum to propel herself forward head first. Are you wondering what her arms are doing during this? Typically sitting folded up under her belly or being chewed upon as she shoves them both into her mouth. I'm not sure what she has against using her arms. Most babies tend to favor their arms, hence the rolling from front to back first and the early-on army crawl technique. Not Kayla though. She has the strongest legs ever and so she prefers to try and use them to accomplish any and all tasks, including excercising her new teeth. Eh? Well, lately she likes to shove her toes into her mouth and chomp on them like a chew toy. Most of the time this works out because she puts them far enough in that she's just gumming them with the side of her mouth, but occasionally she actually gets them positioned just right so that when she clamps down, "WAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!" - The big toe "gets it" from the two little teeth that now protrude from her bottom front gum. And I know it shouldn't be funny, but it kind of is...I mean seriously...get the mental picture going...funny, right?

Poor hilarious Kayla. You are seriously too cute for words.

Shameless

So, because she is too cute to be resisted, I entered Kayla in the Baby of The Week contest at Parents Magazine. No, I do not plan on being a stage mom and no, Kayla will not be forced to participate in baby pageants, but, if you want to support her first little foray into the world of Adorable Baby Stardom, please vote for her via the link below. She is currently #31 out of more than 1,000 entrants, so get the word out and get her the glory and us $1,000.

Hey, formula is expensive. Don't judge. Just Vote.

http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/493538

Happy 5 Month Birthday, Smush!

Num Num Num

Kayla is getting teeth. TEETH! I know some of you are currently clapping your hands and going "Oooh, how exciting," and to you I say "Stop it! Stop it right now!" My baby cannot have teeth. She can't! She is Mush Face, my little toothless cuddle monster. She is the gummy, drooly love of my life. She can't have teeth! It totally weirds me out!

Yes, yes I know that EVENTUALLY, all babies get teeth and yes, I realize that eventually, those teeth will be of great use to her. Blah blah blah. She is growing up!!! Don't you see it??? First the teeth, then the back-talking and the riding off on the back of her tattooed boyfriend's motorcycle going "Ciao, ma. I'll see you when I see you." ("Ma" because the poor thing is growing up in Jersey. "Ciao" because she will clearly speak fluent Italian among her many other languages, well-educated genius that she will be - despite her affinity for motorcycle riding rebels.) ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Clearly teeth are the gateway drug of maturity and rebellion. My little Snuzzelface...all grown up with TEETH!

Okay, okay, perhaps I exaggerate the severity of the situation. I have seen other 5-6 month olds with their first couple teeth and it is super cute. Those jack-o-lantern-esque little grins...adorable. But those were the "big kids". Kayla always seemed so far away from that stage. And now, here I am, on the eve of her 5-month birthday, and I am just sort of in shock that MY baby could have reached this stage. And the stages are supposed to be exciting right? They are. But, they're also a little bitter sweet, because as ridiculous as this seems, with every stage you think "Sigh...she's just a little more grown up." And, of course, I want her to grow up. But, I also want her to stay my little Snuzzler for as long as possible.

I get it now, Mom. I get why watching your children grow up is both thrilling and bittersweet. And yes, Kayla is only 5 months old, so it's a little early to be "getting it", but hey...I am precocious like that. Alas for my toothless Snuzzler...your new tooth-ful self is boggling my mind.

A Very Important Post

I am re-posting this for a friend. If you read only two entries in the blog below, you will understand how important this really is. Please, if you have any information or even just have a good way of getting the word out there, pass along this story and help Ed to find his lost journal. He and his wife are incredible people and they need a little good luck.

"Did anyone on/near Southwest Airlines flight 2743 (BWI-LAS-OAK) this weekend (Labor Day weekend 2010) happen to find a journal belonging to Ed Chaney ? He began it to write about his grief and his memories following the tragic death of his 17 month-old-baby girl Hudson. If we all post and our friends repost, maybe we can get this precious memory keeper back to its rightful owner. You can read more about the lost journal at http://hudsonsonegoodthing.blogspot.com/2010/09/lost-journal.html And if you have a lead on the journal you can contact Ed via the blog as well http://hudsonsonegoodthing.blogspot.com/ "

We're All a Little Mad Here

And so begins our two months of madness. Actually, in all fairness, you could throw August into the mix and consider it three months of madness since we will have been running around like crazy people since about August first...or actually since July first...wait...June first? Seriously, do we EVER sit still?

