Holly's Page

So, the other night Daphne went to sleep at her usual time. Unfortunately she is suffering from a cold that she got on her trip to Utah. She must have coughed very hard because a half hour after she went to sleep she was covered in some serious spit-up (a nice way of saying baby vomit). We took her out of her sleep sack and undressed her, put her in the bath, and then dressed her again. The amazing sleeping baby didn't wake up for any of it . She didn't even wake up when we put her in the bath and washed all the spit-up off. In summary, Daphne is a very deep sleeper. I guess I shouldn't be so afraid to use the vacuum when she is napping.

In other news I bought Daphne a new toy, but I think I am getting more out of it than she is. I will discuss further tomorrow.

So, I bought Daphne a new toy because she is suddenly interested in playing with toys. She likes to use her hands to slap at things. She has also been using her head to knock against things. It is very entertaining! The new toy is a plastic turtle that inflates into a water mat. Inside the mat are floating sea creatures so that when she slaps at water under the plastic shield the creatures move. Very fun for me, but she is still a little suspicious of the whole thing. Maybe after she head butts it a few times she will like it.

Daphne and I are going downtown this afternoon. She is participating in a study for the psychology department. I will fill you all in tomorrow.

In the ongoing debate about where Jack will be applying to Grad school my vote is for the University of Illinois. Not because I want to live in Champaign-Urbana, but because it is only four hours away. A much easier move for a fifteen month old.

Daphne was part of a research study at the University of Iowa on Wednesday. The purpose of the study is to see how infants form catagories of objects. Basically they had her sit on my lap and look at two TV screens that would pop up pictures of dogs, cats, and trucks. They wanted to see if she had a preference for any of them. It only took about five minutes. Daphne just sucked on her fingers the whole time. She does this a lot now. It is pretty gross. She makes the loudest slurping noises. I have tried to get her to take a pacifier, but she prefers her own hand. I hope she breaks this habit before she starts first grade!

She is also developing a need to stick her tongue in my mouth. It has gotten in there a few times. Beware the french kissing baby!

Jack has introduced Daphne to the wonderful world of computers by using a program called AlphaBaby. She is able to make letters and shapes of different colors and size appear by slamming on the keyboard as hard as she can. Sometimes she slaps so hard I think that she must have hurt herself, but she is just as happy as can be.

Daphne is getting much bigger. What I mean by that is longer. She is almost 26 inches. I suspect that she is going to be a tall person. We are going shopping for a new car seat this weekend. I am concerned that her feet are going to be hanging over the edge of her current carseat soon. Shopping for carseats is always stressful for us. We have to go out looking to see what is available and then do research for the safest and most comfortable product. I think there is a good chance that we will have to order something online because I don't think we are going to find anything at the mall.

I had the most horrible parenting moment today. I had several small errands to do this morning so, I strapped Daphne into her brand new car seat (which I hate but I will get to that later) and took off toward the mall. I made several stops along the way each time pulling her in and out of the dreaded car seat. At one point while I was driving down the road I looked in my rear view mirror and saw that my darling, sweet, beautiful child wasn't strapped into her car seat. I guess I had put her down and forgotten to buckle her in. Thankfully I hadn't been driving for very long. I pulled over as quickly as I could and strapped her in as I simultaneously apologized to Daphne and thanked the gods that we didn't get into an accident. I do however have several points that I will use to defend my horrible parenting moment:

1. It was very hot!

2. I hate the car seat. Anytime we need to go somewhere I have to buckle her in, then take her out and buckle her into her stroller, then take her out of her stroller and buckle her into her car seat. That my friends is a lot of buckling.

3. I had been listening to Alanis Morisette's CD Jagged Little Pill for like the hundredth time (basically because I am too lazy to put in a different CD). Anyone who has listened to Alanis knows that her music is trite and the lyrics are mind numbing.

So, in the end it really is the car seat designer and Alanis Morrisette who are to blame for my horrible parenting moment. I think will go and hug and squeeze my baby now.

I checked out a DVD at the library called Baby Van Gogh. It is part of the Einstein series. I own several of these. This one explores colors through art, music, and video. I like it. I think I will buy it when Daphne is older and can understand it better. The funny part is that the host is a goat puppet (Vincent Van GOAT, get it?). Anyway, the funny thing is that the goat puppet has a bandage tied around his ear. Funny for adults, but how do you explain that to your toddler. Do you just say the goat has a boo boo? I am not sure what I will tell Daphne. Maybe I will be honest and tell her the truth.

