Water Spout Fun... Well, Almost...

Today we went to our Baby Class and went on a little field trip to enjoy some water play with the babies! It was a lot of fun - there is a fountain area where the children can play with little water spouts. Like the pool from my previous post, she was uncertain about the spouts, but she got more comfortable as she got used to it. Then -- I'm so ashamed to admit -- in effort to get her closer to the water, as well as document this adorable event, I accidentally hit her on the head with the camera (I know!!!! Bad Mommy!!!) and she wasn't happy after that. Even after she calmed down, she didn't want me to put her down. I tried getting her into it again and got drenched in the process, but she wasn't having it. So no more pictures with the spouts after that and no more water fun. :( We'll have to try going again another day! Hopefully there will be no more camera incidents!

I was able to get these pictures though! :)

Mila's First Time in a Pool

We had a pool playdate with Spencer & B and Heather and her little boy. We had a lovely time! I wish I had gotten more pictures, but the clouds were coming in and we wanted to enjoy the pool before it started raining. It was Mila's first time in a pool, and she seemed tentative at first, although I kept telling her it was like a big bath tub, LOL! Then she got comfortable and does what she loves to do in the bath tub - splash around!

We had a blast!

Mila's New Bathing Suit

Aunt Blanca got Mila the cutest bathing suit! Look how precious! What's funny is that she already outgrew her bathing suit that she had -- and it was for 12 months! And her Aunt Blanca got her an 18 month bathing suit and that one was too tight!! This one fits perfectly (once I sewed the straps in a bit) but this one is size 2T!!!!!! Holy moly Mila, you're one serious chunkster! LOL! My chunky monkey!

In regular clothes, she's been wearing the 9-12 month size for a while now (she's 8.5 months now). I think bathing suits run small though. I have a few friends that have had this same problem with bathing suits.

We have a pool playdate planned for tomorrow, so stay tuned! :)

Baby This Week: 38 Weeks Old

A baby who can stand with the support of a chair or by holding on to your fingers is not far from being able to stand alone . Most babies take their first independent steps around their first birthday, but this is one milestone with a huge range. Some babies walk as early as 7 or 8 months, while others, who are also perfectly normal, don't start strutting their stuff until 18 months.

Your baby's getting closer and closer to full-fledged walking. She can probably crawl up stairs and cruise, moving around upright while holding onto furniture. A baby this age may even take a couple of steps. (A few actually do walk now — and some don't walk until well into their second year. There's a wide range of ages at which children meet this milestone.)

Your baby's also learning how to bend her knees and how to sit after standing, which is harder to master than you might think! She might get "stuck" standing up in her crib. If this happens, gently show her how she can get back down.

There are ways to help your baby with her walking efforts. Stand or kneel in front of her, and help her walk toward you by holding both of her hands. Eventually just hold your hands out to her in encouragement. Some babies enjoy pushing a toddle truck, which provides both support and mobility. Look for one with a wide, stable base.

Babyproofing your home is a necessity now. One good place to start is to put latches on the doors of off-limits cabinets — babies inevitably make a beeline for such things. (You could also move all cleaning supplies or potential poison hazards to higher cabinets.) Also, your baby's crib mattress should be at the lowest mattress setting.

Once your baby starts standing and cruising, you may wonder if shoes are necessary. Until your baby is walking around outdoors regularly, most pediatricians and developmental experts don't think so. It's normal for your baby to walk a little bowlegged or with her feet turned out, and her feet may look flat. Going barefoot can help strengthen your baby's arches and leg muscles, and feeling the textures of what she's walking on can help her balance.

- BabyCenter.com

Daddy & Mila: The Twins

How cute are Mila and Daddy? All dressed up for the game! They play the Kansas City Chiefs today. GO NINERS!!!

Mila helping Daddy fold his socks.

It's raining sockies!

Sockies everywhere!

Mila Recommends: Boon Spoon

So let me tell you about the Boon Spoon...

We discovered it at our Mommy's Group a few months ago, when we saw one of the moms using it for her daughter. It looked so practical that I had to get one for Mila. The way it works is the clear part at the spoon end detaches from the colored part of the handle and you fill it with baby food. There's a little hole that squirts the food out to the spoon area with just a squeeze. Really easy to use. The spoon has a little lid on it that keeps food from squirting out, which makes it portable. Love it!

