Olivia is eight months old. EIGHT.MONTHS. And full of The Cute. That picture was taken while Olivia was "winding down" for bed time. Yes those are Christmas jammies, by the way. Because I was behind on laundry and so I thought, meh, nobody will see these jammies and ho ho ho who cares if its October. Then of course, Olivia starts with The Cute, and then with the I'm Going To Stand Up in My Crib Muahahahahaha Mom Your Life is Over.
Exhibit A: You're screwed, really. Oh, and also? Don't ever plan on putting away the laundry while the baby sleeps and can't see you over the bumper because that shit does.not.fly. 
I just can't even believe how fun Olivia is lately. I have so many things that I want to remember about her right now, and so yay yay yay bullet points!
I just can't even believe how fun Olivia is lately. I have so many things that I want to remember about her right now, and so yay yay yay bullet points! (Why do people hate bullet points? I do not. Just so you know. If you do, then I'm sort of sorry, but not really, ya know?)
- The drama: it continues. This kid? SO DRAMATIC. She loves everything that is awful for her, meaning anything that carries an electric current or will fit down her throat. And if you take said death toy away? OH! Misery and WOE. WOE!
There is the lip pout, followed by the silent scream, followed by the massive gasp of air and then finally, beautifully, the Howl of Doom. Extra special treat if she is on her belly at the time. She will put her face flat on the floor and lay there and cry. Like, it is all too much for her to bear and so she just freaking gives up because what is the point of living if you cannot shove the medicine dropper down your throat?
When she gets ready to cry, she puts both hands on her head, or on her forehead. Like, "DOH! Woe!"
- Attention whore. She loves to flirt with strangers. We were at a wedding a couple weeks ago, and Olivia could not get enough of the people sitting at her table.
Proof: I will get you with my cuteness, and I will inevitably spit up all over your pretty pretty dress... 
- She LOVES peekaboo - with a blanket, around the corner, from under the high chair - that cracks her up every single time.
- She is still doing the inchworm crawl. But her newest accomplishment is figuring out how to sit up on her own from a crawling position. She crawls, sits, looks around, crawls, sits...you get the idea.
(I stayed up until 9:45 last night trying to upload a video of this maneuver, which is, like, really really late for me. I never figured it out because it is possible that I am a moron. More than possible. Ok, it's definite - I am a moron and have no idea how to work my fancee video camera.)
(I could read the instructions, but I can't find them. Perhaps Olivia ate them? Like she tries to eat everything else, I'm sure she could shove an entire owners manual into her mouth.)
- Any time she is a crankster, I can make her laugh by saying, "What are you DOIN" in a deep man voice. Seriously. I can get a smile during the very worst melt down with that trick.
(Also, on above-mentioned video. I am awesome at blogging.)
- Still not a fan of the sippy cup. For drinking. She is, however, a fan of throwing the sippy cup on the floor and then looking down to see where it went, then yelling until I pick it up so that she can throw it on the floor and then look down to see where it went then yell until I pick it up this is the song that doesn't end it just goes on and on my frieeeeeeeeeends.
-We survived our first cold over the weekend. Olivia was a total snot monster with a fever and cough. And a sneeze. It was no fun, and we spent a number of hours sleeping in the chair with Olivia because she could not stay asleep laying down.
While I definitely did not enjoy Sick Baby behavior, I did love being able to lay with Olivia, because she never lets me hold her anymore. Too busy taking over the world and whatnot.
- We are officially OFF of Lexus formula. SUCK IT, ENFAMIL! SUCK IT HARD, REPEATEDLY! She's completely switched over to the Target brand formula that is a complete rip off of Enfamil Gentlease, and is $10 cheaper for a YOUGE can.
(Dear Target: You.Complete.Me.)
- I'm trying to introduce table foods but am afraid that mah baybee will choke. She did scarf down a pierogie last night, though, and seemed to love it. She likes puffs and yogurt puff thingys. What else should I give her? (Explain it to me like I'm in Kindergarten.)
Meh. Throwing this in, because who could be unhappy when looking at that? WHO?
40 comments:
These photos RULE.
And I LOVE the face plant fit. L does it all the time and I cannot help but laugh my head off every stinking time. The world is so awful that I have to plant my face down hard in the ground to prove it to you, MOM. :)
This really is a fun age... if you figure out a way to make it last, please share the weatlh.
