Ruby: 10 months

It's been a loooooooooooong time since I've A) sat down to write a blog post dedicated to Ruby and B) wrote in her baby book. Upon a quick blog search, it looks like the last time I checked in on her was at 6 months.

Well, a lot has happened since then.

Namely, crawling. Standing. Pulling up. Eating solids (which started at the 6 month mark, much to my trepidation).

This past week I was reminded that I need to update something somewhere about her, to put it down someplace besides my memory because that just doesn't work. The term "preggy brain" suggests that after your pregnancy is complete that you get your normally functioning brain back, but no - it gets worse, especially after 2 kids. So call my mind a jigsaw puzzle and don't laugh that I need to take a picture of the grocery list that I write on my fridge because I know I'd lose the list somewhere along the way to the store, but the chances of me losing my phone is slim to none. Knock on wood.

Back to Ruby. See what I mean about this brain?

This boisterous little being, who I thought was going to be a fairly chill girl who goes along for the ride, is now making her presence and desires quite known. Until lately I had to spend a lot of my time making sure that she is "protected" from her sister's over exuberant love and found out one day that sometimes, when Penny decides it's appropriate to sit on her sister like a horse, rather that finding Ruby distraught with her face pushed into the carpet, she is actually kind of bouncing for Penny and laughing along with her. Huh.

And then there's the times, like tonight, where they are in the bath together and Penny snatches the washrag from Ruby that she had been happily flailing around, Ruby screams bloody murder to alert me. And then she gives warning shrieks to Penny if her hands get too close again.

This mama heart of mine is so full of love for this girl.

She claps, does this cute tongue wiggle thing (which Penny exclaims, each and every time, "such a tiny little tongue!") and has started to wave. At her 9 month well child she was 19 lbs 3 oz (66%'ile) and 28.25" tall (71 %'ile). In comparison, her sister was 18 lbs and considerably shorter at this age. She crawls with her belly off the ground and I anticipate that the walker will become more than a stationary toy for her shortly. She normally wakes up around 6am, is ready for a 20 minute snooze around 8:30 or 9 and goes down for a long nap at noon (the same time as Penny). The evenings get a little dicey because she wants to nap around 4, but instead I try to have dinner around 5 and baths at 6 with her bedtime as close to 7.

A few big changes have happened this week and it makes me realize that while I am reveling in this rolly polly, squishy, round baby, she is all too quickly growing up. Firstly she's moving up to Penny's previous convertible car seat, a Britax Pavilion. She (and her 34 month sister) are still rear-facing.

The second and definitely bigger change is that she is now taking naps and starting the evening in the pack n play. We are a bed sharing family; Penny slept with us until she was 18 months old and I never saw use in buying an actual crib. When Penny was around the same age I started transitioning her to daytime naps in the pack n play because I typically don't nap with the kids and there comes a time where they silently wake up and start crawling away from their spot in the middle of the bed and run the risk of falling. As a long term bed sharing family we've taken all of the necessary precautions by putting the mattress on the floor and exercise as much caution as possible, but at this age it makes the most sense to me to put her in a pack n play when I don't sleep with her.

This was almost a heart wrenching decision for me. For some reason I had a lot of guilt in this on the first day that I made the switch. I wasn't sure why, because I transitioned Penny to napping in the pack n play at this age too. However, as another example of how Ruby is different from her sister, Ruby loves sleeping in it. I nurse her down for her nap, stand up and rock her for a minute and lay her down. She usually rolls over onto her side or tummy, gives a little sigh and is off to lala land. Her sister required patting, shushing, singing and sneaking out. I have to admit, I feel so much better knowing that she doesn't feel abandoned!

She's already got a "dada" and "mama" down, we're working on finding something that she can call Penny.

Ruby: 6 months

Dearest Ruby...

How on earth has this time flown by? 6 months? Obviously you've been keeping me busy because I seem to have skipped your 5 month update as well.. so .. hrmm.. What's new?

Well as you can see, you're a sitter, a very good one at that. Your plump little bottom and chubby legs definitely help ground you and create a solid foundation. That happened in the early part of last month. Now that you're a big 6 month old, you've advanced to lunging forward and pushing yourself up onto all fours. Shock and awe. Do all second babies seem to be so ready to fly the nest?

You've also awed your daddy and I by insisting on getting real food. I thought had would have at least a month of dedicated booby time. So it all started with a slice of orange, which moved on to watermelon, cucumbers and avocado. Baby led weaning at it's finest.

Now you've also started start calling for mama when you're not happy with what's going on, like if your sister is giving you a squishy face or if you are done playing with your toys. In the last couple days there's been a definite "maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" sound.

And your stats.. on 7/14/14 you were 15 lbs 8 oz, 25.25" tall. August 4th you were about 17 lbs (can't find your card), and your next appointment for the 6 month mark is in a couple days so I will be sure to enter that into your baby book as soon as we get home. I promise. I know I need to be better about keeping that updated.

I love you, my rolly polly baby, but please take your time in growing up. I'm not ready for your first birthday, or first Christmas, for that matter.

