I could pretend that I'll do better about updating this, but I know myself too well--frankly, I will probably only remember this blog and find the gumption to update approximately once every few months. :p Meri turned 5 months old yesterday, and Ian is currently bouncing her to sleep, so I figure now is a good time to throw a ton of pics from the last 2 months on here. :)
Oh, speaking of bouncing Meri to sleep--ever since she was a couple months old, she has refused to sleep unless we bounce her to sleep, and then continue bouncing for awhile longer (unless she's so exhausted that she just passes out). So lately, our mattress has gotten so blown out from all the bouncing, that springs have begun to pop out, and we've resorted to taking the pliers to it to push in all the wayward springs, like a game of whack-a-mole. I only mention this because it's a glimpse of parenthood throwing weird things at us, and us flailing around trying to act like we're in control of our lives :p But seriously, we ordered a new mattress and it's on its way; don't worry :) Every day's an adventure, eh?
Anyway, we're still having a blast with Meridian! We can't walk down the street without everyone marveling at how adorable she is (This is forcing us to practice French!). She even reached out to give an old lady a hug one time, much to the lady's delight. :) She's just an unstoppable love bug. People are also amazed that she's only 5 months old, because she looks so mature. At her 4-month appointment, the doctor said she's as tall as a 6-month-old.
She's a great sleeper (once she gets to sleep, that is)--she sleeps from around 9 or 10 at night to 7 or 8 in the morning. She wakes to nurse during the night, but since she sleeps with us, it doesn't wake Ian up, and it's easy enough for me. :p We also don't have to use an alarm clock since Meri wakes us up way before Ian needs to go into work, by snuzzling and galumphing around. I have to say, this is a much sweeter way of waking up!
I don't think we've told everyone, but Ian went back to work in July, so I've been experiencing stay-at-home-motherhood, which is the best/hardest job imaginable, I think. :p She really keeps me on my toes! Since we moved closer to Ian's office, he's able to come home for lunch every day and has zero commute time, so all that family time has been really nice as we ease into him returning to work. He's really good about sharing baby responsibilities, too, so things are going pretty smoothly. I'm going to enroll us in some baby swimming classes, and maybe some baby groups at the Y, to keep her stimulated. Oh, and as a side note, Ian and I are collaborating on making a computer game, a first for us! I think we make a pretty good team, and having something non-baby-related to talk about keeps us sane. We'll send everyone a copy if anything becomes of it, but it's fun to make regardless :)
I should probably give an update about Meri's development, because I don't want to forget anything, and she's already growing and progressing so fast, it's crazy! So here are some highlights:
*She's been showing signs of teething since forever, but she still has no teeth. She likes teething rings, though.
*She used to be all about crawling, and she would love for us to put our hands on the soles of her feet so she could spring off them and "crawl." But she suddenly became disinterested in that about 2 weeks ago, when she realized she could be using her energy to sit up instead. She'll lift her head up while she's lying down, like she's doing a crunch, and that's her signal that she wants me to help her sit up. So I'll hold out my fingers, she'll grab on, and then I'll help pull her up into a sitting position. She's able to sit and stay sitting with no assistance for about 30 seconds at a time! It's really adorable seeing her wobbling around trying to maintain balance :3
* She really likes clapping. We discovered that while singing "If You're Happy and You Know It" one day a couple weeks ago; she thinks it's hilarious. Now we try to clap to any beat we hear, and she's really into it. She also has a toy that plays "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," and I made the mistake of singing along with it once or twice. So now I'm obligated to do it every time, and I always end up running out of farm animals by the time she's bored pulling the string. :p
* Another favorite game is "Walk on Mama/Papa," where we hold her on our chests while lying down, and she'll walk and dance on us. I was playing this with her one day, and we were below the window unit AC, so she suddenly got a face-full of air while walking, and she was in love. (She's a Viking baby and loves the cold, like her Daddy). So now we hold her in front of the AC often so she can have the wind blowing in her face :) But, I've learned that a diaper is necessary for this game (yeah, I don't always put her in a diaper :x)--after having my face peed on a couple times, I learned that being in front of the AC always makes her pee...
* She loves water faucets, and tearing paper! (I have to make sure she doesn't chew the paper, though).
* She prefers books to toys--I don't know why, but especially adult books. She's a miniature us, poor thing ;) She mostly likes flapping at the pages, but it really looks like she's reading sometimes :p
* A big first is that she has started eating some solids! I had planned on waiting until she turned 6 months old to introduce them, but she had other ideas (such as reaching out and tipping our water glasses into her own mouth...she's a clever bug :)). So far, she's tried honeydew melon (loves it); zucchini (good to chew on for teething); avocado (considers it more of a toy than a food); herbs: cilantro, basil, mint, and oregano (thinks they smell intriguing, and sometimes taste good); carrots (thinks they're alright); beets (could get into them); tempeh (likes it); and cherries (loves them). I think we'll try oatmeal this weekend, or maybe sweet potato.
* She has always noticed the pets, but only lately has she realized what wonderful textures and pulling opportunities their fur provides. She especially likes reaching out to grab them while she's sitting on her potty, for some reason. I have to mediate carefully, though, or the animals would get upset.
* Just today I gave her a flashlight, and it was so cool seeing her play with it, because you could see it dawning on her that she was controlling the patterns of light!
* Oh, I also started introducing sign language to her, mostly so she can more easily communicate to us when she needs to eat or potty, but if she's really into it, it could be really cool to see her develop the ASL language. At the rate we're going, her first word's gonna be "oopie" (our word for going to the bathroom) because we're really drilling that one. I have to have some embarrassing fodder for when she starts dating :p
* She's just really bright in general, and she has the most exuberant personality. I'm not sure how to convey it really, but it's in her eyes. She just looks at you like she "knows." We're in for an interesting rest of our lives! ;)
So without further ado (I've already given plenty of ado!), heeeeeeere's Meri!
(Sorry for the photo-dump, by the way; I'm obviously not very good at organizing photos :p)
Going for a ride in her carrier:
Practicing sitting in her cuuuuuute overalls:
Sampling some cilantro from the herb garden:
Wearing a vampire goatee after eating beets for the first time:
I was doing something wrong here to deserve this look, I'm sure :P
And this one:
Rosy cheeks:
Beautiful big blue eyes:
A literary critic:
Cherry Meri!
Wearing a bib baby tabard from Uncle Jeff, the librarian :)
