Irelyn {8 Months}

8 Months Old, March 5, 2013

Sweet Baby Girl,

You are 8 months old!

Here's what you've been up to:

• Eating solids, actually eating and not just smooshing them out with your tongue (bye-bye tongue thrust!).  It is fun to try new foods with you, your favorite right now is applesauce.  You still have to make a grimace face every time the spoon hits your mouth- it's like you anticipate a yucky flavor!  I was surprised to find you liked clementines too, I thought they might be too sour for you.

Grandma feeding you peas... yummy

Feeding yourself... mmm squash!

• You are giving HUGS- which is adorable, though you still aren't super snugly- you are a busy girl and  have to watch what's happening around you.
• I've said it before but you are SUCH an observer!  You love to study faces of new people and touch faces of people you know.

• First Valentine's Day- Daddy bought you a ceramic ladybug ornament- you really liked the tag on it, go figure.

• Playtime involves lots of peek-a-boo, talking, chewing, drooling, and silly faces!  You are really turning into quite the goof-ball!

The "Binky Sandwich"

• You started physical therapy again to work on your neck muscles.  At this point you are not behind but you could be if we don't get these neck problems conquered.  You still hate tummy time because it hurts to lift your head upwards, poor baby :(.  This is keeping you from working towards crawling.  You are still not doing a great push up and have yet to get up on your hands and knees. The PT thinks you'll improve quickly- we just gotta keep working with you- even when you cry and scream because you don't want to stretch.  

• You smile and jabber a lot, even in church, which is pretty funny- I think you like to fill those prayerful silences.  Luckily we've had several people tell us they like to hear you "talking" during the service!
• You experienced your first big snow!  Pretty much all of Kansas got almost a foot of snow!  Daddy was out of school for 4 days so you had lots of cuddle time and Mommy had a nice break :).  You weren't really interested in the snow when we took you out, just watching the dogs (snow makes our dogs a bit crazy and quite frisky).   We actually braved the bad roads on one of the snow days to take you to the doctor.  You were pulling on your ears and whining a lot, we thought you had an ear infection- luckily you didn't, just fussy from teething.

Morning coffee time with Daddy

Crazy snow dogs

Walks with Daddy put you to sleep!

Baby girl you are just amazing!  Even though I'm often sleep deprived or tired of listening to whining from the never-ending teething, all those smiles, giggles, hugs, and joy that you bring make it all worth it!  

We just love you to pieces!  

Love you Ladybug!

Love,

Mommy

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!

When you decide to make cookies, why not make three batches at once... especially if you have a 7 month old who insists on your constant attention unless sleeping :).
These are three family favorites, they always turn out great, plus they freeze well!

Rolled Sour Cream Cookies

**My Grandma B's recipe and my dad's favorite!  Light, fluffy, and lemony!**

1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1 c. sour cream
1 t. lemon extract
1 t. vanilla (optional)
3 1/2 c. flour

Topping:
sprinkles (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Mix in eggs.  Add rest of ingredients, mix until blended.  Roll out 1/4" thick and cut, add sprinkles.*  OR simply use a cookie scoop then add sprinkles.  Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.
*This dough is very soft, it helps to stick the dough in the refrigerator for a good hour until it stiffens up if you plan on rolling it out and using cookie cutters.  Flouring the work surface, rolling pin, and cookie cutters before using the dough also helps.  I prefer to use the cookie scoop because it's easier.  They should not be browned on top.

Snickerdoodles

**My Grandma Q's favorite!  Sugary outside, soft inside, smell amazing!**

1 c. butter or shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. soda
1/4 t. salt
2 T. sugar
1 t. cinnamon

Mix butter, sugar, and eggs thoroughly.  Sift together flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt; stir into first mixture.  Form into balls the size of a walnut.  Roll balls in mixture of 2 T. sugar and 1 t. cinnamon.  Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.  They puff up during baking but settle down and look sugary and crinkly.  Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes.  Yield: 5 dozen.

Peanut Butter Cookies

**My hubby's favorite!  Chewy, chewy, chewy :)**

1 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. butter or margarine
3 T. milk
1 T. vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 c. flour
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, milk, and vanilla in large bowl.  Beat at medium speed until well blended.  Add egg, beat just until blended.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to creamed mixture at low speed.  Mix just until blended.  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart unto ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with fork.  Bake 7-8 minutes.

Happy baking!