Love,
mama

The Pierogie Babies v.8

In the last month her vocabulary has totally exploded. She's talking about things that we've never talked about before, talks to herself constantly and now sings songs. One thing I've noticed about her in comparison to some of the other kids in her age group is that she spends a lot of time describing the world around her versus making statements or requests. She has very much become a girly girl; the other day I saw her standing by the front door wearing a hat, her Hello Kitty Purse, a bracelet and had her princess shoes (little play shoes with a bit of a heel) on. She announced "Time to go to the store, mama!"

Since visiting our local Touch A Truck event and meeting a few real live princesses, she has gone into full princess mode and loves our Friday night family movie nights and always insists on a princess movie. When given the choice, she chooses Belle as her favorite princess, but her favorite movie is The Princess and the Frog. Elmo has slowly fallen out of favor and she prefers to watch an episode of Super Why in the morning while I take a shower and get ready for the day. Because of that, she's learned phoenetics much faster than I expected and is starting to connect letters on the screen with what sound they make. We are working on asking politely ("can I please" versus "Penny wants") and she has a few chores that she helps with (putting away tupperware out of the dishwasher, throwing dirty clothes in the hamper).

Her imagination is also going at full force. She has a couple baby dolls that she dances around with (waltz style) and feeds them. She has started to pretend making food and eating it. She also started swim lessons with her daddy!

Hilarious things Penny says (which I think I might start writing as a new series):

• She poked at my post partum muffin top and said "mama, this is HUGE!"
• "Mama crab pants" (what Penny meant to say) "Mama crap pants" (what Penny really said)
• Penny: it's mama's birthday!B: not today. Do you know who's birthday is next? Mia's! We're going to Mia's cowgirl party soon.P: (wide eyes) No!B: yep!P: PENNY'S BIRTHDAY NEXT!B: no, Mia's birthday is next. Then Jack and Pammy's.P: Noooo!! Penny birthday!B: you're being a little irrational. well, your birthday is in 9 months but it'll be soon.P: I-rash-nal...cake.B: yes, we can have some irrational cake too. 
• Your eggs are deeee-wish-us, mama! I must be huuuuuuungry!

Rolls go on for days. And days. She's now very happy and comfortable laying on the floor and hanging out in the play gym, or on a towel in the backyard looking up at our maple tree's leaves. For her 4 month weigh in she was 15 lbs 2 oz.

She recently got her own amber necklace, straight from Poland, and probably in the knick of time because I took a look at her gums and I can see those little two bottom teeth making their journey northward. I haven't seen a lot of signs of teething just yet, but I'm happy that we got her started around the same time that we did for Penny.

She's now a roller and goes from back to tummy with ease. Crinkly toys blow her mind and she loooves this bird that I hang from her car seat. She's also working on blowing raspberries, which is absolutely adorable.

Penny singing the "Ruby Roo" song:

Ruby: 2 & 3 Months

Oh gosh, keeping up with these two kids on a monthly basis is going to be tough! I can totally see why second baby books are typically only half filled out. We're just on the go all the time - I have to scroll through the pictures on my phone to remind myself of what has gone on!!

Dear Ruby,

12 weeks - 12 weeks! What is going on here? You've very quickly turned into this bubbly little baby and I just can't get enough of your fat little rolls! At around 6 weeks it was almost as if you woke up from your newborn slumber and turned into an infant over night.

One of your very favorite things right now is being naked, which is funny because in your first 6 weeks you could not stand being changed. But now we let those rolls out several times a day and you get to kick, flap and attempt to roll around on a towel. And you LOVE it. You've developed a little ticklish spot right at your shoulders and you completely lose it if I gently graze that spot. You also think your sister is the bee's knees and if you are awake when she comes into our bedroom in the morning, your face lights up like a spotlight. I can already tell that you admire her so much. Penny has been asking to hold you a lot lately too - I think she's starting to learn more about big sister responsibilities. For my shower in the mornings I've been turning on a Sesame Street episode for Penny on our bed, then you and I head into the bathroom. The whir of the fan calms you, and I put you into your little bouncer and I can typically take a decent shower. Sometimes you need to be bounced, and on more than one occasion I've heard you start to squawk and then quiet down...because your sister came into the bathroom to bounce you while I shower. Oh, my heart...it melts for you two.

I wouldn't say that we have a schedule by any means; your sister still runs the show on that one. The morning is fair game until noon to two, where she takes a nap. Lately you have been taking a nap between 8-10a and then you usually will nap at the same time as Penny and some days even longer. Daddy comes home around 4 or 5 and we get dinner going and before we know it, its 7pm and you are ready for bed and your sister gets bath time. Life is really hectic, as always, but the days are getting warmer and we're starting to have fun outside again.

Developmentally you are really close to hitting a few new milestones. I've caught you half rolled over (it's a lot easier when you're naked), you smile and laugh a lot, and have started to string together your own little words and have "talked" back and forth with me a few times. You've just about outgrown your co-sleeper and will probably transition to sleeping on the mattress with us in the next week or so. You sleep better when I let you nap on the mattress during the day anyways.

