Some things just confuse me

This past weekend, Spock and I put up a babygate at the top of the stairs.  With the Empress being mobile, we are trying to get everything baby-proofed appropriately, and this was at the top of our list.  We went out and got an appropriate gate (metal, adjustable to the correct width) for like $50.  Distinctly cheaper then a trip to the hospital, but not a drop in the bucket.

In unpacking and installing this gate, I found it to be well thought out.  The package included temporary feet that you can attach to keep the gate generally level while you are attaching the screws, templates of the latches  so you could determine where they were to go without trying to support the whole system, pre-attached hinges on the gate itself, and a general simplicity to how it was constructed.  Smart people, right?  Clearly, they’ve thought this through.

When attaching it to the wall, I found a stud and attached the hinges using the screws included.  Spock and I went through the whole process (which does take some time, simple or no), and are finally attaching the latches (also into a stud, of course).  We are having a lot of trouble getting things to line up.  First one part fits, then it doesn’t, then this other part doesn’t, and so on.  We finally decide that the top latch is sitting too loose, and needs a longer screw.  Luckily, these things are designed for wood screws, so we have some lying around.  The latch is screwed firmly into place, and we feel proud of ourselves.

That’s when we realized the hinges were shifting whenever we opened the gate.

In all the testing of this product, in all the trials and experiments they have done, it seems it never occured to them when they included 1 inch wood screws that a common thickness for drywall is 1 inch.  I have to say, I’m impressed.

After replacing all the screws with 2.5 inch wood screws, I can safely say that the gate is now operational, and actually attached to something that’s not pressed powder.

Moral of the story: There are bugs in every testing system.

The Empress is now 9 months old

… and very accomplished for her age.

 We have now started to crawl!  Zoe is soooo happy to finally be able to get to all the things that she’s interested in, and Spock and I have been running herd on her to keep her out of everything she shouldn’t have.  It started with sitting up, and then last saturday, we were at a housewarming party, Zoe got set on the floor to play, and she crawled across the room (of course, it was to the fireplace tool set, so an interception happened prior to achieving our goal).  Now she is moblie on a whim.  We hadn’t finished baby-proofing yet, so she’s only being allowed to crawl with intense supervision for a while.  In order to figure out what needs to be baby-proofed in her room, I just took her in and set her down on the floor. Then I watched, interceeded where necessary, and took notes.  Many were things I had thought of prior (like putting the trash can and diaper bin behind a baby gate), but she did offer me a few surprises (I had totally forgotten about the doorstop with the rubber tip until she started playing with it).  I am so very happy she is moving now, it makes playing with her even more fun.

 The Empress also really likes books.  Her current favorite book is ‘That’s not my Dragon’, given to her by Grandma and Grandpa.  It is one of those textured books, and she really likes the feel.  We read it 6 times last night.  However, we can’t read our way to sleep, as we get really excited when she sees books.

We have started waving.  This is used for both saying hello or goodbye (when we feel like it), and to express that she wants something to end (it is really cute when we are holding her and get sidetracked.  She’ll start waving because she wants to leave, it’s hilarious).  Zoe will also raise her arms when she wants to be picked up, and can pick up things with her forefinger/thumb.  This is really cute until she pinches you.

 On top of all this, Empress Zoe has also expanded her vocabulary.  Here is the current list:

‘ah-da’ or ‘ah-da-da’ = Daddy
‘ah-ra’ or ‘ah-ra-ra’ = Mama
‘doh’ = Dog

She also has started babbling, especially when she is playing. It seems like she is having her toys talk, which is absolutely adorable.  She learns at an astonishing rate.

 No teeth yet, but we can see the gums filling out, and her smile has changed to include space between the gums for teeth.

All in all, she’s astounding.

7 month update

And another month goes by…

Zoe is growing  very fast.  Last dcts visit (about 2 weeks ago) put her at 16 lbs and 26.5 inches.  She kept trying to eat the dct’s equipment while he was using it which was hilarious.  She is healthy, and growing just on schedule.  All the dcts are very impressed with he progress of strength and coordination — but honestly, I wonder if they just say that to all parents?  Not every child can be ahead of the curve.   Just a thought.

 But from all the stories I have heard from other parents, Zoe is the perfect baby.  She is sleeping by 9 most nights, through the night til 7 if we let her.  She eats, then wants to play a bit.  ON weekends, LC and I just lay in the bed with her in the middle and play for a bit.  She loves it.  HUge smiles all around.  One morning, LC was dozing a bit and Zoe discovered that he had hair on his chest.  Well, that just had to be grabbed and of course, yanked towards her mouth.  He wakes up, she coos and smiles up at him while pulling the chest hair.  I about died laughing.