I too laughed imagining her fits. LOL
As for table foods, toast is my number one recommendation. Also good for learning are canned fruits and veggies. Obviously you don't want to do too much of this due to sodium and what not, but it's the perfect texture. I also used to bake or microwave veggies until they were pretty soft and he would naw on that. Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store was always a pretty easy to serve and a great texture too. Hope that helps!
Okay that first picture is the cutest thing I've ever seen! And since my precious is much younger than yours I will be a blog hog and steal everyone else's comments on table food and file them away for future use.
I just can't get over how cute she is! That first picture is PRICELESS!!
Also, note to self: Start practicing using video camera and uploading videos for when baby arrives.
Mashed potatoes...good for fingerpainting and for eating!
Noodles, but make sure they're not al dente.
Yogurt.
We just gave our girl tiny bites of whatever we were eating, and she would chew on it for a while and either swallow it or push it back out. Give her whatever you like, and just watch her very carefully! With your index finger ready to scoop out the offending food...
She is absolutely beautiful.
soft table foods are great to start with. pasta that is overcooked a little so it's nice and mushy but still firm enough for her to pick up. Soft meats and cheeses are good. Just watch her carefully. She'll indicate to you if she's ready or not with her gag reflex.
Your baby is adorable and I love your blog. It's my favorite blog in the world (and I have, like, 100 in my google reader. so that's saying a lot).
Good first table foods: overcooked peas, small pieces of cheese (my son loves American, even though its probably made from 10% natural food and 90% chemicals), tiny pieces of green beans, bite size pieces of wheat bread, "baby" goldfish, bananas.
My son is 15 months and I finally stopped worrying about choking last month when I realized if he can't swallow something, he just lets it fall out of his mouth (we'll work on table manners next year).
Your kid - she is adorable. Just in case you weren't aware.
Ahhh yes that dramatic scream. In our house, it's called The 5 Step Scream (because her inhale takes about as long as it takes us to walk 5 steps out of her room -- THEN she lets loose the screaming!)
She's adorable! :-)
I love fake my-world-as-i-know-it-is-ending-HALP crying. I need to stop laughing at him while he's doing it though, I should be more sensitive. Or something.
I don't understand the food situation myself. I mean he gets all the mushy stuff just fine, but I'm a little worried about just jumping off and eating like meat and stuff. He eats the sh!t out of mum-mum bars. Have you had those? Like giant surf boards of rice. Check them out!
She's the cutest 8 month old I know!
Oh SUCH The Cute!!! Just, CRAZY cute!
And um... YOUR child, dramatic? Nooooo! Seriously? LOL!
She looks like TONS of fun! Maybe and tons of tiredness too, but all worth it, I'm sure!
She is so cute!! And I love the drama queen in her! Cooked veggies cut up, soft fruit, cheese.
Avocado or banana mashed up. And maybe dump some cooked rice, cooked chicken, and cooked peas into the food processor until smooshy, adding water as needed. My two lurved those things. They're still banana fiends, waking up each morning saying "mananamana".
Wonder where she gets the drama queen genes from?
Thinking I am going to have to bust out Christmas-pajamas-that-I-bought-on-clearance-at-Target-before-baby-was-birthed. Why? Oh because I bought them in size 9 months because my baby will be 9 months at Christmas. Wearing 9 months at Christmas? Absolutely not. Gotta love Christmas at Halloween!
I love your blog! You are seriously too funny.
FYI Board:
Ideas for Babies Starting Table Food
you will find all your answers there :)
Genevieive scarfed down a half a banana today (yes, I just gave her the whole half of the banana and let her eat it - ok half a banana!) She did awesome.
Great pics.
Be sure to check those puffs carefully. My son was (has now grown out of it! yeah!) allergic to dairy products. He would break out into hives on his face and had the worst diaper rash. We were lucky and got to use soy formula then soy milk. Anyway, we didn't realize, at first, when we started solid foods that some of the starter baby puffs were white cheese coated. Poor kid ran around with the worst bright red cheeks for the longest time. If it had been his nose, we could have just claimed he was a baby boozer.
I love reading about your daughter -- she's adorable.
I have a daughter who's exactly 2 weeks older, so it's fun to see that we're going through the same things in parallel!
Regarding the food issue:
-- My little one absolutely loves cheerios. I actually introduced them pretty early (around 7 months) and it took her a couple of days until she got the hang of them, but they were great for her fine motor skills and I think that, besides the taste, she also liked the fact that they were somewhat of a game.
-- The next finger food i introduced was soft goat cheese, cut up in small cubes.
