Post-Christmas Relaxing

The week after Christmas has been a blur.  Fiona hasn’t been feeling fabulous—I’d say she shoved one too many shared toys with all their germs in her mouth during Christmas (see photo).  Her nose is all stuffy, but she is still pretty happy.  At bath time last night, she was laughing hysterically for no reason.  The normal back scrubbing set her into giggles.  She has also been eating up a storm.  Tim pureed a whole bunch of new food for her including a chicken, leeks, carrots, and peas, which she has been scarfing down.  Plus, over the holidays, she has had a lot of “real” people food including: raw red and yellow peppers, standing rib roast with mashed potatoes and broccoli, rosemary chicken with lemon and mushrooms, and beef stir fry with peppers and mushrooms.  What a culinary week!

 

After the Christmas visit with the cousins, I think Fi realized that she really wants to be more mobile.  In the last few days, she has been pushing herself up on her knees in front of her toys and toy basket, which has ended up with a few bumped heads.  She has also enjoyed walking holding our hands and behind her walker.  I have enjoyed watching the process of learning to walk.  She seems to look down and check her feet before picking them up to move them.  I love how pleased she looks in the picture on the right.  She looks too little to be standing up!

Merry Christmas, Part 2

 

If you are reading the blog, you probably got one of these in the mail but if not, here are the photos from our Christmas card photo shoot.  I love the one of her looking up.  Fiona looks so angelic.  The dress she is wearing for the photos was a little big on her but very adorable still.  She really is quite the ham in front of the camera right now.  She will look at it and smile big like she is in the upper left photo.  She definitely did not get that from me or Tim, but it makes for a lot of fun a terrific photos.

Merry Christmas!

Fiona celebrated 3 days of Christmas for her first Christmas.  We started with just me and Tim on Monday night.  I got her a couple things from the Baltimore Museum of Art gift shop, and Tim got her a Calder-inspired mobile that he painted with the colors from her room.  We are really throwing the artsy vibe at her.

On Christmas Eve, we went to Reading to be with the Grenko's.  The cousins had a formal photo before church and a pajama photo after presents and before "the crash." 

The youngest were pretty tuckered out post-presents so the pajama photo degenerated to Bridget running out of the room.  If Fi could run, she may have been right there with Bridget as she was trying to buck herself out of Grace's arms by the end.  I love Fi's pajamas though!! 

We left late Christmas Eve to spend Christmas morning with my parents and Uncle Jimmy in Maryland.  Fiona was a practiced present opener at this point.  She was also so tired she crashed for a nice snooze with Grandpa before we stopped to visit Mom-mom on our way back north.

I leave you with a photo of Fi in my rocking chair.  I have a picture of myself in this chair on my first Christmas.  If she could talk, I am sure she'd be wishing everyone health and prosperity in 2014--that's just the kind of gal she is.

8 months old!

Fiona is 8 months old today!  She has gained a tooth, and it seems like we can expect a second one soon.  She has been growing so well.  Fi is still a skinny thing--

her 6 month cords from Carter's are huuuge in the waist.  She will likely have no butt given her genes so I foresee belts (or suspenders?) in her future.  But, Fi is a happy baby, and I love hearing her babble more and more.

Christmas in NYC

I had to go into to NYC this Friday to clear out our office space, and Tim and Fiona came along with me.  While I worked, Fiona played at the Union Square playground.  She took a ride on the swings and on some sort of spinning disk that looked pretty cool.  She also strolled through the Holiday Market.

We had planned to visit MoMA, but the packing got away from me, so we settled for a stroll up 6th Avenue.  We passed the Macy's window from a safe distance (across the street to avoid the crowds) then continued up to Rockefeller Center.  Every year, Tim and I weigh the pros and cons of visiting the tree--fun trip versus annoying tourist trap.  This year was no different.  We found a pretty good spot though to get her out of the stroller, eat some puffs, and take some photos!

Snow and Holiday Fun

It was a fantastic holiday weekend.  The Poconos were expected to get 5-9 inches of snow starting Saturday morning, and by Sunday morning, we got every bit of that.  The snow started slowly Saturday so we went for a walk and to Starbucks per usual plus ran a few errands that were walkable.  We stayed in the rest of the day, wrapping presents and getting together Christmas cards.  