Oh, and a funny note.. your sister came up with a nickname for you. Ruby Booby. Yep. I hope you can out grow that one before middle school ;) Good luck!

I love you little girl,
mama.

Ruby: One month

Dear little Ruby,

You have been a teacher of many lessons this month! I can't believe how quickly these few weeks have flown by; we've actually transitioned into a 4 member family almost seamlessly overnight. And I don't mean to say this in a way that sounds like I'm bragging...because it really is no thanks to me. It's all thanks to your laid back attitude - you just go with the flow. You readily accepted that you probably will never have a quiet nap time (thanks to your 2 year old sister), that our schedule heavily relies upon your sister's whims, that naps can happen in a loved one's arms (or on their chest), in our bed or on a nest of blankets on the couch. The case was not so with your sister (she was rarely ever put down)! I am so blessed to have such a chilled out second baby...for the moment ;)

The days following your birth were filled with family coming to help while I recovered. Both sets of grandparents, almost all of your aunts, uncles and cousins came to visit in your first two weeks. It was such an immense amount of help to keep me on bed rest and help your sister with the transition. It allowed you and I to snuggle and get to know each other without worrying about cooking, cleaning or any other of our daily routines. Once I was able to get back up onto my feet I was actually well rested and ready to go.

Speaking of rest, your mama thanks you some more. You are such a good sleeper! From day 1 you wake up around 1a and 4a to nurse and otherwise it's lights out. Your daddy and I have noticed, however, that you are not a quiet baby by any means! You only cry when you are getting changed (and are cold) or if mama doesn't get to you quickly enough to nurse, but otherwise you are constantly just making noise. You whine, wimper, snore, or just plain breathe loudly all.the.time! The other night while you were sleeping on my chest as your daddy and I were watching a tv show I could barely hear the tv. I almost had to put on subtitles to keep up with the show.

You've been gaining weight quickly and it eases my heart to see you thriving so well. At birth you were 7 lbs 15 oz, at 2 weeks you were 8 lbs 5 oz, and as of your one month appointment you are 9 lbs 7 oz. I love watching those chubby thigh rolls spill out of your diaper and down to your ankles. Baby fat is just so cute! You've grown out of your newborn sized clothes and cloth diapers so quickly. I can barely keep up with all the changes; you are so different from your older sister!

A blast from the past: Some of my thoughts when your sister was 3 weeks old.

Our time is more occupied these days but our hearts are so full of love for you and your sister.

Love,
your mama

Welcome to my Blog-Warming Party!

Welcome to The Pierogie Mama's new home - like what you see?

I cannot thank Monique from Fantastique Designs enough - but I'll be sharing more about her in a few days (bloggers - there's a HUGE giveaway in store for you!).

So grab yourself a cup of your favorite tea (you'll find Earl Grey, a slice of lemon and a spoonful of honey at my table these days) and take a look around. While you're perusing, here are some of my favorite posts. Don't forget to leave a little note - I'd be happy to 'meet' you :)

Uhm, Why Pierogie?

Our 4th of July Anniversary Stay-cation

Romeo, my healing dog

Penny is 6 months old

Crockpot Applesauce Recipe

How to Buy Used Cloth Diapers

A Story About chocolate, Chocolat, an Unfulfilled Promise & Quality Time with Pops

The Maternity Sash

The Pierogie Mama's Strawberry Pierogies

Bed Sharing

The Best Anniversary Gift Ever: Our Pierogie #2

The Gender Reveal Party

Pierogie Babies: 19 weeks, belly bump and a girl with her galoshes

Our ultrasound was yesterday and we are keeping the gender a secret until after Sunday. We're hosting a gender reveal party for our families and it is going to be SO HARD to keep things on the DL until then. I already have several people hounding me via phone calls and texts.. I'm probably going to have to shut off my phone pretty soon ;)

The baby is perfectly healthy, all fingers and toes are accounted for. I was feeling a lot of anxiety yesterday leading up to the ultrasound and it was a huge relief to get the initial report back from the tech that everything is as it should be. We'll get the full details in a few weeks at my next midwife appointment, unless something needs our attention sooner.

Based on my bump and the purposefully obscure ultrasound photo, what is your guess?
A boy or a girl?

What's up with The Pierogie Babies?

I used to be so good about keeping up with Penny updates on at least a monthly basis.. But then as soon as her baby book switched from monthly updates to annual, my updates here sort of fell off the radar.

So the last update was in June -  15 months. And she's going to be 19 months old next week. And I'm 17 weeks pregnant with #2. Oy. So here's some things going on in Penny's life and an update on the pregnancy.

TV Friends:
Until very recently, Elmo was Penny's BFF. At the start of my pregnancy when I was laid out on the couch, we spent an embarrassing amount of time watching Sesame Street. I'm ok with it. It was a short period of time and regardless of what others may say - I think there is definitely a level of educational value in watching certain shows for children. Especially for one who is at home with mama 24/7 and does not interact with other children terribly often. Which we're changing.

