Getting Acquainted

Grandma and Papa are here visiting for Easter and helping out while Steele is at a conference and the daycare is closed for the holiday. It took Betty a while to warm up to them (seen here looking skeptical), but by the end of the evening she was reading books with Grandma while I wasn't even in the room. And she waved bye bye to Papa Joe...he had already been downstairs for a few minutes, but better late than never.

Do the Wave

We've been trying for a very long time to teach Betty how to wave bye-bye and it just wasn't sinking in. Well, this morning when I was changing her diaper she was most definitely waving at me. She did it a few more times during the day with some prompting. And here she is in my office this evening not just waving but waving bye-bye!

Tonight we also waved bye-bye to the house we thought we were going to buy. The water and mold problems were just too extensive for our peace of mind. We learned something though: when looking at a house, look in the crawl space. We could have saved ourselves $600 and a lot of time had we thought to do that.

Culinary Arts

You've met Green Bean Hitler. Now meet Prune Dali. (Yes...still eating prunes. Poor Betty).

Steele: "I bet if you gave her a crayon the results would be pretty surreal." Speaking of surrealist messes, don't ask about what's on her tray.

Stranger Danger

For a change of pace Betty and I played on the kitchen floor after supper. Because it won't roll on carpet, the snail toy from Papaw and KK only comes out during these infrequent kitchen playtimes. Betty touched its tail and it started rolling across the floor playing its Danny Elfman-esque march. Months ago, this would have made Betty smile. Today she crawled as fast as she could over to my lap.

Luckily, I just so happened to have re-read the 8-12 months chapter in the AAP book today as I was adjusting Betty's feeding schedule. What it had to say about emotional milestones makes sense of Betty's recent fearful reactions to grandparents and the snail, and it gives us fair warning of the possibility that soon Betty may fear more than the sound of packing tape being ripped off a box (her only current known phobia, and one that will likely be tested often in the weeks to come). In a sense, this fearfulness is an important developmental stage and we should therefore be glad for it. And I admit, I like it that I get tiny but ardent hugs when the snail attacks.

From the AAP: If anything, the predictable anxieties of this period are evidence of her healthy relationship with you. Anxiety around strangers is usually one of the first emotional milestones your baby will reach. You may think something is wrong when this child of yours who, at the age of three months, interacted calmly with people she didn't know is beginning to tense up when strangers come too close. This is normal for this age, and you need not worry. Even relatives and frequent babysitters with whom your baby was once comfortable may prompt her to hide or cry now, especially if they approach her hastily.

Table Manners

We all piled into Grandma and Grandpa's minivan and headed out to Midlothian today to show them our future house, or what will be our future house if we can reach an agreement with the sellers regarding the repairs of the water issue. On this jaunt we realized what the appeal of a minivan is to people with children. Later the four adults and Betty headed out to Maxine's, a very nice restaurant on the golf course in Farmville (seen here). We called ahead to ask about a high chair and to confirm that it was OK to bring an infant. They were very accommodating and the hostess even took Betty for a stroll so Steele could eat his salad. (The high chair was one of those wooden ones with a belt. It takes a 5-point harness to restrain Bettyzilla so she didn't spend much time in it). We had a good meal, and Betty was very very good, but I think the mere presence of a baby can ruin some people's dinners so I'm not sure we'd do it again. We saw some people we know who have an infant slightly younger than Betty. They had gotten a babysitter. I feel kinda bad that they didn't get the baby-free evening they probably had in mind.

Home Invasion

When we visited Grandma and Papa Joe in Spartanburg two weeks ago, Betty cried pretty hard upon arrival. She was just overwhelmed by all the attention. Even knowing that you can't take the actions of a 9-month-old personally (this is the person, after all, who eats ladybugs and has to be sequestered from the dog because she tries to remove Tessa's eyeballs) it may have hurt Papa Joe's feelings a bit. Well, Papa Joe, Betty had much the same reaction when Grandma and Grandpa arrived today from Cleveland. Here she is an hour or so after the trauma of receiving hugs and kisses, too tired to cry. Betty apparently does not know that grandparents are the single greatest resource for vetoes of parental decree (crap TV! dangerous toys! Oreos!) and this relationship should be cultivated.