Which leads me to my next topic. I know that I just used the word boo boo but, there are words that I hope that Daphne never uses. Here is a short list:

1. Potty (I hate it when I hear kids use this. I would much prefer her to say, "Mommy I have to urinate." I know this is not realistic so I will settle for, "Mommy I have to go to the bathroom.")

2. Smelt ( I have heard this a lot around Iowa. I heard a woman recently say, "I smelt the Yankee Candle all the way down the mall.")

3. Burger ( I just hate how it sounds like buger!)

That is all I can think of now. I will have to ponder some more.

Yesterday, Daphne was exactly four months old. It is very nice to be able to tell people that now and have it be the truth. I started telling people she was four months old a few weeks ago because I grew tired of people calling her chubby. I don't think people mean to be cruel. In some weird way I think it is a compliment. I think people like big babies. Look at advertisements for baby products. Do you ever see a skinny little baby in a Huggies or Pampers commercial? I am just happy that she is so healthy and content.

Daphne is so funny right now. She is becoming a lot more verbal. She sings along to some of our music. I bought her a CD that contains music from Disney cartoons. Whenever a song from Sleeping Beauty comes on she starts yowling. It is very funny. She looks like she is trying so hard to communicate. Sometimes she tries so hard she has to take a deep breath and then yell out a stream of vowel sounds. This is almost always followed by a huge smile or laughter.

Daphne had her four-month check-up yesterday. She is doing great. She is developmentally right on target and even doing some things that a five month old would do. The pediatrician also said that she was a very curious baby. I could have told her that! Daphne is still in the 97th percentile for weight and height. Yes, she is a big baby! There doesn't seem to be a lot of concern about this right now. Once she starts crawling she will slim down. No need to give her a complex about it . Her pediatrician made it clear that babies should never be put on a diet, but they will keep eating when they are full. So, we just need to watch for when she looks like she is done eating.

Daphne also got her second set of shots. She was so happy right before the nurses gave her the shots. She was flirting and smiling at them and then wham she got it right in the legs. This is always very heartbreaking for me, but she only screamed for a few minutes and then fell asleep for the rest of the evening.

My poor little baby has been so cranky since she got her shots. She was so upset and uncomfortable last night that she just yelled and yelled. We tried everything we could think of and finally took a long drive in the car. She calmed down in the car and even managed to fall asleep, but woke up as soon as we got home. This was a bad time to start monitoring what she is eating.

She woke up this morning in a better mood, but I decided that I was going to start feeding on demand until she shows signs of feeling better.

I am happy to report that Daphne is back to her usual smiling self. She seems to have recovered from not feeling well. Last night she was even cooing in her sleep. It was so cute to hear the soft sounds of la la la coming from her. Jack and I sat in the dark listening to her for a little while trying not to laugh.

Daphne and I watched a video I checked out of the library this morning called Newton in a Bottle. It is meant for children 3 months and up. She liked it for about 15 minutes and then was done and wanted to do something else. This is pretty much how our day goes. I find an activity like watching a video or playing with a toy and she is very interested for about 15 minutes. It can be very exhausting to try to keep this child entertained. I don't know how people with more than one child do it. They must know something I don't know. Well, my fifteen minutes are up and Daphne is growing tired of her star mobile so I had better go because her majesty is calling.

Today I was standing in line at the post office with Daphne and she was in a very flirtatious mood. She was smiling very big at the people around her. As I proceeded forward I heard the familiar sound of wretched puke coming from her gut. She puked all over herself. the floor and me. This wasn't the watery kind that often comes up, but that thick cottage cheese looking stuff. Because I am a totally incompetent mother I didn't have a burp cloth with me. The only thing I had to use to clean up the mess was her hat. One of the postal employees ran off to get some towels. And to make things worse it is 900 degrees today so it smelled worse than the time I rode the Greyhound bus for 27 hours. Humiliation is such a huge part of parenthood. As I was driving home there were university students everywhere with their backpacks, short skirts, and general fabulousness. I couldn't help but think about how that used to be me. I used to have the kind of life where I had some control over the unexpected. Certainly there was always the possibility that I might puke in public (and to be honest I may have done that in a bar or two when I was 21). Anyway, it just made me realized that my life as I know it is over. Sure, I should have realized this a few months ago. Today, however, was my big epiphany. I have no control. I have a large, farting, pooping, puking dwarf that could do all of those things anywhere at anytime.