Penny very quickly grew attached to "Elvo" (which graduated to "Elbo" and is now officially pronounced "ELLLLLLLLLLL MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!") and it was the easiest way for me to catch a snooze for about 45 minutes and just try to get through the first trimester yuckies.

Then when we moved into our new house and we didn't have cable for a couple weeks, I pulled out a dvd called "Juno Baby: Indie's Teddy Bear Hunt" that I had bought before she was born. It's won some Emmys for original musical performance and whatnot, which having been a music major in a past life I have an appreciation for. The voices are annoying comical but now she asks for "kitty!" in the morning instead of her beloved Elmo. She's caught on to a few things from the movie that are absolutely adorable (popping out from behind a curtain and saying "Boo!" or dancing along with classical music) so I tolerate the silly voices and use that time to catch up throughout the house.

Favorite Foods:
This girl LOVES apples. She's gotten really good at demolishing an entire large apple on her own. I prefer to at least peal off the skin for her, but most days she doesn't mind and will literally gnaw the entire thing away if I let her. This is something that has come in handy during road trips. Other favorites include hummus, peanut butter, yogurt, french bread, peas, roasted butternut squash mixed with applesauce, slices of Parmesan cheese, crepes with spiced pear sauce and pistachios.

Activities: 
Putting coins in her piggy bank (which she calls "monies")
Hide and seek
Throwing the ball for Squirt
Reading books with Daddy before bedtime
Organizing / moving things around
Not favorite: grocery shopping. Not in the least bit.

Talking:
In addition to the few words that I already mentioned, she can say -
'pretty' = flowers
'bunny'
'ohh nooo!'
'sheeeze' = cheese
'yum - yum' = food
'juice'
'wirsty' = thirsty
'uh-cooo' =  uncle
'a-teees' = auntie
'gack' = cousin Jack and 'zeeekeeys' = cousin Zeke - her two cousins that she sees most often
'bay-zha' = Babcia and 'vovo' = Vovo, her maternal grandparents

New animal sounds: owl, bee, monkey, elephant, train (choot-choot), sheep, and we're working on saying the words 'goat' and 'goose.' She can point out a ton of different animals, even after only showing her once.
Then she's got this word that seems to be a catch all and it seriously sounds like she's saying bourgeois.

MOPS
Something new that I've signed us up for is the MOPS group at a church close to us. I've wanted to do MOPS with her forever, but the living situation over the last year made me disinterested in making the effort in joining a group, making friends and then possibly moving away. I'm such an introvert sometimes. But once we bought this house I knew we were going to put down roots. So last week we went to our first MOPS meeting and Penny spent her first 2 hours being watched by a stranger. I had zero worries. With #2 on the way, it's important to me that she can branch out socially with other kids and be ok with not having an immediate family member always being the one to watch her. We also want to start going back to church regularly so that'll be another opportunity for her to be independent and make new friends. And she did so well. She was one girl with 12 boys (story of her life - she's surrounded by boy cousins too!) and was really good with sharing.

In regards to my experience at MOPS, I felt so welcomed and supported. Our table has 8 women and 3 of us are pregnant. Each mom had at least 2 kids and at least one of them is within Penny's age range too. I feel so blessed to get the opportunity to know these women and draw on their experiences as moms. I am really looking forward to next week's meeting.

Quick other updates:
As I've mentioned before, Penny sleeps alone in her room in her big girl bed. The transition has been both easy and hard. Easy in the sense that she never woke up in the middle of the night terrified and wanting to return to our bed. Hard because she wakes sometimes 4 times per night just wanting a back rub. And her wake up time is between 5:30-6a when she wants to nurse...and unfortunately I am in the stage of my pregnancy where my supply is almost non-existent. I've started giving her raw whole milk throughout the day and making sure that she gets a really good, high calorie snack before bed time to help her through the night. But the morning routine is tough because I'm battling being tired due to the pregnancy and waking up throughout the night and she gets frustrated about the lack of milk. It's something we're working on figuring out.

And then there's the topic of Penny's hair. Yes, I am making a specific comment about her hair! The poor girl is so fair haired and it's taken her almost the full 19 months for her to have any hair to speak of. Now she's got this cute little plume / faux hawk going on and even has some hair over the collar of her shirt. Bring on the hair clips!

Pierogie #2
Admittedly I haven't had too much to say about this baby on the blog yet. The second trimester has been so low key and until recently I've felt 'pre-pregnant.' But now that bump has appeared and gets in my way at night so it's starting to feel very real now.

I had my 17 week appointment with the midwife this week and this was the second appointment where we heard the heartbeat. I've felt little bumps in the last couple weeks but with the Doppler pressed up against me I was able to feel a few more profound kicks. Baby's heart rate was in the 150's, as was Penny's.

We scheduled our ultrasound for October 9th and will be hosting a laid-back gender reveal party on the 13th with our family and close friends. It'll be a mix of reveal, house warming and just a plain old get together.

And that's what's going on with these Pierogie babies!

Had to brag.. 13 months

Probably my favorite photo of my little girl to date.

In the last month...

