7 Months: Teeth!

Dear Ndog,
We are having trouble keeping up with you. You have had such big moments in the last month:
- Crawling faster and faster
- Trying new foods (You remain unsure about this whole eating-solid-foods idea)
- Pulling yourself up on the furniture, rocking back and forth, and, occasionally, traversing along the edge of the couch, chair, ottoman, etc.  Everyone says you'll be walking soon!
- Taking your first flight to the West Coast (In which you did an amazing job. You slept for three hours while Daddy held you and all of our neighbors were impressed! You made friends with the stewardess whom we saw out in L.A. later in the day--she remembered your name!)
- Putting your toes in the Pacific Ocean (before a rogue wave came up and soaked us all)
- Meeting your cousins in California and Seattle
- Taking your first boat ride and hike
- And, most impressive of all... Sprouting your first two teeth! Your first tooth was the bottom, right tooth and came out in Bakersfield, and then your other bottom front tooth came out in Seattle! What a way to mark the occasion with your cousins.

You are becoming ever sillier and more cuddly. You are super happy in the mornings when you wake up--which still happens in Mommy and Daddy's bed. Because you hate your crib. Hate it. It is Kryptonite to you. This is largely the fault of Mommy and Daddy, ... Ok, maybe mostly Mommy's fault (because I love cuddling with you!), but it seems like there's no going back now. We are considering sleep training out of desperation for a good night's sleep. We shall see who prevails: M & D with determination, or cute baby with wails loud enough to wake the entire floor. Update next month!

You babble quite a bit, but no words yet. You can recognize when we're being silly and you love when Daddy babbles to you. You also love Moby. Interesting.

You have started to do this really funny thing at night. When you're ready to go to bed, Mommy takes you to big bed to nurse you to sleep. Lately, though, you'll finish nursing and get up to crawl and, oof, collapse head-first onto the pillow. Then you'll sit up again and, oof, back down. You will keep doing this until you're finally ready to give in. This is hilarious! It's as if your head is just too heavy to keep up, and sometimes you land on Mommy or the bed or a pillow, just whatever is around you and in all different directions. The best part is that you're sort of smiley when you do it, so it looks like a happy, drunken baby! Oh, you are so funny little one.

We love watching you grow Nor Nor (the nickname your cousin Lucy gave you). And once in a while the little arm that reaches up to hug our faces at night reminds us that you don't think we're half bad either.

Thanks for your toothy smiles, belly laughs and Nora kisses. We love you oh so much, Bear.

Love,
Mama and Dada (Come on, you can say it!)

6.5 Months: We can't keep up! You're crawling!

Dear Little Bear,
Wow, what a month you've had! On the day of your six month shots you started to crawl. Then a couple of days later, you pulled yourself up to kneeling. A couple of days after that, you pulled yourself up to standing. We can hardly keep up with you! You can sit on your own too, and you love your new vantage point.

We moved you out of your co-sleeper and into your big crib (although you prefer sleeping in Big Bed with Mom and Dad). You've started to put yourself to sleep a bit earlier, which has helped Mommy and Daddy tremendously. Here is a typical day at six months:
7:30-8am Wake-up  You like to crawl on Mommy to let her know you're ready to play!
8-10am Try a new food (We've done pureed carrots, sweet potato, peas, and bananas, along with rice, oat and barley ceareals, none of which you liked too well.) Play with your toys in the livingroom. Crawl all around, under and over things. You especially like going to the "danger zones," where the cords and electronics live. We have to keep a close watch on you!
10am-1pm  You usually have at least an hour nap and we try to do an activity out in the city, whether it be a playdate, music class or meeting Daddy for lunch.
1-3pm We read books, go to storytimes, play with toys, swing on swings--whatever might entertain our little social gal.
3-5pm You usually take a short late-afternoon nap and we try to make it to the park if we haven't been all day.
5-7pm We have a second try with the food-of-the-day, you have a bath and your vitamin, and then you have a bit of calm play time with Daddy.
7-8pm We read books and try to get you off to dreamland. We usually have to bounce you quite a bit before you give in to sleeeeeeeep.
8-12am  If you're sleeping, Mommy and Daddy get to eat dinner in peace or do laundry or maybe read something! If not, we take turns bouncing you, singing and shushing, until you go to sleep again.
12am-8am  Somewhere in the night you decide you cannot be in your crib anymore and demand to be in Big Bed. You like to touch both Mommy and Daddy's faces before you nod off to sleep. We kind of love it.

You still don't take a bottle or a pacifier, but you really like your sippy cup. Mostly to chew on, but it's fun when you get water out of it too.

You recently started blowing rasberries and saying "dadadadadada." You have also started giving "Nora kisses"--you will get up close and put your open mouth on our faces. You stay there for just a moment and then move on. This simply melts us.

You are such a happy, smiley baby. You especially love to giggle at other babies. How did we get such a fun, social girl?

We love you,
Mama and Dadadadada