Even though the snow came down heavy, we were able to shovel out fairly early on Sunday.  This was the most snow Fi had seen so we took her out in it in her Patagonia.  We thought we'd get a few cute pictures of her sunk into the snow.  We hadn't factored in the sleet that made a crisp layer on top of the snow along with her dainty figure--she didn't sink at all but sat right on top of the snow.  She seemed pretty impressed by the snow and even more impressed with the man using the snowblower down the road.  

After shoveling out, we headed to the mall for photos with Santa, hoping that the snow would keep early crowds away.  It worked out perfectly.  The line was short, and Fi was a happy baby.  I know some baby's are particularly weary of men with facial but I think Fi is fond of them (Tim's scruff, my Dad's beard, and Tim's Dad's mustache).  She had no problem sitting with Santa although she looked a bit confused at first.  We coaxed a smile out of her with some peek-a-boo.  

Fi rounded out the weekend watching Elf with us and catching a little bit of White Christmas before bed.  Bing and the gang's "Snow" was her bedtime lullaby.  A perfect ending to the weekend.

Tooth and a Tree

It was an eventful weekend.  Fi's first tooth finally popped through on Saturday!  I feel like she has been teething forever, so it was nice to see one of those sparkling whites finally made an appearance.  Now that it has come through, she seems to be enjoying it.  I can see her running her tongue back and forth over it and sucking on her pacifier in unusual ways.  I'd say that the tooth will help her eating, but she has been doing fine without teeth.  This weekend, she gummed a pickle down surprisingly far.  I love letting her try whatever she wants (I don't want her to be a picky eater like I was through college).  My only concern is that she has a knack for sucking pieces of food that are a bit too big for her.  She's also gotten really good at feeding herself the little Gerber puffs.  The first time we gave them to her, it was just fun for his to watch her try to get the puffs in her mouth (and as they get wet and stick to her hand).  Now, she gets them to her mouth amazingly quickly. 

  

Because the weather was looking questionable for Saturday morning, we decided to pick out a tree at the fire company Friday night.  It was cold and rainy, and Fi wasn't that into picking out the tree, but we got it done.  We brought the tree into the house Saturday, and I expected Fi to be sort of amused having a tree in the house, but that didn't strike her fancy either.  It wasn't until Sunday morning, when she woke up to see the tree fully decorated with lights and ornaments, that she seemed interested.  She really liked touching the snowflake ornaments that Nana made a long time ago.

 

We squeezed in some holiday photos too.  Fi was very accommodating.  I gave her the Christmas rattle ornament from the Cornelison's, and she played contently.  I decided not to share the photos we are using for the Christmas card (there are some cute ones!), but here she is with Tim under the tree.  

Thanksgiving festivities

Thanksgiving came and went in a flash.  We kicked off celebrations in Maryland with the Bulle Rock Turkey Trot Thursday morning.  It is the fourth year Tim and I have run it, but it was Fi's first time.  It was a crisp morning so we bundled her up in her Patagonia, put on her knit turkey hat, and strapped her into the jogging stroller.  She was awake and content the whole ride, either enjoying the new scenery or all the people running around her.  The turkey trot at Bulle Rock is pretty rough because it is so hilly, so I was glad that Tim was pushing the stroller, especially when the winds kicked up.

Dinner was at my parents so we spent the rest of the day prepping for the meal.  Fi fell asleep shortly after the guests arrived, which included a good mix of family: mostly Shelley's, two Grenko's, and a Krantz.  We told her she should have napped earlier in preparation, but she didn't listen.  She woke up at the end of dinner and enjoyed some turkey and potato filling though and a little bit of football too.

Friday started with coffee with the girls (me, Fi, and Kendall) and ended at the Shore with her Grenko / Olivard cousins.  She saw Santa being rescued from the roof of Ocean City City Hall by the firefighters, although she was really more interested in the crowd around her.  

 

Saturday was Thanksgiving part two.  She expanded her palette to include some cranberry sauce with her turkey and potato filling dinner.  The weather was nice enough for a few good walks on the boardwalk in between games of peek-a-boo.  