• Signing "milk" "more" and "all done" is more consistent - next is "please" and "thank you"
• She has learned how to walk with her sneakers outside and walks with me to the mailbox everyday (and picks up her favorite rocks along the way)
• Has developed a love for olives (thanks Auntie!), strawberries for breakfast, hummus any time of the day, and bananas are making a strong comeback
• Her bottom lateral incisors snuck in very quickly and quietly (thank you amber necklace!)
• Grass is prickly and not too easy to walk on

The fastest year of my life: Penny is 1 year old

Welcome to Post #101!

Little Pennypot-

Yes, I am 11 days late in writing you your 1st year birthday letter. Oops! You already know how busy mama and daddy's life is, but I promise you that all this moving around is the path that we're working on to get us into the perfect home and perfect job for daddy. We just have to be patient. Luckily you love exploring new places so this new home has been a total adventure for you.

It seems like just yesterday that we brought you home. You were so small! As your mama I accepted you wholly for who you were, but looking back now it is simply unbelievable how perfectly portioned you were.

Every time I look at this picture of you at a mere 48 hours old, I'm astounded by how different yet the same you look.  Every time I look at this picture, I am reminded of the very sudden waves of different emotions I had during those first two days. Utter and complete love. Fear, as your weight was dropping and I was so afraid of losing you (your dad did a great job at diffusing those fears, reminding me how strong you and I are). Admiration. Your smell. Literally intoxicating.  I should also mention that for the first probably 6 weeks of your life you were usually only dressed in a diaper and wrapped in a snugly "luly." I preferred the skin on skin contact and honestly..was just too tired to dress you.

Looking at you now, still a short little cutie pie but in a very independent toddler frame.  It was only a short while ago where all you needed was to lay snuggled inside of me, and later n my arms. Although we don't spend as much time laying together, it's become more special because now you search out mama or daddy's embrace.

Sweet Penelope, I never knew love until I met you. Love was stirred in my heart in ways it never has before, I never understood the depths of commitment or selflessness until I had you to care for. You were, are, the perfect reason to remember why every day is so precious.

Some of my most cherished memories in the past year..

• watching your daddy pat you to sleep on his chest to the tune of "Sweet Child of Mine" in your first couple weeks.
• the first time we shared a laugh together.
• you crawling around calling for mama or dada.
• the way you play ball with Squirty.
• as a newborn, how your cheeks would droop so low (almost to your shoulders) when you were so ready for a nap. You never cried for your naps, you just got very quiet, still, contemplative and droopy.
• how you know exactly what the Boppy represents and how quickly you come clambering over to me, demolishing everything in your path to get to me as quickly as possible!
• the look of recognition when you see your grandparents, uncles and aunts, and cousins.
• how absolutely tickled pink you used to be when you saw this silly chicken keychain that played the Chicken Dance.
• the certain icy blue your eyes turn when you are just about to fall asleep.
• how you wake up happy and with a clean slate every day. It's something I aspire to do too.

Penny's Birthday Party

Ok, a short break from moving/unpacking while Penny naps and I get to decompress...

This weekend was a whirlwind! It started on Friday night when my parents and brother drove up to have dinner and help out in the morning for the party. Saturday was Penny's birthday party - with probably over 30 adults and close to 10 kids. It continues ended on Sunday with us moving to our temporary home for the next 6 months.

Side note: My mom is the party food QUEEN. She knows how to arrange a veggie / fruit / cheese & cracker platter like none other. Although I would say that I inherited her love of entertaining, I definitely did not inherit her platter arranging ability at all. Everyone has their niche in this world, and I guess that is one of my mom's. Sadly, looking through the pictures from this weekend - there are no pictures of the food :(

On the menu:
melon balls wrapped in proscuitto
deviled eggs - it's not a party without deviled eggs, in my opinion. 
various platters of veggies, fruits, crackers and cheese
smoked salmon with cream cheese and pear jam dip
Rigatoni "Pasta Pie" with ground turkey and mushrooms - a big hit!

Marble cake with butter cream frosting and ice cream.. I was going to attempt the paper towel trick for a fondant look a like, but got side tracked and ended up just frosting it. Oops!

do you think her cake topper is adorable? It was a custom order,
but you can find more of the artist's work here.

And what you've been waiting for.. {cup}CAKE SMASH!

There were actually 2 smashes for Miss Penny. A week before her birthday, we scored an awesome deal at Target and got her one year pictures taken. Here's a sneak peak..

 And the real deal. As you can see, her practice the week before came in handy!

Also, at Adam's request, we had a pinata for the kids. Which really ended up being for him.

It was a crazy, hectic and fun party and I couldn't imagine celebrating Penny in any other way.

11.5 months

What is up with me forgetting to commemorate Penny's monthly milestones?? You can bet that I won't forget the big one in less than two weeks..

