A funny thing happens when you go through something like this "mothering" process for the second time. Things you thought you'd never forget, like the day when Kate looked & smiled at me & called me mama -- well, they get accessed less frequently, and other memories get recorded so close to them (now, was that Kate or Rachel?) that you end up with a hazy, although happy, fog surrounding babyhood. Also, when in the midst of daily parenting, it is easy for me to lose track of the big picture. THIS is what babies do at 7 months, 8 months, 9 months, etc. I just live it!
So, I took a little walk down memory lane & read through some of my old posts about Kate. And was immediately convicted that I'll have no such prosy posts to refer back to for my little Rachel. So here goes. . . .
Rachel's latest accomplishments include scooting backwards -- and not just a small distance. Combined with her mad rolling skills, she can navigate her room pretty well until she gets backed into a corner (Nobody puts Baby in a corner!). Just this last week she has started getting up on her hands & knees and doing the wobbly dance just like that. The funniest thing is that if I ever work with her on crawling or get overly encouraging, Kate so badly wants in on the action that she starts crawling.
Mom: Come on, Rachel, you can do it! Come to mama!
Rachel looks for her toy & bounces her head up & down. This makes her feel like she's moving. She also reaches forward & strains for the toy. But then, inevitably, her legs start making her scootch the wrong way. While this is happening. . ..
Kate starts talking like a baby & *trying* to crawl. Then, she succeeds & wants some praise. I guess I don't get excited enough about her walking anymore. :-)
Rachel loves to eat, a lot! I'm continually amazed by how much she would put away, if I let her pig out. Her favorites are peas & sweet potatoes (not together), although she's learning to love avocado/mango puree a lot. I am giving her a few things to self feed, and she is so adorable! Tonight she had some sweet potato pieces. She grabs the food, smashes it if it happens to be soft, and then tries to get it in her mouth by putting her thumb in her mouth & then willing that little piece of smooshed potato to slide into her mouth. She also makes adorable faces while eating; really playing with her lips. She's already clever enough to repeat actions that get a response, so if I laugh out loud, she looks incredibly pleased & repeats! Also on her menu: lima beans, green beans, butternut squash, bananas, carrots, and oatmeal. I have tried so many new foods with her than with Kate; I guess the seasons are making some of the difference.
Her favorite toys are those little shapes that go into a shape sorting box, some bowls that are also a stacker, and basically anything that will fit into her mouth. Which happens to be a lot of things. She loves to be read to, although it doesn't happen as much as it should! The other day, Kate wanted to read all together, so she brought one book for sister to chew on, and three books for mom to read to the girls. Kate really has Rachel all figured out. Typically during the day, she plays in the living room on her quilt if she's not eating or sleeping. If she's having a particularly hard time before dinner, and I need to be in the kitchen, I'll just sit her on the floor in the kitchen & instantly she has a better disposition. What is it about being close to mom? I guess she figures she can keep on eye on her dinner preparation.
I still carry her in the baby bjorn, but have just started transitioning to putting her the cart sitting up like a big girl. It's just too hard to figure out where to put TWO girls! I really try NOT to go to the grocery store with both of them, but it happens. The other day I had Rachel in the front seat, Kate in the back with a few items, and then two baskets underneath chock full of groceries. There's got to be a better solution for this age, right?
Her sched:
7:00 - 7:30 Wake up!
8:30 Breakfast
10:00 - 12:00 Morning Nap
12:30 Lunch
2:00-4:00 Afternoon Nap
5:30 Supper
8:00 Bedtime
Sometimes she squeezes an extra nap in before bedtime -- like 6:30-7:30. But this isn't often. She nurses 4 times a day & eats people food 3 times. I say people food b/c that's what Kate would say. There's kids and people in her world. I keep telling her that she's a person too! :-) I guess she's just leaving off the "big" in "big people" but it's a bit disconcerting to have my daughter asking me if she can have some gum & is it just for people, meaning not her.
Rachel went to her last check up at 7 months (she is now 8), and weighed 16 lbs. which was average for her age. She was average height, too. In our family, this qualifies as world class chunker, and her cheeks definitely speak for themselves.
4 comments:
Good stuff, Liz. And you email plenty of fun stories about both girls...no worries. =)
Thanks for the post. I enjoyed reading it. Kate is a gem to revert to crawling again. I guess you won't have to worry Rachel will be walking any time soon.
Ditto my comments regarding your "kate" post.
I know you posted this a long time ago, but I had one thought the first time I read it and just never commented. Have you ever let Kate walk at the grocery store? I bet she would do ok if you make sure she knows she has to stay close. For mine, the "punishment" for not staying close is that they have to keep one hand on the cart. And Nathan liked riding on the front of the cart when he was little (well, he would still do it, but I can't hardly turn if he's on there now).
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