Irelyn {7 Months}

7 Months Old

Sweet Baby Girl,

You are 7 months old!

Mommy doesn't have a whole lot of changes to report in you... other than you can now sit up extremely well on your own!  Yeah!

Your balance had been pretty good for awhile so we knew it was only a matter of time.  You really mastered it when Mommy and Daddy went on a date (for the first time since you were born!) and Grandma and Grandpa babysat (Jan. 31st).  We came back and you were sitting tall and proud! 

It is nice to be able to put you in the high chair and not worry so much about you slipping down or toppling over, though we still tie you in with Grandma's tea-towels since we're using Great-Grandpa's antique high chair (no safety harnesses back then!).

You still talk to us a lot and dazzle us with your smiles.

You still know how to roll from front to back and back to front, you just choose not to now that you know how to sit... which is fine, except it's not helping improve your skills for crawling when all you want to do is sit on your own.

Your eating and sleeping haven't changed too much at this point.

Peek-a-boo is a BIG hit with you right now, whether we hide and pop up to surprise you or whether we cover your face with a burp rag and you pull it off suddenly, it always elicits a big smile or giggle out of you... so cute!

The teething is still continuing with no teeth to show for it, we have occasionally given you Tylenol to help you sleep. 

We are waiting for you to really start enjoying solids, you still have the tongue-thrust reflex.

You are such an observer and quite curious about any new object that comes within reach!

Sometimes I think we can see the gears turning as you learn new things!

You are getting to be such a big girl!

Keep smiling Ladybug!  

We love you bunches!

Love,

Mommy

Irelyn {6 Months}

6 Months Old, January 5, 2013

Sweet baby girl,

I can hardly believe you are six months old.

We have had you in our lives for half a year!

6 month stats:

Height: 26.2 in., 64th%
Weight: 15 lb. 1 oz., 30th%
Head: 42.5 cm., 51st%
Diaper: Size 2 sposies, most of your cloth dipe snaps are fully out length-wise

The infant stage of unpredictability (well, maybe some infants are predictable but you weren't!) has passed.

I can usually predict your hungry/sleepy times now which makes going out loads easier.

I still haven't gone on long errands solo with you... Mommy's chicken :).

A few highlights of month six:

- Your first Christmas!

- You attended your first funeral, your Great-Grandma Quiring passed away and we celebrated her life New Years weekend.  You were in the nursery for the service but then everyone enjoyed holding you during the fellowship meal, such a little dazzler!

- Dec. 31 you found your feet and promptly started sticking them in your mouth.

- You are an observer, you study things carefully (and then stick them in your mouth).

- You LOVE your taggy blankets.

- You hate getting dressed, especially putting your arms in sleeves, and you fuss fuss fuss during the whole process!

- Tummy time has progressed significantly and you no longer cry when we put you on your tummy!  Hooray!  As a result, your neck muscles are getting so much looser and your arms stronger.  This has all but gotten rid of the plageocephaly/torticollis.  You are still tight turning to the right but it is hardly noticeable anymore!

- Mommy witnessed you rolling back to front a couple times this month, though not frequently.

- You are still loud and chatty and you make the funniest sounds!  We love hearing you talk to us!

- We have tried solids more consistently this past month.  I read it doesn't matter if you start your baby with sweet foods, so, figuring you would like fruit better than rice cereal I tried bananas and applesauce.  You don't like either!!!  Silly baby.  You do however like sweet potatoes and squash.  You like to feed yourself and will grab the spoon out of Mommy's hand (Grandma says Mommy was an independent feeder too :).

- We spent the last half of December packing to move as Daddy accepted a teaching job (yay!).  Mommy got to experience attempting to pack while caring for a 6 month old... I think I should get some kind of award for this!  You do not like being left alone on the floor or in your bouncer for too long so I packed in spurts!

- You still aren't sleeping through the night without eating... Mommy gets up at least three times a night... sometimes four or five :(.  SO ready for that to be over, but I remind myself that at least you go right back to sleep.

- You usually don't like to be held or rocked when you're going to sleep, you arch your back and fuss.  I guess we did too good of a job sleep-training you to put yourself to sleep!

- I still swaddle you for sleep time but you do not tolerate your arms being swaddled anymore, which is fine, except for the fact that you pull your binkie out which makes you wake up or cry.

- You still LOVE reading eating books!

You are changing SO much each month, can't wait to see what next month brings!

Love you bunches Ladybug!

Love,

Mommy