Daphne has started to laugh a lot more. Her giggles sound more human now. She will be laying in her crib watching the mobile and fall into a fit of giggles. She also guffaws when Jack tickles her belly. Another thing that brings extra joy to Daphne's life is a show on the Disney channel called the WIGGLES. We watch it every morning from 11:00 to 11:30. She gets so excited and I have to admit that I have a little crush on Anthony.

It has been a perfect day here in Iowa City. The weather is so nice that we took a walk in the park with Daphne. She loves looking at the trees and listening to the weird buzzing bugs. Of course she falls asleep because there is nothing more relaxing to Daphne than riding through the park in her stroller. We took a bunch of nice outdoor pictures that we will put up on the site soon.

I know that guilt is just a part of parenthood. I feel guilty most of the time now. Every time I make her lay down in her crib or put her in front of the TV so I can take a shower or eat lunch I feel guilty. Well, I have new guilt this week. I am using a Pampers product called Bibsters. While I know that the disposable diapers I use are a danger to the environment, I still use them. But the Bibsters I bought, well I think they are just evil. So, I am feeling guilty. I am feeling like a huge, wasteful, evil American. But, I love them so much. I don't have to wash out the big chunky food that sticks to her clothes and cloth bibs like glue. I wish Pampers made a line of disposable baby clothes so I never had to do laundry again.

Does anyone reading this have any advice for teething? Most of what I have read says to use teethers and such, but Daphne won't take a teether or a pacifier. I have tried having her chew on a cold, wet washcloth and this seems to work for a minute. She gets so angry and I don't know how to soothe her. If you know any good remedies please respond by e-mail or in the comment area.

Today Daphne and I went downtown and visited Jack and the library. She has been so good today. Just a mellow little baby. It is a nice change from her insanity yesterday. She is the mercurial baby. Well, I guess all babies are mercurial. Right now she is sitting in her crib studying a flower quilt that hangs on the side like someone would study for the GRE. She gets so focused on an object that she doesn't notice anything else around her. It is a level of concentration that she must have gotten from her Dad because I don't have it.

We checked out several picture books from the library. She really likes big colorful books that have stories that rhyme. Would that be poetry? Anyway, we also checked out several The Wiggles DVDs. I wish that I could say that Daphne was developing a preference for Jazz or something, but she really likes The Wiggles. As I write this I am humming "It's a wobbly wobbly dance" which will soon turn into "Fun fun fun on the farm". Ok, I admit it. She is only 5 months old and doesn't really have such deep preferences for things. She just likes the colorful video and the simple songs. Maybe it is me who has the preference for The Wiggles. It isn't like I have great taste in music. The proof of this is that I can sing Helen Reddy's "I am Woman Hear Me Roar" from beginning to end. It also could be my ever growing infatuation with Anthony. I think it is the genius of The Wiggles that they have these four somewhat attractive men singing children's music. Any mother would much rather watch that than Barney. Children's music plus sex appeal. Genius!

This is my second try this morning at posting. My first post was deleted or ended up somewhere else. I am not sure what happened. It is very mysterious. Anyway, what I was writing about was all of the things I like about Daphne and how she has changed my life. My first post was much more mushy, I will try to keep it under control, but I should warn you that this is a very sentimental post.

Here is my list of things that make Daphne adorable:

1. When I read to her she tries to turn the pages with her feet. Well, actually at this age anything she does with her feet is adorable.

2. Daphne is hilarious when she talks to the stars on her mobile. As each one comes around she babbles until the next moves into position. When we walk over to her crib during these personal conversations she looks at us like we are invading her privacy.

3. I love it when I take her out and she flirts with people. She smiles at them and then looks away quickly and then smiles at them again. She is a coy little girl.

4. If she gets excited she does what we call the starfish move. She spreads her arms and legs out and then bounces up and down.

5. Lately Daphne has been trying desperately to imitate our sounds. As I write this she is trying to imitate me by making razzing noises with her lips and getting spit everywhere.

6. I am never happier than when Daphne looks up at me and gives me one of her huge “I love you Mommy” grins.

See I told you I was feeling mushy!

I was going to write a post about how I have to sing Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' every day to Daphne because it is the song she loves the most. I was going to talk about how I feel like the Don Ho of Iowa City because he has been singing that song forever. However I have another issue I would like to spew about. It's not that I think anyone is really reading this post, but it is a nice place to put all of my thoughts down and as Jack says, "It excercises my brain".