So here's a quick catch up of what's been going on in the last 6 weeks:

Food:

• Faves: scrambled eggs with Feta, pears, Happy Family pouches

• Not so faves: oatmeal, acorn squash, green beans

 New skills:

• Uhm, WALKING! Although she took her first steps right after Christmas, we now have a 100% walking toddler. 
• Loves to carry things around, like her (my) stuffed kitty or packages of Ramen (?)
• Tries to play ball with Squirt! It is the sweetest thing! Or she'll just try to stick it straight in his mouth.
• Standing on top of things, crawling up and down the stairs
• Loves, loves, loves books. She'll turn the pages and "read out loud" to us too. 
• Kisses her baby doll and other toys.

Teeth:

• At the end of January her top two teeth popped through
• On Monday her right lateral incisor made its debut
• Currently working on getting the left one out, which seems to be a lot harder than the other one. Lots of snot and very little sleep for mama and baby :(

The K.I.S.S. method for baby photography

Remember that saying about "The K.I.S.S. Method?" Keep It Simple, Sista!  If you've been following along, you've seen my monthly installments of Penny's development and mini-photo sessions.
 

Having worked in the photography industry and being a hobbyist photographer myself, I know a few tricks to get the light to work for you.  My number one tip? Don't use the flash. Ever.  It creates unnatural skin tone, shocks your little client, and makes for that undesirable shadow. 

Sure, it's not the best picture I've ever taken but doesn't her skin look so much natural? 

Do those numbers look like gooblygunk to you? No worries ;) You don't have to know exactly what ISO or F-stop means to get good pictures. Just play around with the settings on your camera. Watch a few youtube videos. Digital is free; taking hundreds of pictures won't cost you a thing :) You don't need to be a professional photographer in order to take "pin-worthy" shots! Some of my best pictures were taken really off the cuff, when I allowed it to get fun rather than really try to create and sculpt the perfect shot. You don't always need backdrops or lights to get really good shots. Knowing about picmonkey for quick, easy editing is my second tip!

Photographer, author and educator Erin Manning provides her top 3 tips for capturing better newborn photos. Erin gives you advice on setting the scene and getting close to the baby for those perfect images, as well as using a SanDisk Ultra SDHC card to make sure she never misses a shot.

What is your tip for taking better pictures?

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for SanDisk.
I received a product sample to thank me for participating.

My sweets: 10 months

Dear Penny,

While I was pregnant, I had a serious problem with the sweets. No joke. I used to say that you were taking all the sweetness out of me, so I needed to make up for it. You are definitely my little sugar bug, and although I don't regret sharing my sweets with you, I have to pay a high price for it at the dentist.. 

Your mama tries to be brave, but the dentist is definitely her least favorite place to be. And she's going to have to visit him A LOT in the next few months.

But back to you -

This month you've...

• started standing on your own! I thought you might be walking too, but these were just you attempting to gain balance.
• learned how to clap. At first you just fist bumped yourself, and then moved to having one hand open and the other in a fist, now it's full on baby claps :) You mostly clap when you want something.
• New foods: roasted butternut squash, pasta with a little bit of sauce, scrambled eggs (a hit!), roasted cauliflower, ham and cuties. Pears and chicken remain as top favorite. We've also pulled out our juicer and have experimented with different flavors, such apple/carrot, and apple/pear.
• We thought you might have a dairy allergy, after giving you some dehydrated yogurt drops you broke out in hives. It wasn't the first time you had yogurt before, so it was a little strange. After a few days we tried plain yogurt without any problems, so it must have been a fluke!
• expanded your babbling vocabulary. No new words, but we are still working on "up," identifying 'dada,' where our nose is, and 'woof' when we see the doggies. 
• kept mama and daddy guessing as to when more teeth will come.. but right now we're still at DEUX DENTS.
• weighed in at 18 lbs 6 oz, 28.5 inches.
• developed this amazingly high pitched little girl scream. It can be deafening!

In less than 2 months, you will be a YEAR old! We've got to get that birthday party planned!

Love always,
Mama and Daddy

9 months

Hmmmm... I'm a little behind on this one.

Dear Penelope,

This month has been SO much fun. Your auntie once said that if she could keep a baby at the same age for ever, it would be 9 months. I whole heartedly agree. I can really see your feisty personality shine though - definitely something you picked up from both your daddy and I.

You like to...

• walk with a walker
• toss your head around and get yourself all dizzy
• breathe onto the shower glass and laugh at the steam
• constantly talk! You've picked up "lala," "burrrrr" 
• crawl around with lightning speed! When you get out of my sight, we play "Where's Penny?" and you squeal until I find you.. Sort of a Marco-Polo game.
• pet Romeo and Squirt - yes, you have learned not to pull on their fur so much anymore and they are becoming more tolerant of your presence. 
• One big surprise this month: you LOVE pickles (you are such a Polish baby!). We couldn't pry them out of your hand even if we wanted to.  You also like puffs, apples, celery, bread with a little bit of jam, and you go crazy for pears, chicken and coconut water in your sippy. You also went through a phase where you liked yams, but now you're sort of ambivalent to many vegetables.
• sleep on your tummy 
• "motorboat" pretty much anything. That is how you give me kisses :)
• experiment with your voice.. You learned about your echo the other day!
  
  

This month we have been working on you learning "uh oh" and "up," and I think "up" is coming along much more quickly. You're not saying it, but when I ask if you want "up" you reach up and clearly want to be picked up.