Here are other reasons why I like it:

1.) You only need to carry one item for food instead of spoons and jars. Convenient.

2.) Squirts out food to the top of the spoon, so there's no food on the underside of the spoon that gets wiped on the chin of your baby... this means less mess.

3.) Instead of dipping and re-dipping her spoon in a jar, only the food on the spoon touches her mouth, so the food in the rest of the jar is not contaminated and can be saved for later. 

This is my new travel feeding utensil. Very handy!

The picture above is Mila and I having lunch at a restaurant with our Mommy's Group. It was Mila's first time in a restaurant high chair and the first time eating solids while out. It wasn't too hard. I didn't have a cover for the high chair, so I wiped it down and put a blankie on it. A cover is next on my list of things to buy. Or maybe a travel booster seat. A good high chair cover is hard to find (I want one that's fluffy, yet compact and that you can put it on with one hand). I haven't found one yet that meets my criteria. A booster seat is a possibility, but seems like she might be too big for the booster I thought I wanted, and the ones I think she could fit in, say 12 months and up... so we'll see. Once we decide, we'll see if Mila recommends it!

Baby This Week: 37 Weeks Old

One day you'll walk into your baby's room and find that little person standing up, grinning at you. Many 8-month-olds are strong enough to pull themselves onto their feet and stay there by holding on to you or a piece of furniture. A somewhat comical aspect of this wonderful development is that some babies know how to get up -- but not back down again. They will stand and stand as long as they can hold on, and finally either tumble down or cry to be "rescued."

Your baby's vision — previously about 20/40 at best — is now almost adult-like in its clarity and depth perception. Though your baby's short-range sight is still best, his long-range vision is good enough to recognize people and objects across a room. He may see a toy on the other side of the room and try to crawl toward it. His eyes are also probably close to their final color, although you may see subtle changes later.

The time-out is a time-honored discipline technique that parents of older children sometimes use to correct behavior by withholding positive attention. A mommy or daddy time-out is a way for you to change your own behavior — by decompressing.

Once your baby is mobile, keeping up can be an exhausting proposition. A self-enforced breather when you're feeling frustrated can help you stay on an even keel.

Put your baby in a play yard for short periods of time when you're feeling overwhelmed. This is also a good idea if persistent, unexplained crying in a healthy baby is getting to you — your baby will be safe while you collect yourself. If he's crying at night, compose yourself for a few minutes before going in to see what's the matter. Taking a few deep breaths or counting to ten before responding to a mishap are other ways you can maintain equilibrium on bad days. Also borrow a page from the newborn days: Once in a while, sleep when your baby sleeps. And of course, call on your partner to take over if you can — not just when the going gets tough, but at regular intervals.

- BabyCenter.com

Top teeth growing in fast!!

Proud Papa

Mila's 49er onsies finally arrived!!!! We've scoured the web looking for them -- since before she was born! -- and they'd always been out of stock. We finally found some and just in time for football season! Her daddy is so proud!! :)

Today they play New Orleans. GO NINERS!!!

Avocado Allergy Confirmed :(

So after our last encounter with Mila and avocados, there was a possibility she might be allergic, so we held off on giving her any more for a while. That was a month ago, and so we thought we'd give it another shot. With her reaction last time, we took her to the pediatrician but he didn't think was an allergy, he thought it was a virus. And to be honest, I was kinda hoping it might've been a virus too... allergy to avocado would be worse! But then we gave her avocado again a few days ago. Last time we gave her some Florida avocado (the big one) and this time we gave her a Hass avocado, (the small, darker one).We gave it to her on Thursday for dinner and she was fine. Last time, she didn't show a reaction until the second day, so I wasn't expecting much that first day. The next day, I gave it to her for lunch and I made sure to pay special attention to see if she'd have a reaction... And within an hour her cheeks were turning red and a full rash broke out all over her face, wherever the avocado touched. I even remember she got avocado on her hand and she rubbed her eye -- that turned red too!

