Avocados and Bananas?!

I keep seeing articles that say babies love avocados. So when I saw them on sale, I bought one and gave it a try. It was hard to resist the urge to dump a bunch of garlic in there and eat it myself. A friend of mine told me she knew a baby that likes avocados and bananas mashed together. I had half a banana to use up, so I threw it in there too.

Sounds disgusting right? It was delicious and Cutie Pie loved it. I could totally see myself sitting next to the pool and dipping plantain chips into my baby's food. If you want to try Cutie Pie's new favorite food, it's simple:

Half an avocado, mashed
Quarter of a banana, mashed

Mix it all up and serve!

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Where are all these bugs coming from?

Just when I thought my biggest problem was the swine flu vaccine. Cutie Pie caught the real flu and gave me something real to worry about. Well, I don't know if it's really the FLU, since it's July and all. But it's making him miserable and it has created a horrible mess in my house. Cutie Pie wore every shirt he owns today. I've also washed every crib sheet and blanket in the house. Sometimes it is such fun to be a Mom.

Da Da caught the bug too. I don't know how he manages to get everything Cutie Pie gets. I'm starting to wonder if the boys are purposely getting sick together to gang up on me and drive me crazy. I saw the dog outside eating grass and told her, "OH no you don't! I've got enough sickness to clean up without you too!"

Cutie Pie has been asleep for twenty minutes, which makes it officially his longest nap of the day. Finally, I have some time to tackle that laundry.

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More Pandemic

Just when you thought it was safe to leave the house, the pandemic is back. The news seemed to forget all about the swine flu for a while there but this week H1N1 is all over the place. I heard that all children are going to be required to get the swine flu vaccines this year and as the mommy of a little person, I am very concerned.

Cutie Pie already has to get a million shots this year. When I go to read about the shots, I am bombarded with negative information. Many of the books I have read recommend finding a doctor who will let you pick and choose your shots. I can't imagine telling Cutie Pie's doctor, "Yes, I'd like a little more Hib, hold the MMR." Reading these books and articles makes me feel like I am being an irresponsible mother by vaccinating my child. But I really don't have a choice because Cutie Pie has to keep up with his shots or his doctor won't see him and he won't be able to go to school.

So now Cutie Pie has to get more shots. The only thing worse than getting more shots, is actually getting the swine flu. Thanks a lot, swine flu, for giving me a whole new reason to worry.

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A Snowball in July

A new baby started at Cutie Pie's school yesterday. I watched as his Mommy dropped him off and gave her last minute instructions to the Teachers. It brought back all the memories of anxiety and panic that I felt on Cutie Pie's first day. I've grown up a lot since then and Cutie Pie has too.

Cutie Pie has changed so much. I keep one of those memory calendars where you write in all his milestones. Now that he is older, there is something to record every day. Just last week, Cutie Pie took his first steps, got his first black eye, learned to like peas, ate pancakes, hid his face behind a blanket to play peek a boo, made clicking sounds with his tongue, started signing for "more" and "all done" and said hi and waved to another little baby. He seemed to make one small advance and it just snowballed. It is so exciting to the the Mommy of an eight month old.

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The Danger Zone!

Cutie Pie's house is a (mostly) baby-proof safe zone. We don't have bumpers on the furniture but he can pretty much go wherever he wants in the house without encountering anything too dangerous. Cutie Pie quickly taught us how to baby-proof and what areas of the house we should just make off-limits. We followed his instructions and the family has been very happy in our baby-proof home.

Unfortunately, the rest of the world is not baby-proof. On our recent whirlwind trip to visit relatives, I realized that my baby-proof house has given me a false sense of security. When put into a new environment, particularly one with lots of expensive knick knacks, Cutie Pie's curiosity cannot be stopped. Everything outside our door is the "danger zone." Low shelving, floor lamps and houseplants, OH MY!