We weighed you at the begining of November and you were just under 18 lbs.

You also caught your second cold. The worst passed through quickly, but that stuffy nose still sticks around. You took it like a champ and were pretty good natured about it, and there were lots of extra snuggles to be had. 

And you've developed a new nickname..

As always, we love you so much little Pennypot.
Love,
Mama and Daddy

8 (eight, osiem, ocho, huit) months

Penny-pot:

Sweet girl, you've got mama and daddy running around in circles after you this month. You've pulled so many new tricks out of your hat. You continue to be such a joy to us, you always make your needs known and there is so little guesswork when it comes to you.

Penny's new skills this month:

• Food: because two of the weeks this month we were battling some sickies, there hasn't been a whole lot of new foods introduced. She loves steamed pumpkin and asparagus. She's tried a bit of home made jam, cucumbers, bananas (still not a huge fan), she's played with a spaghetti noodle but didn't quite connect that it could be eaten as well.
• She started with scooting, then graduated to a few crawl-steps at a time, and now we're in full on crawl-sprint. She's even faster when uninhibited by clothes.
• She pulls herself up onto everything - she insists on being Queen of the Mountain. No matter how tall or short, she's got to be on top of it. I tested just putting a piece of paper on the floor and no surprise, Penny bee-lined to it and had to land that cute belly on top of it.
• In the last few days she's even shocked us when she simply chooses to let go.. luckily, that big fluffy butt of hers pads her fall ;)
•  She now loves to crawl around in the bath tub and splash with her hands. 
• In the middle of the month, her bottom two teeth broke though. I was so shocked because she didn't give us any indication that they were coming. She wasn't fussy or overly drooly. One afternoon, I let her taste some of our home made spiced pear jam from my finger and I felt something sharp.. I checked again and there were definitely some little white caps in there! It took about another two weeks for them to be visible above the gum line.
• Her sleep has varied a lot this month. In retrospect, I should have guessed that her teeth were bothering her. Normally she likes to sleep between mama and daddy, but doesn't really need either of our warmth. The couple weeks leading up to her teeth breaking through, she needed to be snuggled up to me or sleeping on top of me (which hasn't been a requirement from her for a very long time - I usually pull her onto me in the early morning for my sake). Now that her teeth have broken through and we seem to be in a lull between the next set, she's back to needing a bit of her own space. 
• You  might not see it in pictures, but her hair is starting to come in a lot more.. Maybe by her birthday I'll get to put it up with cute little hair clips?? Here's hoping...

We took her to a local park and found a swing set.. just couldn't resist! She had so much fun.

You might be noticing the super cute hat upon her noggin. Her crafty babcia whipped it up for her, it's a little giraffe hat. Just need to find the perfect buttons for its eyes.

I'm so especially excited for the coming months because the holidays are coming, which means getting to see the look of wonder in her eyes when she sees the Christmas tree lit for the first time, getting to try Thanksgiving turkey and getting to play with all of her cousins.

Lucky #7 (months)

Dear Pennybaby -

This last month has brought on quite a few changes for you! Even with all of these amazing feats, I know you won't sit still for long! I anticipate that by next month you'll be completely mobile and getting into all sorts of trouble, and likely sporting some teethies!

• Moving: you can easily transition from sitting to going on all fours. Pulling yourself up into a seated position is still a work in progress. You do love to get help with 'walking' around the house, while someone holds your hands and you high step around with the biggest grin on your face.  You can also pull yourself up into a standing position. 
• Crawling: it's not true crawling just yet, but it is so very close. You know how to use your arms to pull and your legs to push, you've been really good at practicing baby yoga with your downward dogs and side planks (which I am super jealous of by the way - you can out side plank me any day!). It's just that cute-as-can-be tummy is still staying low to the ground. Nonetheless, when motivated, you can truly get yourself across a room in no time - on hardwood or carpet.

• Talking: still a lot of 'ba ba ba,' but in the tub last week you did manage a long 'ma ma ma' run - which made my heart swell with joy. It wasn't directed at me, but the fact that you can get that sound out is one step closer to calling for me. You've also started some baby babble, which is absolutely adorable.
• Eating: You take part in dinner with us most nights per week. This month avocado has been a favorite (you are definitely your mama and daddy's creation!) adding in some of my home made apple sauce, home made pretzels, steamed carrots, broccoli, bananas, sometimes toast-fingers. You've also gotten pretty good at using the sippy cup! 

Broccoli, bananas and avocado are a staple

Roughly 182 days...or, 6 months.

Dearest little Penelope,

Here we are - the six month mark. It never ceases to amaze me how much you've grown each month, and when I compare it to over the last half a year.. I'm just blown away at the amazing feat you've accomplished! Way to go, my precious one!

I try not to romanticize my life with you, but how can I not gush about how much fun you are? We're the best of buds, baby, and having you in my life is such a blessing!