Anyway, the thing that is on my brain this evening is the taking over of my space by the baby. I used to have a very clean, cute, living space. It seems like a hundred years ago that I was the organized and tidy Holly. Now that I have a baby her crap is all over the place. You can't walk anywhere without tripping over some toy that has a trigger that will start playing the most annoying children's music. I will not make a link to that because anyone who is reading this would not be able to get it out of their head all day.

So, now we are in the process of finally moving our computer out of Daphne's room. We had to go to Target and buy a much smaller desk in order to put it in the living room. Why in the hell we didn't move to a bigger place in July I do not know. I think it had something to do with my c-section and my state of mind. Well, now I am seriously regretting the decision. I feel like I have less than half the space I had before what with the new high chair and the pack-and-play.

Soon my bedroom is going to be the only Daphne-free space. I am sure that is only wishful thinking. She will try to take over that world soon. Also, all of my beautiful plants that I have so lovingly taken care of for years now... many of them are being euthanized. I had to cut my beautiful ivy this morning. It used to be floor length and now I have cut it high enough that Daphne can't reach it when she starts to crawl. I have only rid our place of the plants I know are poinsonous. I am sure many of the others will have to go as well.

So, I am a little depressed and can't wait until next summer when we will move into a much more manageable space. For now I think I will sit back and listen to a little more Hawaiian Music.

First I would like to say that this is not what this page is going to look like. It is a work in progress. This is just what it looked like when Jack and I decided to stop and go to bed the other night. I hope to get a chance to work on it again this weekend.

Yesterday, Jack and I saw a woman walking down the street with her three or four year old daughter on a leash. I think these things are disturbing. She looked like she was walking her child. We were trying to come up with good reasons why a person would use a leash. It was decided that the child must be very energetic and prone to running into the street.

On our changing table we have a belt that is attached to the changing pad. I haven't used it, but have been tempted recently. Daphne likes to roll over on her side and try to open the box of wipes when we change her diaper. She has been successful on several occasions. It is very difficult to change her diaper when she is on her side. I can't, however, bring myself to strap her in using the belt. It just seems cruel to strap her down when she just wants to try to figure things out. I think Daphne is going to be one of those children who take apart everything.

Daphne is also moving in to the stage where she likes to drop things from her high chair. She will hold her toys up for a minute and then slowly let them go. She watches them fall and then looks at me patiently waiting for me to pick them up. I have read that this is a great game for a baby because it teaches them cause and effect. If she drops something I will pick it up. Great for her, but very annoying for me. Doesn't every parent complain about this?

So, Daphne was quite the comedian last night. She kept us up late with her performance of "Baby Makes Spit Fly Across the Room". At some point Jack and I must have laughed a little to hard when she "razzed" and now she does it all of the time. She thinks it is hilarious. She sprays us with spit and then laughs and laughs. She was so hyper last night. I don't know what got into her system, but I hope that we don't get a repeat performance tonight. She was so energized that she kept standing up during her bath (while holding on to Jack of course). She was crazed. We finally gave up and took her on a car ride to calm her down. Fortunately this was the first time we have had to use this trick. I don't want to make a habit of it.

In other news, two of Daphne's teeth are coming in. I can see the very tops of her two bottom teeth. Her gums look swollen and very sore. I guess that is why she has wanted to nurse so much this week. It must be very soothing to her damaged gums. I don't know what I am going to do about nursing. While I was pregnant I had decided to nurse until August (that was back when I thought I would get a teaching job instead of staying home). Well, August has passed and I don't want to get up in the morning and fix formula. It is so much easier to just put her in bed next to me until we both fall back to sleep. Once those razor sharp teeth surface, I might just have to quit. I am not looking forward to the weaning process.

I finally found a teether that Daphne will use. It is the perfect shape for her to rub her sore gums on. I am so happy that she can get some relief on something besides my fingers.

Daphne slept in her own room for the first time last night. Honestly she could have started months ago, but I am the codependent one who needs to hear her breathing at night. She slept wonderfully (as always) and woke up at her usual time demanding food and attention. Now if she would figure out a consistent eating schedule and how to entertain herself when I want to take a shower or eat lunch she would be the perfect child. Oh and if she would maintain all of this through her toddler years. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Notice: No babies were harmed during the writing of this blog.

