Gymboree

I took Melia tonight to a Gymboree Family Music class. We got there a little early for open playgym. I didn't know how she would do in open gym, because most of the kids were 2-5 years old. But she did great! She absolutely LOVED the crawl thru tunnel. I added one to her wish list so we can get one for the house!



The description said the class was for 6 months to 5 years. It was a little more for the older kids, but she still enjoyed it. Lots of jumping (she loves to jump!) and dancing. She got to play a drum and shake the maracas. She did more eating of the maraca than shaking, but it was still a good time.

Gymboree offers a music class for 6 month to 10 month olds, but it is during the day. I really need to figure out how to be a WAHM so I can take her to stuff like this.

Chris is lucky to have a schedule that gives him Mondays and Tuesdays off. He has gotten into taking her to Itsy Bitsy Storytime at the Library every week. They have a good time playing there. He is the only Dad that attends - I am so proud of him. He is so good with Melia.

Stage 3

I am getting ready to start Melia on Stage 3 baby food. I don't know that she can actually finish a jar that size in one sitting, but I think she is ready for more texture with her meals.

I did make homemade baby food (I am supermom!) this weekend. Just sweet potato, but I was proud of myself! I made it a little lumpy to give her a different texture. Chris fed her some today and said she made a funny face - I think it was the texture, NOT my cooking!

I have started offering her different fresh fruits in this little feeder contraption I bought. She loves it! It is kind of a pain to clean (especially with banana!) but I feel better about her not choking. On occasion, I have started to give her small pieces of food to try without the feeder. She does well, but I am so worried about her choking!

I keep trying new foods and introducing new flavors. She was not a big fan of papaya at first, but it is growing on her. Still saving the frosting for her first birthday...sorry Lisa!

Chompers

Melia has two teeth on the bottom so far. I think some more are not far behind, because she is acting like she did when the last ones came in. She has also recently started biting. No one else but me. My arm, my knee and yes, even while nursing. Not fun.

I read an article (I read a lot of baby stuff)that is supposed to give me some tips. Not a lot of ah-ha moments in this one. I think if anything, the article made me sad. It kept referring to biters as toddlers. I have a BABY, she is not a toddler yet. If I only I could swaddle her still and convince her that she is still a baby!

8 Months Old!

On Sunday, Melia turned 8 months old! 8 months!!! That is closer to a toddler than a newborn!

No doctors appointment this month, but she is around 16 pounds. She is wearing 6 months outfits and some 6-9 months. She can still squeeze into 3-6 month, but I am ready for a wardrobe change.

Melia has her two bottom teeth. Pretty sure some more teeth are not far behind. The drool has picked back up. And of course, everything still goes in the mouth.

She is crawling EVERYWHERE! And fast! No more setting her down to go to the bathroom and expect to find her even in the same room when you come out. No matter how fast you pee! She pulls up and has even started "cruising" furniture.

Melia is not afraid of anything. And she has the bumps and bruises to prove it. She let's go of the furniture she has pulled up on and tends to fall over. She is getting better at balancing, but not perfect yet. We are learning real fast what needs to be babyproofed.

Molly and Melia still get along well. Melia laughs so hard at Molly. She tries to pet her a lot. Molly has learned to leave the room when she gets annoyed, but still loves her little sister. Molly is the first one to come running to her side and give kisses when she cries.

Melia is eating Stage 2 jar food, baby puffs, yogurt melts, zweiback toast, etc... This weekend she ate some real banana and the insides of a grape. She has even tried Molly's rawhide, but we try to keep that away from her.

A lot of babble, but no real words. Of course in my mind, I hear her saw "mama" all the time! Even though she can't speak, she lets you know what she wants.

As I have said before, it really does fly by. I am so excited about the upcoming months, but already miss my newborn baby girl.

Kindermusik

Chris took Melia today to a Kindermusik class. The perk of being the parent home on weekdays is you get to do all these fun "mommy and me" activities. (that is a vent for later). Anyway, today was a free preview class, so I thought I would send him to check it out.

He said Melia had a good time. The class is short (so is her attention span) so it wasn't painful for him. She got a goody bag with a shaker, some red thing (not sure what it is) and a cd. I would love for them to be able to go on a regular basis, but it is not cheap. After you pay registration, buy the materials and pay for the 14 classes in the fall it is $285! I want to stimulate her mind, but that's a lot of money! Maybe I will just add some of their products to her wish list.