Sunday morning surprise

When I brought Bean downstairs Sunday morning (she was up and running at 6....what happened to 7, Beanie???), there was a weird smell in the air. It was quite putrid...that "the dog really needs a bath" smell. I figured I'd have Hubs wash the dog when he got up.

I put some coffee on while Bean played on the kitchen floor.

"Man, that smell is awful. C'mere Bean, let's go wake daddy up so he can give your silly dog a bath."

And then I saw it. Dog pee, ALL OVER the kitchen floor. It was partially dry so I didn't see it until I was at the right angle. Yes, that's right, the same floor Bean had just been crawling around and playing on.

Thank god my husband always takes care of these dog emergencies. He washed the floor and bathed the dog (who did have a case of swamp ass on top of the accident) while I gave Bean a bath.

What a nice way to start a Sunday.

Is she walking yet?

That's the question on everybody's lips now that Bean is 15 months old. The answer has remained the same since she turned a year old: Almost. She's been cruising around on the furniture for months now, and she'll even push a chair around the kitchen so she can get from end to the other while remaining upright.

Other than that, though, she's been quite content to crawl. This week, however, she's made some - ahem - new strides.

No longer resistant to the assisted walk, she'll now toddle around the house holding on to one of my or her daddy's fingers. And last night, she stood up from a sitting position without holding on to anything. She just stood there for a few seconds, then sat down again, pleased as punch with her accomplishment. Then, this morning, while standing up with the coffee table behind her, just in case, she made three steps into my arms.

Everyone always says, "Don't worry; she'll walk soon." I know she's on the late end of reaching this milestone, but I'm really not worried. She gets around quite efficiently now, and I know walking will just make her harder to catch. Plus I have these huge biceps from carrying her around everywhere... ;-)

Stay tuned: more updates to the walking chronicles to come...

Mom's Overture

This is priceless!

Beanie bites

I got the dreaded call from daycare this morning.

Daycare teacher: "Hi. Um... I just wanted to call to let you know that your Bean has bitten two kids this morning. If she bites again, she'll have to go home for the day."

Me: "Oh my!" I feigned feeling horrified, was a little embarrassed, but mostly wanted to laugh at the thought of that cute little bug bearing her fangs. "That's horrible. What can we do about it?"

DC: "Well, we told her 'no biting!' and then distracted her with a toy. It's a normal thing with toddlers, but we're required to call and let you know when this type of thing happens."

Me: "Are you sure she wasn't kissing her friends?" Because that's how she kisses: with her mouth wide open, engulfing your whole lip, eye ball, or nose in her drooly cuteness.

DC: "No, we checked; there were bite marks."

Damn!

This is the first time she's bitten....let's hope it's the last.

Honey, do

A few weeks ago I attended a mead making class with a good friend. Since mead is wine made with honey and yeast, the instructor also provided a lot of background information about honey before we got started. I was surprised to learn that it is a good source of B vitamins and has antibacterial qualities: it has low water molecule transport properties and is highly acidic, preventing the growth of microorganisms. You can use honey on cuts or an an antiseptic gargle, and some posit that eating locally harvested honey helps prevent seasonal allergies.

Bean has been sick this week: poor little bug has two ear infections, conjunctivitis, and a dry cough. Her doctor prescribed an antibiotic for the infections, but does not recommend using over-the-counter cold medicines to ease symptoms such as runny nose and cough until she's much older. And, indeed, there has been a lot of information in the news lately about the dangers associated with giving these readily available cold meds to babies and young children.

So I decided to put honey to the test to help Bean's cough. I dissolved a teaspoon of the golden sticky goodness in lukewarm water, and she stopped coughing after a couple sips. And of course she liked the taste. My hubby had a sore throat, so I made him a gargle with honey, lemon juice, and water, and that gave him some relief, too.

It's good to have this natural, inexpensive, safe remedy in my mommy arsenal. (Please note: honey is NOT safe for children under one year of age.)