-- The yolk of a hard boiled egg, also cut in small cubes. I don't cook it for too long otherwise the texture is no longer smooth - I put it in a pot with water, and once it starts boiling, I let it cook for another 9 minutes.
-- All sorts of different patties: Ground beef mixed with egg yolks, chopped parsley (and oregano and fresh mint, if you have any,) plain bread crumbs and a bit of olive oil. And perhaps some goat cheese.
Ditto with cooked chicken breast that I've ground up.
Ditto cooked cous-cous (to the latter I add humus, for extra protein).
Ditto with boiled zucchini.
You get the idea - you can use anything you have. Just make some small flat patties (about a heaping tea-spoon each) and cook them in a lightly oiled pan (not too much oil, otherwise the patties will get crusty on the outside.) You then cut the patties into small cubes and, voila, some more finger food. Both mommy and baby are happy - baby cannot get enough of them, and I like them because I can make a pretty big batch and freeze what them in zip lock bags for later.
-- If you grill or oven roast, or pot-cook chicken, you can give her that, too but I only give it to her when I manage to not overcook it (otherwise it's too dry for her and she won't eat it.)
-- Obviously cubed boiled/steamed veggies (like carrots or peas or green beans or corn or zucchini or potatoes --sweet or otherwise) work great. Soft fresh fruits (like pears or peeled and sliced grapes) also work well. The only problem with some of these is that they are a little slippery, so they are harder for little fingers to control, and some times they may lead to frustration.
-- Toast is good too, but I like the really hard rusks as they shut her up when she's whining about teething (we were lucky, she got her first teeth at 4.5 months, right around when her colic ended!!!)
-- This is not a finger food, but my daughter also loves yogurt. Full-fat, plain greek yogurt. A heaping teaspoon is more than enough, and I usually add just a little pureed pear to it to keep her tummy regular (alternatively, a spoonful of apple juice also works.)
-- Like others before me said, overcooked pasta is also good. I use wheat pasta as I tend to think it's tastier and somewhat better for her. I make a sauce out of heavy cream, goat cheese, parsley and mint, just to give her a some extra nutrition.
So I pretty much giver her everything. My husband and I try to cook without salt or egg whites, so we can just give her whatever we are having.
I guess the big thing we have not yet given her is fish, as we tend to have mostly salmon and I am not too comfortable with the possibility of mercury etc.
But she is up to 3 meals a day, with booby in between her meals and/or before naps (and a couple of times a night - my daughter is not half as good a sleeper as yours) so we're on the road to successfully wean her within my lifetime (sounds silly, but this was a baby that wanted to be attached to the breast 24-7 up until she was about 6 months. I have a flexible work schedule so I've had the luxury of accommodating her, but it's been tough!)
LOVE the pictures, and your wonderful descriptions... she is so cute!!!
Holy smokes, she looks like a clone of you in the first shot!
I just cannot handle how cute your daughter is! I had my daughter about a month later, also after many infertility treatments. I just want to say thank you - your blog was everything i needed when we couldn't conceive (you seemed to articulate exactly what i was going thru - and come into contact with the same number of d-bags that i did in the process... sometimes even my best friend was an idiot!), then when we were pregnant at the same time and now it's so much fun to celebrate these miracle babies at the same time! Enjoy every moment!
This is one of the best posts ever. I LOVE that first picture. Please frame it. (And send me a copy.)
Elizabeth does the whole thing where she throws herself face down into the floor with WOE. It's most funny when she is sitting up at the time and so just bends herself in half to get her face into the carpet.
at least my kid isn't the only drama queen!
And, I have zero advice on the food - except that when you figure it out, hold my hand b/c I am scared too!!
(oh, and SCORE on totally switching the formula!!)
Found you through Ravings of a Mad Housewife. My youngest is now 29. She wanted pizza at eight months of age and good mother that I am I gave it to her. She loved it! I doubt that I would do that now but it made her happy at the time and we were in a restaurant. Wacha ya gonna do?
Love your blog, and LOVE this post. Olivia is so effing cute!!! She looks so happy. My son was born 6 days after Olivia and I have some questions about food too. When you start giving the baybees table food, does this replace what they are already having? How much should you give? Is it just a snack or should their meals (right now he is having ceral and baby jar food mixed in plus formula) be replaced with table food?
Please help!!
Love your pictures, this is just such a fun phase. Treasure it.
