Mans Best Friend

I love this picture on so many different levels - I like the color, the angle, and the fact that I'm glad that the doggies have a new friend who feeds them cheerios while trying to feed herself.  Whenever she sits at her high chair or chair hooked to the counter, she hangs her hand down just asking the dogs to giver her kisses (even if they're feet below her and don't stand a chance of being petted).  Whenever I let the dogs out of their crate, Bailey always goes straight to the couch where Sarah normally sits to say hi, before greeting me (or scratching at the door to go outside).  When she cries in the middle of the night, sometimes I go into her room and I notice the door has been pushed open and Toby or Bailey is sleeping next to her crib.  I just hope this love between them continues when she tries to start riding them or pulling their tails.   

On the Move

Sarah was a late mover.  I was a spoiled mom.  Ever since she's been born she's liked to be upright.  Even in the hospital she was never a baby that you could snuggle in your arms and rock to sleep - she much preferred to be over your shoulder looking around at the world.  I think it was that predisposition that had her sitting at a young age - around 5 months.  However, she had no desire to move once she was upright.  She'd grunt and groan if something she wanted was out of her reach, but she didn't seem to realize that by rolling over or scooting forward she might actually be able to attain it for herself. She also has never like sleeping on her back, so I think that delayed her rolling - she's preferred to sleep on her side since she was very young, and if you put her on her back, she was talented enough to get herself to her side to get back to sleep - and mommy and daddy liked this too, because a baby on her side was much less likely to lose her binky.

Somewhere near the end of May she decided she'd start rolling over.  Somewhere near the beginning of June she decided to start "inchworm crawling", where she'll put the entire front half of her body down on the floor, scoot her legs forward, lift her body up, and try again.  If I can figure out how to link video to this/get video off our camcorder, I'll post video of it because it's quite funny.  Recently, we've moved forward toward what I consider real crawling.  She doesn't quite move forward yet on hands and knees, but she holds herself up on them, and will move one leg forward before she loses track of what she wanted to do.

Moving has become a challenge and a game to her.  Pillows, dogs, and legs are now obstacles to cross.  I left her on the floor in our bedroom to run downstairs to get her bottle, and I can't do that anymore as when I came back she had crawled under the baby gate blocking the entrance to our room and had got herself stuck.  She doesn't pull herself up on objects yet, but can push herself up to her legs - so if I'm lying down she'll crawl over to me and push herself to a modified plank position on her hands and legs.  I envy her ab strength. Twice while writing this I had to stop to keep her from crawling off the couch.  Unfortunately along with her new-found mobility does not come an appreciation for being on top of high places. 

Standing makes her happy - whenever she's upset, most of the time if you just put her in a standing position she calms right down.  I hope she'll make it the next three weeks, but I suspect my post summer school time will be spent baby proofing the house.  And thus ends 9 months of relative peace.

Sarah loves her musical table - mostly because it's the right height to stand up against!

Down on the Farm (in South Riding)

Sarah does not like goats.  Or camels, or cows, or a large furry animal that we could not figure out what it was.  Yesterday we went to the "Celebrate South Riding" festival where there was a free petting zoo.  Sarah does great with Toby and Bailey - she lets them lick her face, she pets them, sticks her fingers in their mouths, so I figured a petting zoo would be something that she was into.  I was wrong.  This was the first time I ever saw abject fear in my daughter.  Anytime I put her anywhere near the animals (and some of the kids (goats, not humans) were really really tiny!) she would cower into my shoulder and start crying.  Every time.  Every  animal.  It wasn't the size of the animal - the baby goats were just as scary as the camel - it was the fact they were animals.  I worry now about taking her to Disney - will the giant life sized mouse freak her out too?

I did have T.J. take one picture of us trying to pet the animals. 


So we missed our afternoon nap yesterday - we slept so well in the morning that she wasn't ready for  a nap until we were already heading out the door.  My goal was to make it to the fireworks because I love fireworks, but as soon as she had a meltdown I was prepared to leave.  We lucked out - no meltdown!  She just fell asleep for a nap right in my arms.

Considering how scary the goats were, we really weren't sure how fireworks would go over.  But the loud noises and bright lights didn't seem to phase her.  I think she's become accustomed to loud bangs and barks at home.  Special thanks to Toby and Bailey for prepping Sarah to not freak out in the presence of startling noises.

So newest lessons learned in parenting.  We can stay out past bedtime without meltdowns, goats are scary, and fireworks are fun.  I think we can live with that.  P.S.  Sarah has her first boyfriend :)