9 mths & 9 things i love

dd is now in existence as a separate entity for as long as i had carried her inside me. it's an interesting "milestone". she has definitely redefined my life (and dh's of course) and truly become the centre of our universe.

but before i go on, i'm going off-topic for just a short nip:
a friend had emailed this link with the subject header "only parents can understand" - http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1341866,00.html
it's a funny selection of quotes from parents offering "tips" and suggestions from their experience. i found myself turning red as i recalled how i was also guilty of eyeballing other parents' pram/stroller/pushchair (mentally and out loud - with dh - comparing makes, functions etc.). but these days i find myself looking out for babywearers and checking to see what they're using instead!

okay, now onto 9 things i love about dd: (to celebrate her 9 mth birthday, which was really on monday)

# 9 -- her look of determination when she spies a toy she wants and reaches for it.

# 8 -- the way her mouth continues to suck even when she's asleep, looking so angelic.

# 7 -- i get to be with her everyday of the week!

# 6 -- her big grins and smiles, with her eyes becoming dark laughing half moons.

# 5 -- at least once a day now she's been holding one of her hands to stare as she wiggles her fingers. it's a cross between a "royal wave a la the queen" and a finger exercise. it's as if she kinda gets surprised that she has these appendages at the end of her wrist.

# 4 -- sometimes she gets on all fours and then it's as if she's paralysed by the fear of removing a hand or foot to go forwards. so she sort of rocks on her hands and feet or does a quick yogic plank pose before she slumps onto her belly and whinges.

# 3 -- because she's nippy some nights and wants to nurse, we've wedged her between us in bed, making this cosy fam a cute trinity.

# 2 -- her two front bottom teeth! last week po po and i saw two little white buds on her gums but yesterday i definitely got a good view of the little white ridges that have now emerged.

#1 -- the way she bounces on her bottom when she's happy and nods her head as if in approval or to the rhythm of some headbanging rock band.

these are of course not the ONLY things i love...i love everything about her!

clucky baby?

this past week dd's discovered she can make clucky-clicky sounds. when my folks came up to see us they were pleasantly surprised at her new "vocabulary".

however, they weren't as sanguine about her slimming down. yep. my wonderfully chubby girl has started losing the donuts we used to call her thighs. me so sad......

i guess this is a result of her hyperactivity now. from being a happy-to-be-on-my-back-kicking kinda baby, dd now loves tummy-time and rolls over on her own accord. (as recorded in a previous post)

experiments

here's a green sarong (maybe 2m long at best?) with dd in a hip carry, rebozo tie. extremely tight and uncomfy. sarong was too stiff (new, not washed) and perhaps a tad short. the knot, which i had pushed behind, was enormous.








in thebabywearer.com forums, this short 2.7m wrap - barabarn (from sweden) - is pretty hot stuff. i'd put dd in a short cross carry, but it was again very tight (it was prewash), with the knot behind riding up to the middle of my shoulders. i guess i am just not as petite as i thought i was! :lol:
the colourway of this wrap is "druvor", aka "grape". quite rich and plummy. i didn't think i would like it as i am not generally a purple person, but it's a nice change for my wardrobe.
post-wash, the bb measured 2.65m. so there was some shrinkage in length. but it became much softer and smoother. i had washed in cold, with a non-brightening detergent (pureen h-a-d) with a vinegar rinse.

sachi pocket on dh

during a 45 minute walk dd finally fell asleep.
interestingly dh didn't comment on the pinkness of the fabric's print!

daddy in on the action

i couldn't resist...here's dh wearing dd in the nestling mt when on vac last week. i think she liked it, but dh said she still felt heavy and the mt in the humidity made him very sweaty.

rolling over...& over & over & over

after months of lagging behind ALL the babies in her 'gym' class, dd finally discovered the joys of turning over...and over...and over...

the 'ball' started rolling really when my parents came to stay 2 weeks ago. dd had already been able to roll over, but usually with a bribe, i.e. i had to tempt her with a toy. and then she would turn over, grab the toy, and roll onto her back again.

however, when my folks were here, dd seemed to revel in the attention. she also seemed to find more fun being on her tummy. besides rolling over, she 'pivots', as well as nudge backwards (i wouldn't say she's crawling backwards though).

anyhow, for the record again: dd weighed in at 9.7kg and measured 70cm on 26 september.

turning topsy turvy

as dd has gotten really heavy (weighing in at over 21lbs now, or 9.7kg to be exact) for arm-carrying, our ringsling and the too-stretchy babynest pouches, i decided to get another, sturdier 2-shouldered carrier, the mei tai.

so, without further ado, here's our beautiful Nestling mei tai in the gorgeous Topsy-turvy Covington fabric (it reverses to a nice plaid pattern), modelled by dd and grandma!

in a front carry with dd refusing to smile


a better view of the fabric print. i just love the whimsical carnival animals.