Sitting Pretty Take 2

I can do it! I can sit up!

It is my absolute favorite thing to do, and I really enjoy practicing.

Who needs to roll over when you can sit up?

And best of all, I got to show my new skills to Sam and Polly, who came over for brunch recently. They were *really* impressed.

The Many Faces of Jane

Check me out, folks. No Botox here.

Equal Opportunity Food Lover

Mom was planning on waiting until I was six months old to start solid food. But apparently all I had to do was oogle the squash she was preparing and look really cute (read: hungry!), and she totally caved. So far I have tried and enjoyed butternut squash and rice cereal. Today, apples!

As you can see, I'm catching on very quickly.

Yum!

25 Random Things About Me

Due to the recent popularity of the Facebook 25 Things phenomenon, I decided to write my own list.

1. I was born in water.

2. I was named after my paternal grandmother and maternal great-grandmother.

3. It appears I'll have my Daddy's (blue) eyes.

4. I wear cloth diapers. My parents think this is the best thing ever and would love to tell you how easy it is.

5. I love music. My favorite song is Baby Beluga.

6. Mommy and Baby yoga does not bring me inner peace.

7. I'm not allowed to watch TV. Except for Obama-related events and Illini basketball.

8. I am too long for most of my clothes. We had to get extenders for my onesies.

9. I get all my beer (and most of my clothes) secondhand.

10. There are about 20 kids under age 10 living on my block. About 5 of them were born in 2008.

11. I was born in super-hero stance, with one arm up by my head.

12. My bedroom is yellow!

13. I sleep an average of 13.6 hours per day. And yes, there's a spreadsheet.

14. I have a dog named Mayday. I am surprisingly unphased by her dog breath.

15. I can turn from my front to back, but not from back to front.

16. My feet were huge when I was born, but not anymore.

17. I do some of my best work when naked.

18. I am obsessed with the owl print in my room, and newly, the colorful paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. I just can't sleep if I don't wish them goodnight.

19. I eat for about an hour before I go to sleep, which usually helps me sleep through the night.

20. I suck my thumb. Actually, both of them.

21. I love plants. I wish Mommy was better at keeping them alive.

22. I like my Daddy's watch, and yanking on my Mommy's new bangs.

23. All of my vehicles are red... the stroller, the Volvo, and of course my Radio Flyer wagon.

24. I was born in the same town as some guy named Ernest Hemmingway.

25. I am starting to figure out how to get a leg up under myself. Watch out world!

Tagged in this entry: Polly, Sam, Calder, Domingo, and Amalia.

Baby Fest 2009

I *finally* got to meet some of the other babies from Mom and Dad's birth class the other day. We met up at our new favorite place (the Garfield Park Conservatory) for a big party.

It was great hanging out with Frida, Joy, and Camille and their mommies. Next time, I hope Asim and Tristan can join us, too. Let's do it again soon!

Making Mommy's Day

You should have seen her, folks. She actually squealed and jumped up and down.

Get a life, Mom.

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Sitting Pretty

Since my embarrassing experience trying to sit up for a picture with Polly and Sam, I've been determined to sit up properly. Check me out!

Ok, so I've had to rely on some modern conveniences... but I'm working on it!

Five Months Old!

Oh my goodness! I blinked, and a month went by. How does this happen? Well, my darling, it has been a wonderful month. To celebrate your five-month birthday, we met up with a bunch of your friends at the Garfield Park Conservatory. It was our first time there, and it is amazing! We will definitely be going back frequently. You were enthralled with all the plants towering overhead -- you just wanted to examine and touch (and eat) everything. We've generally been getting out more lately, and you're loving all the new sights.

You are such a delight these days, I am such a spoiled mama. You truly fall asleep by yourself now, rather than my spending most of my day trying to get you to nap, and you've been sleeping through the night regularly. Hallejuliah. You're even starting to play in the bath a little -- quite an improvement from the screaming fits you were having a month ago. You want to play a lot, and eat a lot, but you still aren't very mobile. This may be partly due to the fact that you are an Amazon baby. You're still working on rolling over consistently. You've done it a couple of times, but not for a few weeks now. I'm sure you'll be all over the place before I know it, though.

Right now, though you play vigorously, I wouldn't say you're a super active baby. You explore new things very deliberately. I put you in Sam's jumperoo to play the other day. Sam is the world's most active baby, and he just goes bonkers in that thing. You, by contrast, quietly examined the toys on one side for a while, then inched your way around to the other side to check those toys out, all wide-eyed and serious. It was too funny.

You still prefer social interaction to any other type of play. You lose the seriousness, and you smile, giggle, and make raspberries to entertain us. It is highly effective! You also still love music. You have a few favorite songs that will avert even the most trembly lip like magic (like Baby Beluga for the millionth time).

Isn't it funny how parents look for clues to our babies' personalities? I am so thrilled when you respond to music, when you squirm toward the bookshelf repeatedly, or when you want to be shown all the art in the house. I rave about how Janie loves music, how your first word will be "book", how you're going to be artistic, and so on. But of course I politely ignore your gaping response to the slightest glimpse of TV. Don't tell anyone, but you love TV, too (which is promptly extinguished whenever you're around).

There wasn't much in the way of milestones or firsts this month, and even though the weather was record-breaking cold, we had a blast. I never imagined I would be a stay-at-home mom, but I am loving spending every day with you and still can't imagine going back to work. I often say to your dad that my job is way more fun than his, and it's so true. Don't worry, Daddy likes his job too.

We love you, sweet Janie. Keep on rockin' (and eventually you'll roll over).

Love,

Mommy