In a week, Barrett will be 9 months old, hence my super creative title “three quarters” – of the way to her 12 month milestone. Wow!
Barrett is so awesome. I have been writing stories in my head to tell you about all the fun things we get into together, so here we go!
Swinging at Lincoln Park (near our house) is so fun!!
The world of food. I am trying my best to make all of Barrett’s food, and so far it hasn’t been that challenging. Maybe it helps that we rarely get takeout, but I have been able to fit in making her pureed fruits and veggies along with meal prep for Bryan and I. I absolutely love our Baby Beaba – I spend less about an hour a week doing the prep and portioning the puree into freezer cubes, it’s so efficient. I read somewhere that the average American baby consumes 600 jars of babyfood by their first birthday. In Europe, that number is around 150, and in Eastern Europe it’s even lower, around 12. I am hoping Barrett makes it to her first birthday having eaten ten or less canned food. I am even looking into how I could can our own, it can’t be that hard, right?
Barrett’s favorite things include
- Dancing at the dinner table. We have a song we like to sing, almost guarantees her bouncing in her seat.
- Bathtime. She will pull up to watch the tub fill, and try climbing in.
- Greeting you with a gleeful squeal when you come get her out of bed after a nap/in the morning.
- Her dog, Sandwich. She will try crawling off the changing table, out of your arms, or through the babygate, to get to Sandwich.
- Poking her fingers at or in your nose, in your mouth to see if she can pull your teeth out, and in your hair.
- Pulling herself up to the windowsill and banging against the glass.
- So far, all the food we feed her, she loves! I should probably knock on wood but she eats up her rice & oatmeal “cereal” with hardboiled egg yolk, broccoli or beans, tahini, carrots, sweet potato, kelp powder, tofu, squash, and much more.
She can sit up all by herself in the tub now! (don't worry, she's never unattended)
Barrett’s least favorite things
- Laying still during a diaper change, or as we refer to them “the Diaper Olympics”.
- Having her teeth cleaned by mom.
- When daddy cleans her up after a meal, you would think the world may be coming to an end.
- Putting pants on in the morning. I really thought we wouldn’t encounter this until she was a little older so I guess I have my work cut out for me.
- Being held back from something, anything, she wants to do. Putting hands in the dog’s water, putting dead bugs in her mouth, grabbing your wine glass… etc.
I don’t feel like we have a fussy baby on our hands unless it’s past nap or bedtime. Generally, she is very happy, loves to “talk”, explore, climb around, cruise, bounce in your arms or lap, and explore her little world. Bryan and I can spend all day at home, completely consumed with our little girl. Going to the park, out to see friends or family, playing in the backyard or just upstairs – time flies by so quick!
Few more notes.
- Around Labor Day, her upper-left tooth started coming in. Now the upper-right one is too and that makes four teeth.
- Barrett has been pulling herself up and “cruising” wherever she can. She really gets a kick out of herself when she’s standing and is especially proud to show off how she can hold on with one hand.
- For a couple months, Barrett will point out any tiny minute detail with her index finger. A freckle on your arm, thread poking out of your clothing, piece of lentil on the counter – you name it. It’s really cute and I hope I never forget the mental picture I have of her doing this. Recently she has started putting her little finger in her food that’s on her spoon, before letting the spoon enter her mouth. I think she’s starting to connect feeling texture with her finger and how it feels in her mouth. You know, that whole “everything in the mouth” thing.
Ok, that’s it for now!
Barrett is really into peekaboo, and this book has fun flaps to reveal zoo animals. Always gets some giggles.