 After that is a baby snooze, some more milk and play time again!  About noon she gets some cereal that she scarfs down.  Literally, you have to be quick about putting food back on the spoon as she loves solid food.  Also, none of this, “watered down” cereal, it needs to have texture and be solid.  Honestly, we have had very few problems with solid food, at 4 months, she was ready and anxious for other food besides milk.  As it is, we limit her at each meal. 

 Then some more play time, usually sitting while playing with block or hanging out in her exersaucer.  Shes a doll in the car or when we are at the store.  We have started taking her to the market on Sundays where LC has a front carrier (like a bjorn) to hold her in.  She just looks around and is happy as can be.  A couple naps and some play time later, at 7 she eats one can of baby food and a 1/2 bowl of cereal (like real bowl, not baby bowel).  Then some more play time, and 9 hits, we are out.  Even sleep time has become easier, since after 3 minutes of rocking, I can put her in the crib, she smile up at me, and then put herself to sleep.  I think she just like the cuddle time before bed and then she is fine with sleeping.

 Nap times can be painful because she wants to play (esp with mom and dad on the weekends) and she is not consistent with how she needs them.  Somedays, two 10 minute naps are all she needs, somedays she need three hour naps.  We are learning though.

 As for movement, she knows the theory of crawling, but gets really frustrated that she cant make it happen.  She tries really hard, then will relax, suck her thumb and try again, but after a while she gets whiny about it.  Doesnt scream but just cant get why its not working.  its not working because she is not lifting her butt up, but I dunno how to show her that.  She is getting closer though. 

For walking, she has the standing down when holding onto something, but she keeps wanting to let go with one hand to grab stuff and then falls.  But its her new favorite thing, to stand while holding onto fingers or the couch.  I live in fear of her walking.  Guh!

 That was the quick update!

 I need to go dig out pictures of the family to send to daycare so she can look at them during the day

Delusions

Something that happened when Zoe was about 3 days old:

 Having just fed Zoe at 3am and put her in her crib sleeping, I walked into my and LC’s room to try to lay down for an hour.  LC was sleeping soundly (i.e. snoring loudly).  I went to the bathroom and came back to find LC frantically searching the bed.  I asked him what he was looking for.

“The baby”, he replied.

“Uh, honey, I just laid her in her crib.”

“Oh,” he replies, looking relieved. “I thought you had given her to me, but I couldn’t find her in the bed.”

LC is insane

Bathing Poo

So last night, LC and I implemented the daily bath plan.  As in we are going to give the Zoe a bath every night, not because she is an exceptionally dirty baby, but because she loves bathtime.  Not like “this is a fun time” like, but more like “yes, this is the best thing evar!” like.  She likes it for many reasons, I think (I can only theorize since she hasn’t seen fit to tell me the exact reasons ). 

1. It seems to relax her whole body so that her gas passes easier. 
2. Both of her parents are there paying attention to her.  We try to do this, but usually one or the other is taking care of her and playing with her.
3. She loves water in her mouth.  Jude and Nick got her the baby bathtub which has a little shower extension that we use to wet her down (I would suggest this tub for any parent), she always ALWAYS opens her mouth wide and moves her face trying to get as much water in it.  It hilarious and strange.
4. She has no clothes.  Like her father, she wants no clothes on at any time.  No diaper either, naked is best evidently.

So there we are, bathing the little one.  LC is in charge of actual bathing this time, using the shampoo, cleaning her, and I get the fun job of rinsing her and just generally spraying her with water.  We have all her clothes in the bathroom, and one diaper for putting her back in.  We are both sitting around the tub, pantless cause otherwise our clothes get wet, with the her tub in the middle of the big tub.  Next thing I know, LC is laughing and looking very perplexed.  It seems Zoe decided she was really relaxed and pooed in the tub.  Well, this was funny, but we were kinda lost as to what to due.  I mean, she pooed in her bath water.  I’m sure it happened to millions of other parents, but what do you do in that situation?  We removed the offending poo, and Joe grabbed the little sling with Zoe so I could clean the tub and refresh the water.  While I am sanitizing the tub, Zoe poos her on the sling.  In an effort to move her onto a diaper, LC picks her up and she poos on his leg, and then pees on him.  I theorize that she knew this time LC and I were going to switch who dried her after her bath.  Its usually LC, and she usually pees on him.  I think all this poo was in an effort to make sure she had a chance to pee on dad.  I mean, thats what he is there for right?

 Anyway, we finally get her onto the bathroom floor, on a cloth diaper.  I am cleaning both tubs (yeah scrubbing bubbles) so we can restart the whole bath cause now she REALLY needs cleaning.  I look over and LC is looking horrified at our child.  Looking down, she has managed to cover the ENTIRE diaper in poo.  This is not a small diaper.  She went through 8 diapers that time.

 We continue the bath.  We finish the bath, Zoe being extremely happy during the whole thing. 

 However, as a warning to her parents, she peed on me as I was drying her.  I mean, really, was that part necessary?