As far as food goes ~ My #1 tidbit of wisdom that I share with first time moms is two fold (so I guess that means that these are my #1 and #2 pieces of wisdom, gah).
Trust and variety. Critical.
Your preshious baybee is much better equipped to eat foods than you might initially believe. Trust her, trust her gag reflex. You will know quite quickly if she is not ready for something. Have fun with it ~ enjoy watching her experience new textures and flavors and the joys of picking up different types of food, from slippery peaches to wiggly noodles. Chop up avocado, banana, mango, shoot, ANY fruit. Chop cheese, shred chicken, pork, fish. Chop up raviolis, potatoes, beans, egg yolk. Every vegetable under the sun. Kale, spinach, okra. Sweet potatoes are always a hit. Really there is nothing off limits to them at this age barring the allergens like strawberries, egg whites, nuts etc.
Second to trust, variety is key. Short of a tough sleeper, a picky eater is a burden that I would wish on no one. The wider her horizons, the wider yours. You will be able to take her to any restaurant without falling into the misery of needing "plain noodles with butter" every where you go. If she loves food and loves variety you will never hve to worry about her nutritional intake. Less worry = more happy. Expose her to a wealth of spices and flavors and varieties and she will grow up with no fear of strange foods ~ and there is a special joy watching your little person dig into sag aloo or linguini and clams with wild abandon.
Most of all, enjoy the process and keep your camera within arms reach!
E is five days older than Olivia, and is also a master of the "woe is me" pose.
Her favorite foods are cheerios, nutri-grain waffles (torn up -- the squares are handy little bite-sizes), toast spread with hummus, pears, grapes (both cut into smallish pieces, but no need to remove skin), peas, freeze-dried corn and fruit, and ritz crackers.
If you like soup, then one easy thing is to make a big pot of soup for you, then serve her the tasty, well-cooked veggies from it. I made chicken noodle this week, and E gobbled it down.
When my older daughter was around this age, I used to give her cut-up veggie burgers and tortellini. I need to get some of those for E.
Too much fun. Love it!
Target is my boyfriend.
Oh my gosh, SO MUCH WITH THE CUTE!
She is so adorable! I hear you on the "Suck it Enfamil" one of our boys is on human milk fortifier (extra calories for breastmilk since he needs a little extra due to his lung issues) and we are spending about $1300 a month just for him. Thank God only one of them needs it! So much for going the breastfeeding route to say money... I think its costing us more than just formula would! Wish Target had a generic brand!
Congratulations on the eight months and the cuteness and the formula switch. I know nothing of the foods but good luck with that. I do find the pics cheering and I am looking forward to when she takes over the world, presuming she has international ambitions, we could all do with more giggles.
Your daughter is beautiful - so adorable!!
Don't you feel so lucky to be anticipating sharing the holidays with your little one? My daughter is a few weeks younger than Olivia, and I am giddy at the sight of your little pumpkin in Christmas jammies :)
Thanks for sharing the cuteness! There is certainly enough to go around with that girl.
I gave you an award on my blog b/c you crack me the hell up!
She is just too. cute. G does the same sippy cup routine. My kitchen floor is like a flytrap with all of the dried up apple juice. :)
Try using Dr Hess Udder Ointment for Baby Butts. It is fabulous on diaper rash but also works great on all skin care needs such as dryness, eczema, chafing, and more...Register with them and they will send you a 20% coupon good on your first order!http://www.udderointment.com
OMG, she's just perfect! And you wouldn't believe the stained-up, holey out of season jammies my kids sometimes sleep in...
That transition from baby food to big-kid food is always hard for me. Cheerios, bite-size pieces of bananas or very ripe pears, noodles, string cheese (sliced and then cut in quarters), condensed soup is good because the meats and veggies are super soft, spaghettios, crackers, rice cakes...
Glad I found your blog! Can't wait to read more! :)
Seriously, where did those 8 months go??? I must admit I haven't followed along like I used to when you were still TTC and then when you were expecting. But I still pop in from time to time. She's adorable and looks like a happy baby!
Speaking of 8..I'm eight weeks away from my due date. Here's to our miracle babies! *clink*
Olivia is getting so big! She's such a cutie!
Ben has eaten table foods since he started eating solids. I just take whatever we're eating and chop it a million times with the end of a spoon. If it's something tough, like steak, I'll take the little piece and pre-chew it for him. I know that sounds disgusting, but it's better than him choking. And I couldn't try just not giving him what I'm eating. That def. does not work.
Post a Comment