The Best Medicine

Have you ever seen a constipated baby? It is a sad, sad sight. Betty and I were both in tears. Some prunes, a warm bath, and a tummy massage eventually seemed to help, but Betty wasn't having a very good day today. In an attempt to cheer her up, I pulled up a youtube video of a laughing baby. Betty enjoyed it so much that I decided to make a movie of her watching her movie. How meta.

Stop! Hammer Time.

I spent most of the afternoon at the house in Midlothian. I won't bore you with the details of the 3+ hour inspection except to note that the house is mostly in good shape except for one rather serious problem that we hope the seller will agree to fix. In general though the stuff the inspector found is stuff that Steele can do. (And we are going to buy a chainsaw! Fun!) On the way home I stopped at WalMart and got Betty a new toy, representative of the upcoming return to home maintenance (and also representative of the gender theory stuff I've been teaching my students this week--girls can play with tool toys too!). It's a hammer! I think I had more fun playing with it than Betty though. It makes funny sounds when you hammer with it, and the sound effect of (gently) tapping it on Betty's or Steele's or my own head is comedy gold.

Bear Hug

The bear here was a gift to Betty from my dissertation advisor, and he goes by his full name: Penn State Snuggle Bear. He is a very important member of our household, and Betty is only allowed to play with him while on the diaper changing table. He keeps her from trying to escape, at least for a few seconds. She's breaking the rules here because earlier she threw him off the table and I didn't retrieve him until right after this pic was taken. Do not believe her innocent face and relaxed pose; Betty is on a mission to kill Penn State Snuggle Bear, but it's hard to finish the job in 30 second increments.

Ch Ch Changes

It was a landmark day: inspection scheduled, loan application process started, healthcare reform bill passed, and a sippy cup added to the daycare bottle rotation. We're exhausted! Here's a post-bath Betty, playing with her feet and totally oblivious to any of it.

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Welcome Home

Here's Betty on her way into campus to scan and email our acceptance of the seller's counteroffer on the house! She looks a little worse for wear here (food in her hair, no socks) because we were in a hurry and because we've made great strides in the eating department and the more Betty can/will eat the messier she gets. (She's officially graduated to a sippy cup for all but the first and last feedings).

Buying a house is pretty big news, but the biggest news today is that when Steele got home from a weekend away at a conference, Betty was overjoyed and shouted "DA DA DA DA DADA DADA DAAAA!!!" when she saw him. Of course, minutes later she also did this when she saw Tessa. So I'm unconvinced. But there is no doubt that she's a Daddy's girl.

Shameless Self-Promotion

Click here to vote for Betty in the "Parenting [magazine] - Baby and Child Model Search contest."

If she wins, we get a Shutterfly prize package! Exciting!

Miss Muffet

Today is officially the first day of spring, and to celebrate this beautiful day I took Betty (and her stuffed bunny) on her first picnic. While she was napping I set up the quilt, Bumbo, and red-and-white gingham picnic basket out in the field in front of our house. When she woke up I dressed her in her blue jean romper and the baby bonnet my great-grandmother Verna Lee made when my mom was a baby. We sat there enjoying the sunshine and breeze and solitude, and I started to wonder if we were making a mistake, moving an hour away to suburbia. Then a (giant! hairy! googly-eyed!) spider crawled up onto the blanket and that was the end of that train of thought--and the picnic. We went inside to finish lunch.

As if the spider didn't make a compelling enough argument on his own for leaving Green Acres, today I had to call Poison Control because Betty ate a ladybug. I'm pretty sure she's eaten ladybugs before--in fact, I'm almost certain she ate one earlier today. Until now though there's only been circumstantial evidence: a red spotted wing stuck to her cheek, for example. This time, however, I caught her in the act. I smelled that horrible smell that anyone who's dealt with a ladybug infestation knows is the smell of a ladybug in distress. Sure enough, there was Betty, chewing. I'm really glad her pincer grasp is developed enough that she can pick up bits of cooked apple, cheese, and Cheerios, but I do wish she wouldn't use it to pig out at the all-u-can-eat ladybug buffet that is her nursery.

Screen Saver

Today was another hectic day that left no time for picture-taking, so here's another outtake from the WalMart photo shoot. Betty looks lovely in this one, and I managed to stay out of the frame. This one's an outtake because the scenery behind Betty is just a little too screen saver ca. 2000.