I guess my dreams of having Daphne make it to her first birthday without a single scratch are now lost. She had a very adventurous day on Wednesday. It all started when she woke up with a scratch on the side of her face that had a little blood on it. She had scratched herself with the fingernails I had cut only three days earlier. Later on while she was watching the Wiggles she managed to fall out of her bouncy seat. She landed right on her head causing a very small purple spot to appear next to her eye. All day long I was hugging and kissing her and praying that she wouldn't end up with a black eye. To top off the day she managed to get her leg caught between the slats of her crib. She had gotten her leg all the way up to the thigh outside of the crib. Of course she screamed while I was trying to push it back. I was so scared that she had broken something, but moments later she was looking up at me with her silly grin.

Whew! I really need to get ready for all the tumbles she is going to take when she starts walking. Would it be too much to wrap her in bubble wrap from now on? Why is it that their physical bodies develop faster than their brains? I say this because I caught her trying to get her leg through the slats of the crib again this morning. Aaargh!

Daphne is doing the most wonderful thing these days. She has learned to play by herself for about 15 minutes every morning. She will lay in her crib playing with her soft blocks. Sometimes I can hear her talking to them in her little singsong voice. I just love my little independent girl.

I still worry a little about her lack of interaction with other children. I saw a woman in the grocery store that was in the parenting class that Jack and I took last winter. She is trying to start up a group for stay-at-home parents. I think it would be good for Daphne to socialize with other babies. Well, I think my blog time is up. I can hear her soft whine starting. She won't be patient for much longer.

Finally! We found a movie that Daphne will watch (excepting the Baby
Einstein and Wiggles DVDs). Last night we put in Finding Nemo and she loved it. I think it is because it is mostly blue. She loves to watch blue screens. I can safely say that blue is her favorite color.

Speaking of Disney/Pixar films, when did I start getting so emotional when watching them? I can hardly think of what happens in Bambi and just thinking of Dumbo makes me have a lump in my throat. Last night I had a difficult time watching Nemo's Mom die. Hey, if I spoiled it for anyone get over it. Everyone knows that the Mom always dies in Disney cartoons. Anyway, will I get over this emotional stuff when Daphne is older? Will I be less emotional when she is thirteen and driving me crazy? I hope so because I hate crying over movies.

It was worse when I first brought her home. I was so emotionally overwhelmed that just looking at her made me cry. I think it was the hormones that were raging through my body. I don't cry when I look at her anymore, but I do get a funny, warm feeling in my stomach when I look at her while she is asleep. Sigh!

Holly asked me to post this here, the better to note that Daphne has certainly inherited some facial expressions from her dear ol' ma. Click through to the big version to see what I mean.

So, Daphne has gone from being the student to being the teacher. She now wants....no, demands that we tell her what the doggy says and so on and so on. We can still get her to tell us colors, but the parents have to tell her what everything is (even when she already knows). I feel like every moment with Daphne is a test.

On Tuesday we took Greg to the Vine for dinner. We figured it would be a nice loud place that would drown out any baby tantrums. The night before she performed a floor show during dinner at Bryon and Mauria's house. It consisted of three acts.

The first act consisted of Daphne refusing to eat any food and demanding (there is that word again) that her Daddy let her sit on his lap. When he refused we moved on to Act 2 or what I will call "The Biggest Tantrum Ever". Daphne ran around the dinner table screaming and throwing herself on the floor. It lasted for a good thirty minutes. Finally, I got up and offered her some "chewies" or fruit snacks. She walked over and sat on her booster seat and acted like this was what she wanted in the first place and why did it take so long to give her what she wanted. Ahhh, even toddlers need to "save face".

Act 3 was a fine finish to a difficult meal. She sat and laughed and laughed the fakest laugh I have ever heard. I guess she was trying to make up for the screaming. Anyway, the evening ended on a comic note, which made us all very happy.

Anyway, we figured that the Vine being a noisy place full of college students and loud big screen TV's it would be a nice place to take Daphne. Unfortunately we forgot crayons and therefore had to find ways to entertain her. Basically she ran around the restaurant getting in everyone's way and screaming with delight because she knew that once again she was the controller of our universe.

Just once I would like to know what if feels like to have a nice, quiet, docile child. One who sits and eats nicely while the grown-ups have a conversation.

Well, I guess I won't be getting that for Christmas. So, I will just say that I am grateful that I have a child who is smart and funny and I can't imagine even one day without her. Even if she is the most stubborn child since... oh, since me.

Head on over to Daphne's page for snow day pictures!