        

Thanksgiving weekend ended back in Maryland since I have a work trip out of BWI on Monday.  We stopped by to visit Mom-mom, Aunt Tadpole, and Uncle Mark and that cool little dog Dash to round out family time.  It was a nice but exhausting holiday weekend.  I can't believe Christmas is only a few weeks away.  There really should be a movement to add a few more weeks between the holidays. 

Winter is here

Winter is here in the Pocono's.  Saturday morning wasn't too bad, but later that evening the cold weather blew in quite literally.  Here is Fiona wrapped up in bunting made by Tim's Nana.  It was good for our walk to church, but when the wind whipped in and snow flurries started, it didn't cut it.  We held her tight and walked home as quickly as possible.  She was a little trooper.

Fi has a new favorite thing--glasses.  She grabs at mine, my mom's, and Tim's.  Generally, she just wants to yank them off your face and put them in her face, making them as smudgy as possible.  Tim decided to pop them on her today when she got her hands on them, and as a result, we got this gem of a photo.  There are too many caption options!  "Can you say hipster?" "Professor Poopy Pants is here."  "Do these glasses make me look too Mr. Potato Head-ish?"

7 months old!

 

Fiona is 7 months old today.  It is hard to believe how fast time passes.  I felt like I was just writing her 6 month post.  At 7 months, Fi is great at sitting and chewing on things.  Everything goes in her mouth, including her 7 month sticker.  She has to be cutting teeth soon.  She still isn't much of a veggie eater but she loves butternut squash.  It's late, and I am tired so not much else to add other than we are very lucky parents.  What a sweetie.

Smiley girl

Everyone tells us we are very lucky to have a happy baby, and looking back on the week of photos reminded me of that.  Example one is from her helping me fold laundry.  She enjoys playing a game I call "Where's Fiona?"  I start folding clothes on the bed while she sits with me.  Every now and then I throw something on top her (covering her head completely) and say, "Where's Fiona?"  She is normally able to pull the item of her head and gives me a triumphant smile.  But even when she struggles to do it herself, I get a big smile when I reveal her face.  She could play this game endlessly.

The second example is from shopping at Ikea.  She spent about half of the trip in the stroller, but we sprung her loose in the kitchen center.  The kid's section blew her mind.  I think it was a combination of the bright colors and other kids playing that hooked her.  She stared open-mouthed through the entire section.  Then she had a ball in the marketplace trying to put everything we picked in her mouth.  She and Tim were playing a gentle game of tug of war, which had her giggling away.

And, yes...we like the hoodie up covering her mostly barren head.  She's getting some wispy hairs though!

Another leisurely weekend

Fiona and company had a nice leisurely weekend.  In part, I think we need to thank Nana, Grace, and Maddie who spent the day with Fiona on Friday.  They must have kept her quite busy because she crashed hard Friday night and slept until nearly 7am on Saturday.  I highly recommend them as baby sitters!  Plus, I know they gave her lots and love.  Before they left, they were siting on the floor with her taking turns giving her hugs.  

It was a pretty nondescript weekend with little photo evidence.  Fiona is now sitting up on her own and rarely toppling over, so Tim and I joined her on the floor Saturday morning for playtime and Sesame Street.  We also took her out to the flea market in Saylorsburg on Sunday, and to the library where she hid behind my wallet (in between chewing on it).  My favorite moment from the weekend was when we bathed Fi Saturday night.  She was babbling like crazy and it reminded me of the nonsensical gibberish of Bill Cosby (ayb-ba yab-ba yap-pa dap-pa).  Our little comedian. 

6 month check up!

 

Fiona had her 6-month check up today.  She is staying on her curve weight-wise at 14 pounds 4 ounces, which is again in the 11th percentile.  Fi only grew .25 inch in length since last time though, measuring in at 25.75 inches, so she dropped in percentile from 82nd to 39th.  Tim wants to remeasure since she was really wiggly when they checked her height, and it is very un-Grenko of her to not lengthen up.  She got a clean bill of health and seems to be doing great.  The doctor warned that we should start some basic child proofing soon, which we have realized ourselves these past few days.  For instance, when Tim and I put her down to nap in the crib the other day, she managed to roll out of her bumpers onto her belly and reached up to turn off her monitor.  Our indication was when the monitor with us showed that it had unlinked.  What a stinker.  She is doing a terrific job sitting up and grabbing for anything nearby.  Here she is sitting pretty and loving her boots

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Fi's First Halloween

Fi isn't going to remember much of this Halloween but we figured we still need to get her dressed up for the holiday.  In fact, she ended up getting dressed up twice.  First, she wore the cute little costume that we borrowed from the Olivard clan.  A giraffe seems appropriate for our long little girl. 