I always thought I wouldn't have to worry about Cutie Pie discovering stairs because we live in a one story house. Wrong! Other people have two story houses. Cutie Pie saw the stairs and up he went! We put the safety latches on our cabinets to keep Cutie Pie from getting into them. He has learned that when he opens the cabinet the latch will stop him and he enjoys swinging on it. He was completely caught off guard at his Grandparent's house when he leaned into the cabinet and it swung all the way open, knocking him down in the process. But he was not phased. When he saw the treasures available to him inside that cabinet he made a bee-line right for it.

As a result of being in the danger zone this weekend, Cutie Pie spent a lot of time being held and cuddled, which is one of the great things about visiting family. Unfortunately, he didn't get his energy out the way he usually does and by the time I was able to sit down and play with him in a safe place, he was so wound up he couldn't play. He was like a hyperactive moose knocking into all his toys and trying to make up for lost time. I guess Mommy's next lesson is Cutie Pie needs his play time.

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One Small Step for Cutie Pie, One Giant Leap for Cutie Pie's Mom

With all the drama surrounding Cutie Pie's eyes the last few days, a major milestone has been overlooked. Cutie Pie took his first step on Tuesday!

Cutie Pie was hanging out in the kitchen, doing his best to get in the way and distract Mommy from gathering her things to leave for work. He loves to hang on to the cabinet handles and swing his body weight back until the safety latch catches him. It's not the safest game for a baby to play but when you're just trying to open the freezer drawer without two baby hands rushing to grab the ice, a little cabinet swinging seems like no big deal. Once I had what I needed, I bent down to pick Cutie Pie up. I held out my arms for him, expecting him to grab one of my hands like he usually does. Instead, he let go of the cabinet and took a step toward me. I was in total shock. My first thought was Oh my gosh! Is this really happening? Then I thought: Oh no! Not on the tile floor! Don't fall! Don't fall! Don't fall! He caught his balance and tried to take another step when he fell. My heart leaped! I caught him in mid-air and scooped him up into a big hug! I couldn't believe it! Cutie Pie probably didn't even realize what had just happened.

When I dropped Cutie Pie off at school today, his teacher told me that yesterday he took two steps. She said he was standing and watching another baby when he suddenly let go and took two steps. She said he seemed to suddenly realize that he wasn't holding on and fell to the floor.

Her story made me feel a little sad that I had missed his second steps. I know I won't be there for every one of his milestones. While my back was turned at dinner today, he signed for "more" food. Thank goodness his dad saw it so we knew he was still hungry! Maybe I can set him up with a Twitter account so he can tell me each time he's about to do something new.

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Black Eye, Pink Eye

In a THUD heard all the way on the other side of the house, Cutie Pie's head crashed against the side of the bathtub the other night. He ended up with a small bruise just under his eyebrow that makes him look like he's wearing dark eyeshadow.

When I saw what had happened, I quickly wrapped him in a towel and ran over to my husband, telling him to get Cutie Pie some clothes because we were going to the hospital. Luckily, Da Da was unruffled. He looked carefully at Cutie Pie's eye and told me all he needed was an ice pack. Unfortunately, Cutie Pie didn't like the ice pack. This led to a whole new set of worries for his over-anxious Mommy. If I let Cutie Pie push the ice pack away, am I being a good mother for letting him assert his independence or being a bad mother for not making sure the ice keeps down any swelling? What if his eye swells shut? What if the swelling damages the eye? Can you get a brain injury from a hit to the eye? Should I keep the ice on him when he falls asleep? What about those scary stories you hear about children that fall, seem fine and then a few hours later they have to be rushed to the hospital? I just couldn't stop myself. I checked with my favorite Baby-Bible, Baby 411. The author reassured me that Cutie Pie was fine. I must have checked on him a million times that night, though, just in case.

The next morning, Da Da woke up with pink eye. Positive that Cutie Pie gave it to his Dad, I braced myself for the worst; a baby with a black eye and pink eye! But when Cutie Pie woke up, his eyes were clear. Thank goodness! I can only take so much!

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