Scenery Chewing

We went to WalMart today for Betty's 9-month portrait (grandparents and aunts/uncles, be on the lookout as we will be sending some your way!). Here's one of the outtakes. Cute pic, except you can see my arm! It was there to keep Betty from launching herself off the table. The photographer actually asked me, "What did you do to her before you came to get her to act like this?" It wasn't a rude question...Betty was just full of her Bettitude, smiling and chewing the scenery--literally and figuratively. One older man, dressed in worn out clothes and with about as many teeth as Betty, stopped to watch. I guess Betty charmed him because he gave her a shiny dollar coin. I think she brightened his day, and he definitely brightened ours.

Stock Footage

Today we picked Betty up from daycare and drove out to Richmond to look again at the house we are most interested in buying. We got back past her bed time and the camera battery was dead, so there's no new pic today. I realize that I totally missed my chance to take a cute pic of Betty dressed all in green. UNC in the NIT and no St. Patrick's Day pic...talk about March Madness.

Flappers and Philosophers

Here's Betty "helping" me put away the huge pile of laundry generated by our trip and the hand-me-downs she got from Gretchen.

Mommy took out a pile of sleepers and began throwing them, one by one, before us, sleepers of soft jersey and thick fleece and fine terry cloth, which lost their folds as they fell and covered the carpet in many colored disarray. While we admired she brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher--sleepers with frog butts and giraffe feet and polka dots in pink and apple-green and lavender and bright blue, with monograms saying "thank heaven for little girls." Suddenly, with a strained sound, Betty bent her head into the sleepers and began to cry stormily. "Wah," she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. "Wah."

In case you are wondering, I'm teaching Gatsby this week.

BFF's

Today's pic was actually taken on Sunday, after Gretchen's dedication. I couldn't decide which photo was funnier--this one or the one of Betty driving--so I decided to post 'em both and not worry about taking a pic today. Good thing too as the only remarkable thing about today was that it marked the Worst Bath Ever.

This photo desperately needs word balloons. Feel free to use the comments to suggest ideas.

Driver's Ed

We headed back to Virginia today, and Steele got pretty tired of driving so he let Betty take the wheel for a spell. Even though she can't read the road signs, she's a surprisingly good driver.

Family Tree

We celebrated my birthday a few days early with a steak dinner at home. Usually we go out to eat for birthdays, but I mainly wanted the cousins to have a chance to play together. It was a lot of fun...Betty gave Gretchen some kisses and Gretchen showed Betty how to clap her hands. They were definitely more aware of one another this time than at Christmas.





For my birthday my mom framed 4 generations of baby pictures: my grandma Hattie, herself, me, and Betty.

Girl's Gone Wild

It doesn't feel like Spring Break with all the work and errands that we've been cramming into the days, but technically it is. So...taking advantage of the last day of no classes, we headed down to South Carolina to attend Gretchen's dedication ceremony. Here's Betty enjoying the cold tile in Grandma and Papa's kitchen.

MADD

Sorry it took me a while to get Thursday's picture up. Our house hunt is moving forward with some success, so soon (we hope) we will be able to use the internet rain or shine. This pic was taken under sad circumstances. We had just returned from a funeral. The wife of one of our colleagues--a woman with 9 children and stepchildren, 9 grandchildren, and who was a high school teacher and Christian missionary--was killed by a drunk driver. Sorry for the sad post today, but the message is clear: don't drink and drive.

Teaching Assistant

Here's Betty "helping" Daddy grade midterms. And yes, she did have sweet potatoes for dinner. How did you guess?

We were house hunting again all day, so today's post is going to be brief as my brain is currently full of numbers: interest rates, down payments, taxes, square footage and the like.

Part of This Complete Breakfast

Betty's interest in eating, and her basic eating skillz, have greatly improved this week. Suddenly she can pick up and eat little pieces of food: puffs, shredded cheese, pasta, and ladybugs. We'd tried Cheerios in the past without success, but today when I was eating my cereal as she crawled around the nursery I offered her an O and she loved it. She wanted more. Here she is climbing all over me, ignoring the Cheerios in my hand in her attempt to grab a fistful directly from the bowl.

Betty had her 9-month checkup today, including a Hep-B booster. I would say something about how she's now been out longer than she was in, but that's not entirely true. That milestone is March 16 or so since she was so late. But it was a big day nevertheless. She weighs 17 lbs 6 oz and is in the 25th percentile. She gained a whole pound this month, and is now officially in 9-month sized clothes.