The next costume was all Tim's idea.  He suggested we take advantage of her baldness and dress her up like Uncle Fester.  We pinned up a shirt of mine and gingerly applied some powder around her eyes.  Tim made the light bulb that attached to her pacifier.  Unfortunately, she was not feeling stellar this evening so I really felt like we were torturing her.  But she mustered up the patience for a few photos.  Classics I am sure.

Busy Fall Weekend

Fiona had a busy weekend.  We took her out for her first hike on the Appalachian Trail through the Delaware Water Gap on Saturday.  I like symmetry, so it was nice that her first hike was our first hike in the Water Gap (which we did on the day that Maddie was born, just a few days after Tim moved to the area).  We bundled Fi up in her Patagonia bunting, which is way too big for her currently, but she was warm and didn't seem to mind the excess fabric.  Fi was pretty pleased from the get-go.  Here she is smiling as she gets into the pack, which is huge and could be mistaken for a real pack. In fact, someone passed us early on and asked how long we'd be on the trail, mistaking us for being on the trail for days; I don't think they even noticed little Fi in the pack.  

 

She talked a bit early in the trip but was fairly calm and then she slept the last bit of the hike.  Maybe it was her first hippy sighting that brought on the serenity.  We met him at the Water Gap overlook.  He was sitting alone drinking his beer and stretching his neck.  He must have felt we were safe because then he smoked two joints and popped a few pills before bouncing down the trail with his neon green hand weights overhead.  Welcome to the Poconos Fiona!

Sunday was more family-friendly with a Grenko family lunch at Austin's.  Fi had a belly ache, so she didn't enjoy the lunch too much, but she had a great time chatting with Janie back at Nana and Papa's house afterwards.  Their interaction is so funny to watch.  They both seem really excited, chatting and staring with open mouths.  Every once in a while, one or the other gains the confidence to reach out and touch the other.  I love this photo because I have interrupted cousin bonding and feel like I am getting a look that says, "Do you mind? We were just catching up."

6 months old!

 

Fiona hit half a year today, and she is growing by leaps and bounds each week.  Baby proofing will need to happen very soon as she has figured out how to roll herself quite vigorously.  I found her nearly under the futon yesterday after leaving the room for a minute. Fi's become quite the eater too.  Bananas plus apple, pear, and cinnamon purée are always gobbled up. She's less eager about rice cereal and carrots, but we will keep trying to expand her palette.  Her talking has reached the next level as well; she makes single syllable words like ba.  Tim and I are pushing for ma and da.  She's had a pretty excellent half year, and is pleased as punch to be holding her 6-month sticker.

This is what happens when Grandpa dresses you

While I went to DC for work last week, Fiona hung out with my parents.  She had a great time as you may be able to tell from the photo.  I say that "this is what happens when Grandpa dresses you," but really it is partially my fault.  I put her in her funky Halloween outfit from Aunt Tadpole and Uncle Mark.  Then my Dad added the slippers (thank you to the Reineckers) and her duck hat, so she could play in the brisk Fall air on the porch.  Clearly he knows how to accessorize, and she is happy as a clam.

 

Rainy weekend at the shore and fun at home

We spent a rainy weekend at the shore.  The rain was spotty at least so we got out for a couple runs and outdoor time.  Fiona really seems to enjoy the rain cover for her stroller.  When we first put it on, she would grab for it (and try to put it in her mouth of course).  Thank goodness she likes it because even after the rain ended, we needed the cover to block the wind for her.  The wind made for quite an interesting run on Sunday.  Fiona set the pace on our way south down the boardwalk, with the wind pulling her stroller so much that it felt like we were chasing her.  The run north on the boardwalk was far worse, as Tim felt like he was pushing a car instead of stroller.  There were a few times it brought me to a near dead stop, and I wasn't even pushing it.  Here is the sweetie through the gap in the cover.