Here is our schedule for the next couple months:

August 27-29 - DC Visit
September 3-6 - Boston
September 16-20 - Phoenix, AZ
October 1-3 - Atlanta, GA
October 8-10 - Washington, DC
October 16-17 - Pittsburgh, PA
October 18-25 - Ireland
November 5-7 - Visitors to NYC

And don't think that the days not listed among this group are free. Oh no. On those days we have work and daycare and classes and meet-ups and dinners and lunches and I think I just popped a blood vessel.

Are we insane? Probably. I simply have no idea how Kayla is going to react to all these months of madness. Especially when we are now adding in a number of jetlag inducing vacations. A 5-month old with jetlag? Sounds like a rocking good time to me. And all this just when she is starting to think about sleeping for 12 straight hours. Awesome.

Before we had a baby, we always maintained that we would simply make our child a part of our lives rather than conforming our lives to match-up with the child's. Right...so that is all great in theory and, truly, we are still going with that theory, but the reality is that a baby is only so malleable and while you can encourage them to conform ("No, really, napping is overrated. Let's go out to lunch after yoga and then over to the park and then into the city for happy hour and then..."), you also learn quickly that sometimes forcing them to endure fewer naps and a crazier schedule simply means that you will suffer the brunt of the consequences later. (Hello Little Purple Devil screaming herself silly after a whole day of 10 minute cat naps) And so, it is with some trepidation that we launch into the next couple months of insanity. Who will make it out alive? Place your bets ladies and gents. Odds are in favor of the baby...secondary bets may be placed on the inducement of insanity in the parents vs actual death. Ding Ding Ding. Round One...

How Time Flies

I simply can't believe that Kayla is already 4 1/2 months old. Time is racing by and with every day I am more and more in awe of this little person who has completely changed our lives. She is beautiful, smart, hilarious, determined...how can I determine this all from watching her chug a bottle, bat at her toys and roll over (and over and over and over)? I am her mother. There are some things I just know.

Month 4 has been absolutely amazing so far. Kayla is changing every day and it has been incredible to watch her continue to develop from an infant into a baby. She is learning new tricks every time I turn around and her personality is really starting to shine through.

What is Kayla working on this month?

We're working on sitting up...



And we have perfected rolling over both back to front and front to back.

We're discovering our toes...



And are becoming ever more enchanted with The Baby in the Mirror.



We're just starting to giggle...

And we've learned that we can put our tongue between our lips, blow and create all kinds of fun sounds (and flying spit bubbles)



We're drooling like a crazy woman!

And we had our first taste of Prune Juice...



We fought and conquered our first cold (Do you know that this kid would go into a coughing fit, wind up choking and then finish it all off with a smile? My child is a T-rooper!). Helped along by our favorite new toy (courtesy of Daddy)



We now fit into our monkey hat...



We didn't before...



We have FINALLY met our Aunt Kim!



And we are learning that we have control over our universe...



I love watching Kayla explore the world every day. To think that everything is new for her...what an incredible way to live. If adults could only remember the wonder that the world held for them when they were 4 months old, we would all be in a much better place. I watch the way she gazes up at the leaves of the trees, not only seeing "leaves", but seeing the way they contrast against the blue sky, the way they wave in the wind, the way their colors vary from branch to branch. I watch her as she learns that she has control over her universe - that she can move things and change things and make things do what she wants. It is magical to watch her learn for the first time all the miracles that adults take for granted. She has feet! She has fingers! She can make sounds using her tongue! If I could bottle up her energy and enthusiasm and save just a little of it to give back to her when she's grown, I would. I don't ever want her to lose her wonder for the world. I feel like, though some days the day to day nonsense gets in the way, I have been able to keep a lot of that wonder myself. I used to force myself, each day, to stop and find one thing to marvel at - the sun's rays glittering in a puddle of water, tiny blades of grass all swaying in the breeze, the feel of a soft rain on my face...if there is one thing I want to teach Kayla, it is that this world is the most wondrous gift and that she should never forget that there is magic in every crevice of it; she has only to keep her eyes and her heart open to find it.