Mass Transit

On nice days Betty and her classmates get to go for a ride outside in their six-seater buggy. She loves it! When we arrived at daycare today after a long day of house hunting, Betty & Co. were out and about enjoying the sunshine.

She's wearing the other hat Gretchen's Halmonie made for her. She's also wearing a bib that is not hers. Most importantly, though, she's wearing her famous Betty smile. This is the face that greets me every day at the end of the workday. We are so blessed!

Bad Hair Day

Betty's hair is getting long enough that it's starting to get in her eyes. To continue the recent list of Things Betty Has Inherited From Her Mother, I should note that she has inherited my hair. My hair is thick and wavy, and with practically no forehead I can't keep it out of my eyes without lots of wrestling, product, and cussing. I don't know what to do with my own hair, much less Betty's. Here you can see our first experiment with hairbows, or as Steele says in his Cleveland accent a BAR-rett (where the "bar" rhymes with "car"). This solution also solves the problem of Betty being mistaken for a boy. But it adds the problem of my constant worry that Betty will swallow the hairbow. Any moms out there want to weigh in on how to get wispy baby hair to stay back without creating a choking hazard?

Grass Roots

It was warm-ish outside today, and while Steele bathed Tessa in Skunk-Off (she's back inside tonight!) I let Betty crawl around in the yard. As far as I can recall, she's never had a chance to play in the grass. I think she liked it, and she tried to eat a leaf. The hat she's wearing is one of two that Gretchen's Halmoni crocheted for her. Betty had to get some hats custom-made because in addition to the tongue flip, she has also inherited from me and Papaw a giant cabeza, and her baby hats just don't fit.

Quality Control

Today's pic is not very good! Part of the problem is that Betty is so grimy when she gets home from daycare that I'm embarrassed to take her pic. Then we have supper, which just makes her messier, then a bath (which requires 2 hands and 100% focus on my part since Betty thinks she should be allowed to stand up in the bathtub). Then there's Naked Time (and we don't want to publish too many embarrassing nekkid pics of her). Then the lights go down to signal bedtime, so any images are dark and blurry. On day care days there just aren't too many photo ops. This is all complicated by Betty's current goal to eat the wrist strap that dangles from the camera. So what you have here is a dark, blurry pic of a tired baby who is mad because I keep taking the camera out of her reach.

Tongue Lashing

As Betty gets older it's fun to see certain traits emerge and to say "Oh, she gets that from so-and-so." This particular trait (talent?) she gets from me. Steele can't roll his tongue, but I can, and apparently so can Betty.

Edited to add: A lot of people say that Betty looks like me. (Except Steele who thinks she looks like my mom and, sometimes, his Aunt Sue). Betty bears very little resemblance to her cousin on my side of the family, the blonde-haired Gretchen, but somehow she reminds me of both Joseph and Carmella, her cousins on Steele's side--who look nothing like each other, or Steele.

This is all to say that DNA is very complicated and I'm pretty sure you need more than an old mosquito to make dinosaurs.

Greased Lightening

It's pretty cold here, so Naked Time lasts only as long as it takes me to "grease the baby" as I like to say (i.e. put her lotion on--inexplicably one of my favorite things ever, right up there with smelling dogs' feet. I'm weird, OK???). Greasing the baby was easier than usual tonight because instead of crawling away, she was busy trying to stand. In this pic she's holding on to me and her floor mat play gym thingy, but she did manage another hands-free stand (for a few seconds anyway)--we just didn't get a pic of it.

Radio Song

After watching Betty "dance" (bounce) for the 100th time to the canned music her little table plays, Steele and I felt sorry for her and decided that she needs more music in her life. We're pretty lo-tech here though, and our music collection only goes up to about 1999. Nevertheless, we brought this radio/CD player and a bunch of CD's into the nursery. She liked Roy Orbison.

Sizing Up

Betty got these cute frog-butt pj's for Christmas from Grandma and Papa. I requested size 9 months because in November Betty was growing like a weed and I figured by Christmas she'd have torn through her 6-mo. size clothes like the Incredible Hulk. Then she decided to stay in 6-month sized clothes through New Year's. Then Valentine's Day came and went, and she was still wearing 6-month stuff. Finally, I noticed over the weekend that some of her (now quite ratty) pj's suddenly didn't fit anymore, so I got these out. They're a little roomy, and most of her 9-month pants continue to swallow her whole, but I think she's growing again.