All that working out, really tuckered her out.  Thank goodness Tim obliged to take a nap with her.  These two were zonked.  At one point Fiona opened her eyes and saw me, but then she turned back towards Tim, rubbed his face, and went back to sleep.  She really loves to touch faces, and the little bit of stubble on Tim's face must be fascinating to her.

She has been a pretty happy camper and is getting more and more active by the day.  Here she is in her bunny slippers playing on the bed with Tim.  I love how you can see her but just the shadow of Tim coming in for some tickles.  She was kicking her legs so much that I can't believe she kept the slippers on!

Enjoying Fall

We took Fi out for a Fall photo shoot this afternoon.  The leaves in the Poconos are changing rapidly so we wanted to make sure we didn't miss all the foliage.  We found a spot nearby where a tree has lost a lot of leaves this week, so it was a great spot to let Fiona play.  We started out by trying to let her sit up.  She isn't 100 percent stable though so she ended up flopping onto her side and rolling onto her belly, which turned out to be perfect.  At first she just looked around at the leaves in amazement.  Then came the huge smile.  Surprisingly, she didn't try to put any of the leaves in her mouth as she has tried to in the past when I have given her one to feel.  Fi just laid there contently.  She is definitely our little outdoor child who loves being outside and looking at trees in particular.

Hanging with the grandparents to eating bananas

Earlier this week, Fiona spent some time in Maryland.  Thanks to the government shut down, she got to hang out with Grandmom and Grandpa while I worked in DC.  She enjoyed playing in Hailey's old car, which is now on my parents porch.  We don't have enough room at home for toys this big so I am glad she can enjoy it at their house.  Gadgets to keep her entertained!  She also spent a lot of time outside in the tree swing.  My dad taught her how to bounce on the swing so the leaves fall down, which was pretty mesmerizing.  

Plus, who doesn't have fun just sitting on the table and playing with toys?  I love her smile in this picture.

Fiona and I came home Saturday to hang out with Nana and Papa before they left on their cruise.  So many grandparents, so much love!  They left Sunday morning after church so Fi was stuck with her parents the rest of the day.  It was a fairly ordinary weekend day of errands, but one of the highlights was from when we went to drop off recycling.  Fi was so tired and was rubbing her eyes as per normal when she is tired.  She managed to yank her bow over her eyes and then fell asleep that way.  As any good parent would do, we snapped a photo before getting the bow off her eyes.  She kept right on sleeping.

Our strong little girl seems to have developed quite the appetite this week, downing bottle after bottle.  We decided that she is ready for solid food given her ravenous appetite and the intense stares she gives us while we are eating.  So later today, we gave Fi her first taste of solid food: bananas.  She watched intently as Tim mashed up some banana with milk before we got her in her highchair (how apropos that Fi's first time in the highchair that Aunt Eileen  gave her was on Aunt Eileen's birthday).  We haven't quite deciphered whether her reaction was positive or negative.  She'd help Tim pull the spoon into her mouth but then she would make a puckered face.  She continued doing so for a few spoonfuls.  It was so much fun to feed her but it is shocking to realize how quickly she is growing!

 

(Quiet) Weekend at Home

Leading into the weekend, Fiona had a rough couple days.  I think her teeth are starting to bother her again as she is gnawing away on her pacifiers and desperately trying to put my fingers and Tim's in her mouth.  Given her mood, we weren't expecting much from the weekend.  

Fi did pretty well though.  We had some nice morning runs.  Fi seems to enjoy being bundled up on these crisp fall mornings.  Here she is in her fleece bear footies. Now that she is bigger, she fits in her jogging stroller facing out (versus in the car seat facing us), which she absolutely loves.  There's no more napping during stroller time since she can look around.  Fi also had fun playing with Tim.  He had her squealing up a storm with tickles tonight.  

Of course, as I write this, she has started crying so must be brief.  She has been trying to resist sleep even though she is rubbing her eyes: her tell for being tired.  Hopefully, her teeth don't bother her too much this week.