The rash was only on her face though. (Last time it was on her face as well, but then got all over her body.) She didn't seem to be bothered by it, so we waited to see how it continued. We thought to take her to the pediatrician on Saturday, but, surprisingly, it was much better when she woke up. Still a bit red, but definitely improved. It seems like it's just a topical allergic reaction. Thankfully, it's nothing worse, but sadly, it looks like avocados are not in Mila's future... at least not for a while! Bummer!!! :(

Baby Class

Mila and I signed up for a Baby Gym Class this semester. SO FUN!!!

I LOOOOOVE this face!!! :)

Mila Recommends: Little Playzone

Finally!!! With Mila on the verge of walking, the Baby Jail Condo couldn't have arrived any sooner! It's called the Little Playzone and it's awesome!!! Keeps her safe and entertained, as well as keeps me from having to chase her down every two seconds. I love the colors and the little activity wall... makes it look less like a cage and more like a play area. It's lightweight but sturdy and we put it together easily. I really like that both Jorge and I can go in and visit comfortably! We bought 2 Little Playzones  (one would be too small) but left out 2 of the panels, so it can actually be a bit bigger than this.

The best thing about it is that Mila seems to really like it!

Baby This Week: 36 Weeks Old

... And they're off! The stages of crawling usually go something like this: from a sitting position to all fours, to rocking back and forth, to finally pushing off with the knees -- and then starting to move forward (or back). But there are plenty of variations on this progression. Many babies never crawl. Others develop a crawling style that looks more like soldiers bellying through the underbrush or monkeys poised on fingertips and tiptoes.

Your baby's now exploring objects by shaking them, banging them, dropping them, and throwing them before falling back on the tried-and-true method of gumming them. The idea that you do something to an object is beginning to emerge (using a comb to tidy her hair), so an activity center with lots of things your baby can bang, poke, twist, squeeze, shake, drop, and open will fascinate her.

Your baby will also be fascinated with toys that have specific functions, such as phones. If she can't hold it up to her ear herself, do it for her and pretend to have a conversation. Over the next few months, she'll start to use objects for their intended purposes — brushing her hair, drinking from a cup, and babbling on her play phone.

Watch for her to start pointing or looking at the correct picture when you name an object — especially if it's something familiar (such as eyes, nose, or mouth) or beloved (like a dog or a rubber ducky).

Also, at this stage, your baby likes to see things fall down, get picked up (by you, of course), and then get thrown down again. She's not trying to drive you mad. She just finds the spectacle interesting and naturally wants to see it again and again.

- BabyCenter.com

Mila Recommends: Family Tree by Gab Atelier

My wonderful friend Gaby, who is also a graphic artist, made the most beautiful gift for Mila. I loved it so much, it made me teary-eyed! It's sooo amazing!!! It's a gorgeous design of Mila's family tree! I can't wait to frame it!

Gaby also has other designs of family trees on her website where you can purchase your own customized tree. Highly recommend!

First Niners Game!

As we are a 49er family, today we celebrated Mila's first Niner's Game! Today they play against the Seattle Seahawks. GO NINERS!!!

Home Made Baby Food

I've been making Mila home made baby food since she started eating solids. It's easy: I just get a bag of frozen organic peas, for example, and then I boil it for about 10 minutes or so. Then I put the peas with a bit of the water it was boiled in into a small food processor and blend until it's puréed and creamy. Then I strain it and separate it into portions and freeze it.

Peas!

I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but it's really not that bad and I really enjoy doing it! Some foods are harder to make than others though - for example, carrots are hard to purée! They always come out kinda gritty. And I have no desire to make apples or pears; the peeling of the fruit and coring them just adds more work. So far, I've made peas, carrots, sweet potato, banana and avocado. Super easy and nutritious! If we do buy baby food, we buy the Earth's Best Organic brand and we'll get applesauce, pears, carrots and we just got squash too -- although she still hasn't tried it yet. I have no idea how to make squash. If she likes it, I'll see if I figure it out.

First Steps!

Mila has been trying to take those first steps -- eeek!! She can balance herself pretty good when she's standing, and then she'll try to take one step and then plop down. She's so cute!! Then she'll get up and try again. That's my girl!