Personally, I became addicted to honey while reading Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, eating it by the spoonful straight from the jar. Do all those good qualities counteract the calories??? Judging by the size of my...hive...I'd guess not. ;-)

Quote of the day

From my hubby:

"Bean, that's not the kind of 'whine' that mommy likes."

Puttin' away the pump

I made it to a year. I'm still nursing my Bean two to three times a day, but the dreaded PUMP has been shelved until number two (if there is a number two) comes along. Actually, I shouldn't say "dreaded" pump - that wonderful device allowed me to feed my baby breastmilk even when we were apart.

When Bean was consuming the most - around the six month mark - it was quite satisfying to pump and get six to eight ounces, plus a couple more for the freezer. But once she was eleven months or so, I'd massage my breasts and vary the pump speed and drink mug after mug of lactation tea and try all sorts of tricks to increase the flow, only to eek out an ounce or two....hardly worth the time spent drawing the blinds, assembling the pieces, pumping for fifteen minutes, and then cleaning everything afterwards. It was taking me several pumping sessions just to make one bottle.

I don't think I realized that the last time I pumped would be THE last time. I don't miss it (the way I'm sure I'll miss nursing after Bean is weaned). And I REALLY don't miss pumping at work. Luckily, working from home 4+ days a week meant that the in-office pumping sessions weren't that frequent. Another bonus is that I have an office at work with a door and blinds, which makes it very easy to get the required privacy. My "Mommy things in progress; please come back in 10 minutes" sign and the hum and whir of my pump behind the closed door raised some eyebrows (oh well). My boss is a dad, and I know he supports my breastfeeding efforts; but I also know that the thought of or the sight of my pump makes him uncomfortable (to which I shrug my shoulders and keep on pumpin' - it's my daughter's health and well being at stake here, after all).

Anyway, it's a relief to not have to lug the pump into the office, find 20 minutes three times a day, stash the little bottles in the community fridge, and then make the 1.25 hour drive home with them on ice.

So, while I'm glad to be done with my pump, I also am immensely grateful to the thing. It allowed me to meet my breastfeeding goals and keep my Bean healthy while working full time and even having a (very) occasional night out. And for that, it's worth its weight in (white) gold.

One year.

My Bean is a year old. That a year has passed since she came into our lives is incomprehensible.

In this one year Bean has...

- Nursed herself from just under 8 to 20 pounds
- Learned to hold her head up
- Learned to roll over, first back to front, then front to back
- Learned to sit up
- Been extremely healthy
- Made a best friend in her silly dog Moomoo
- Learned to sleep through the night
- Brought joy to everyone who knows her
- Smiled and laughed more than she's cried
- Eaten and thoroughly enjoyed a wide variety of foods
- Spit up 8,374 times
- Learned to roll from one end of the room to another
- Learned that crawling is a more efficient mode of transport
- Had her picture taken by mom/dad at least a million times
- Cut three and a half teeth
- Learned to say "Dad-dee" and "Mum-mum" and "up" and "yeah"
- Developed an obsession with the dog's food dish and several other off-limits items
- Discovered a whole new world in her view as she pulls up on the furniture
- Taken a few hundred walks in her stroller
- Outgrown three huge bins of little pink clothes
- Cultivated a belly laugh that sounds exactly like her dad's
- Finger painted (her paper, high chair, shirt, face, hair)
- Learned to say "Aaaaah" (and then crack up) after drinking from her sippy cup
- Decided that mom's car keys, cell phone, and lap top are her very favorite toys

I too have learned a few things in this short year...and have experienced more joy (and less sleep?) than in all my other years combined. I still haven't lost the baby weight (not even close), some days I don't find time to shower, my house is in a state of perpetual disarray and dog-hair-infestation, and I bitch at my hubby (and the poor dog) way too much. But all in all I'm proud of what I've accomplished in this one year. Parenthood is challenging, exhausting, selfless, dirty, frustrating, and downright wonderful. And the Bean amazes me and melts my heart on a daily basis. On to year two!