We love you so much, keep learning and growing.. but you don't need me to tell you that! ;)
Love,
Mama and Daddy

Penny's accomplishments over the last month include..
The big one: Sitting up! She started sitting up around the begining of August, but only on soft surfaces (like the bed) and kinda did this hula-girl wobble. Now, she sits by herself for an indefinite period of time! Next step..using those abs to pull herself up into a sitting position, which is not too far away.

She has this little song she sings to herself, it goes "ahhh yah yah yah yah!" It started out when she was bored, but now it's sort of melted into "pay attention to me!"

I've mentioned this before, but she loves to (in fact, insists) touch whatever is in my hands, especially glasses. When she has the chance to pull the glass to her face, she tries to suck on it.

She's such a chatty little thing in the morning.

She now shakes rattles and pulls toys towards herself.

We discovered her first beauty mark! Until now she didn't have any birth marks (except for stork bites that still hang around on the back of her neck and head, which are fading) but now she sports a cute little dot on her side.

She "bops" things with her balled up fist - toys that twirl, rattles, her thighs, her eyes/ears when she's tired..mama's face in the morning..

She's excellent at putting her foot in her mouth, and will suck on her big toe when bored.


She has tasted a few fruits and veggies - peaches, pears, watermelon and a brocolli floret. As mentioned before, we are going the baby led weaning route so these were not purees, but chunks of food.

At her 6 month appointment, she weighs 15 lbs 10 oz and is 24 1/4 inches long.. She definitely lives up to her favorite song, a variation of the "I'm a little teapot," - she is short and stout! But I love her rolls so much!

She also says "ma" "mam" and "ba"!

And here is a little photo shoot.

This absolutely adorable ladybug beanie/cape combo was lovingly made by Kelly from The Blissful Baby Boutique. She has so many cute designs for both baby and mama. Seriously, check her out. The yarn is so soft and this beanie has grown with Penny since she was a wee newborn. I love that we've been able to use this outfit for her newborn and six month photo shoot...maybe her noggin will still fit in it by the time she is 1! Wishful thinking, I know.

5th month collage

Here is the monthly installment of my favorite cell phone pictures from July. 

Her development this month has been astounding; so many new sounds,

positions and interest in the world! 

5 months

Penelope,

Here we are, at the 20 week mark..you are 5 months old!

We've fallen into a very comfortable rhythm for our family. You are the best little buddy I could ask for. Most days are quiet and spent at home, but we've also done our fair share of travel as well. We've divided our time between the lake house and house sitting, and also spent a week in Canada at family camp. You have become quite the little traveller.. flying at 2 months, your first international trip at 4 months.. maybe a visit to Uncle Nick in Germany before the end of the year is in order?? ;)

It seems like we don't really stay in the same place for too long but you do well in new environments. I'm so proud of you! I promise that we'll be settled into our permanent home soon.

Love,
Mama and Daddy

Some new updates for you:

You totally flirt now! When you see someone smile or something that you like, you totally give it the biggest smile and then tuck yourself into my neck, and peek shyly back.. You'll do this 4-5 times with each new person. It's so adorable!

For about a week you were doing raspberries. I had started teaching you how to and encouraging it more, and you did it for about a week and now it's very sporadic..Perhaps a new trick is in order?


We've started playing peekaboo, you sort of get it but not quite yet.. Soon though!

Last month's update said you were almost proficient at rolling over both ways, now you're a total champ! In fact, if you think that I'm not watching, you'll roll around all over the place and end up in a completely different orientation.

With rolling over from back to tummy, you've become excellent at grabbing your toes.. Which is totally my favorite baby pose ever! Especially when you are naked :) Seeing all of your chubby little rolls, and you curled up into a little ball is the cutest thing ever. You've even managed to get a foot in your mouth a couple times.

Bath time is now very messy! You like to send waves around the sink (yes, you are still small enough for the sink.. but not for long!) and sometimes it feels like I'm in the splash zone at SeaWorld. We also have inaugurated a special bath time song for you, Raffi's Baby Beluga. I grew up absolutely loving that song and I am glad I get to share it with you :)

You love all babies, but you especially love your cousin Pamela. I think it's a girl thing ;)

Your favorite toy is the bounceroo, which is on loan from your cousin Frankie. You also love rattles and your Sophie the Giraffe teething ring.

Although I'm not sure what your length is, you are now roughly 14 lbs. Way to go for being over twice your birth weight!

Your current schedule is waking up between 7:15-8 (although I try my hardest to keep you asleep til 8!), nap time is every 2 - 2 1/2 hours from there. Bath time starts at 7:30 and you are out like a light by 9p.

You are by no means a quiet baby, you love to chat and squawk.


Chatting and squawking is cute and all, but if you are not in mama's arms for too long, you begin to yell.  I'll spare you all the video!  You have definitely learned the art of projection.. Perhaps one day you'll take some opera lessons from your Auntie Annie?

You reach for anything that is in my hands. You absolutely love touching cold glasses, especially when they have condensation from a cool beverage inside.

Current nicknames: Penny (duh), Pennybaby, PenPen, Lil' P, Baby, and my personal new favorite.. Little Sugar.
Next month, you'll be 6 months old.. I can't believe it!