8 months

I've not been able to write for the last couple weeks.  We were on vacation!!  And then recovering from vacation.  I've been up to my eye balls in laundry.  And Quinn turned 8 months old!!

8 months:

You are still not eating much solids but nurse just as much as ever.  You do love your Cheerios and now peas as well- you like to feed yourself.  On vacation you were able to pull up all by yourself from sitting to a stand using the balcony railings.  Yesterday you were scooting forward on the blanket to get to the little seed pods falling from the trees and you wanted to eat them.  Your fine motor skills are really good, as you can pick up little seed pods with a pincer grip and get them to your mouth.  You notice little things like a fuzz on the blanket and you are very focused on figuring out what things are and being able to touch and grab them.  On vacation you started saying "mama" again and A LOT.  It melts my heart to hear you say it.  You've started to reach for me if you want to be held or to nurse.  You get shy when someone new is around but you still let others hold you after the initial greeting.  You just smile and burrow into my neck and glance bashfully, smiling and burrowing, when you meet someone new or who you haven't seen in a while.  It's the sweetest thing.  You still wake up once or twice to eat at night but I am used to it now.  You are getting your top two teeth in!  One has already broken through.  It doesn't seem to bother you too much but it might explain the runny nose you've been having.

I love you, love you, love you my sweet girl.

 You loved playing the piano with Great Grandma!

 

You love your puppy brother Ozark.

 

You were on the blanket and you shimmied your way into the grass and sat yourself up!

You love to explore and learn.

 

You Are Amazing!

Little girl, you are amazing!  You thrill me.  You wow me.  Yesterday, March 14th, you got up on all fours, hands and knees, crawling position.  I looked over and you were just holding this position like, "Yeah, ok, I can do this, nice!"  Then you slowly went to your stomach.  Then last night at about 3:30 you woke up crying and I looked at the monitor and you were sitting up in your crib!!  What!!  How did that happen!! 

You are so fun.  :)  I love, love, love you my sweet baby girl!

31 Days of Play

Day 9:  Yogurt Painting

Today Q did some yogurt painting.  I know Jeff would cringe at this idea but that is because he doesn't like messy things, but when it comes to fun messy things- I am all in.  I saw the idea for yogurt painting on Pinterest and adapted it.  I used: two cups of plain yogurt, food coloring, a baking sheet, a bathtub.  I stripped Q down to her diaper and put her in the bathtub with a baking sheet.  I started with just the white yogurt and then added blue and green yogurt (that I had previously mixed with food coloring).  Of course she loved it!  She dove right in. . . literally- she leaned forward and was on her stomach in it within seconds, then she got mad so I sat her back up.  She mixed it, swirled it around, slapped it so that it splattered, tasted it.  Then when she was all done I just rinsed everything off down the drain, took off her diaper, and gave her a quick bath.  And she was all ready for her nap :)

31 Days of Play

Day 8:  Independent Play & The Zoo

Last night I placed a blanket with a yoga mat on top on the hard kitchen tiles and let Quinn engage in some "independent play" using ideas from the articles I read.  I got a milk crate and placed items in it to keep in the kitchen for her to play with.  These include: bowls, various tupperware, bottle parts, empty lotion bottles.  These are items that we aren't using so I can keep them tucked away just for her play.  I sat her on the mat and placed items around her and just let her do her thing.  And she did great!  She picked what she wanted to explore, she reached, rolled, banged things together, dropped, put in her mouth, etc.  She was happily content playing there while I made dinner and again while we cleaned up.

 

 

 

Today we went to the zoo!!  I bought a zoo pass this week and was so excited to use it.  It was worth it just to not have to wait in line for tickets, we got right in.  It was a gorgeous 75 degree March day.  When we saw the sheep Quinn started babbling her favorite sound "ba, ba, ba".  She's my little genius.  :p
 

31 Days of Play- What I am learning today.

As I am exploring infant play I have been reading some different articles on play.  Today I read a lot about independent play.  This involves giving babies open ended toys (cups, scarves, wooden blocks, balls, plastic jugs, etc.) and letting them choose and engage on their own- without showing them how to do things and without handing them what to play with.  It is hard to just observe and respond with Q leading (meaning I speak to her when she babbles to me or when she looks up at me instead of interrupting her attention)- it takes a lot of patience and trust.  I struggle with my own attention and it's hard to not feel that I need to consistently engage Q or be making noise, talking to her, etc.

As someone who has a degree in Early Childhood Education I guess I naturally take an interest in these topics, enough that it held MY attention to read several articles.  It certainly interests me more now with my own baby, plus I ended up teaching elementary school- not working with infants/toddlers.  So although I feel that perhaps I should already know how to do all of this, I am a bit rusty, and I must give myself grace.  Plus, as a teacher, I am an advocate of "Life Long Learning".  :)


The article below is from:  http://www.regardingbaby.org/2011/11/02/what-is-play/ 

Play (exploring) is everything your baby does. She does it naturally. Before she even plays with toys, she is “playing” and learning when she looks at her hands, or kicks her feet. She is experimenting, and learning how her body works. Everything is so new to a baby, and so everything is an experiment to try to find out how things work. She uses all of her senses when she plays. When she begins to pick up toys and taste them, bang them, drop them, and retrieve them, she is playing. When she responds to your words by babbling,  smiling, cooing, or she makes raspberries to get your attention, she is playing. As she moves, or plays with sounds, or drops and retrieves a toy, she is learning. She might repeat actions over and over with little differences.

You don’t have to hand her toys or show her what do to. You just have to provide a safe space for her to explore, and include simple objects, like balls, cups, spoons, dolls, empty containers, blocks, scarfs- toys that do nothing, so your baby can be active in discovering and creating her own understanding of the world. The very first play object we offer a baby in parent/infant classes is a cotton scarf, which we place in a peak, where a baby laying on her back can see it, and reach for it when she’s ready.This scarf is a staple of the play room from the time babies are about four months old, until they”graduate” from class at two years old. The babies use the scarfs in a variety of different ways as they grow. As your child moves from infancy into young toddlerhood, you can add a few more objects or elements (but choose wisely) to the play area, or vary the toys to  provide different opportunities for her to explore. Sand, water, climbing toys, push and pull toys, empty boxes, and (once she’s well past putting things into her mouth) play dough are some suggestions.

You don’t have to do anything but trust, watch, and enjoy. Watch to see what she’s interested in, what she does with the play objects you’re providing. Watch to see how her understanding of the world and the people in it changes and grows. Soon you will see her begin to initiate and engage in play with other children. At first, she will begin to notice other children more and more, and try to make contact, maybe by touching, or taking or exchanging toys, then progress to playing peek-a-boo, or chase. At some point, you’ll notice she starts to engage in pretend play- pretending to “talk”  on the phone, or drink from a cup, or pat her baby to sleep. As her understanding of her world and the people and things in it grows, so does her play become ever more complex, and sophisticated.

You offer the greatest gift when you allow your child to play her way, with you as a witness to her discoveries: This is what Magda Gerber called “wants nothing” time: “Most of us are used to, and conditioned to, doing something. “Wants nothing” time is different, more a time for taking in and waiting. We fully accept the infant’s beingness just by our own receptive beingness.”  We also allow, encourage and protect a baby’s natural ability to experience joy in  learning and creation, while she builds her self confidence, and attention span-and more. These are the “bonuses” of self directed, or free play.

 Other interesting articles:
http://www.janetlansbury.com/2011/08/the-secrets-of-infant-learning/
http://www.janetlansbury.com/2010/10/better-toys-for-busy-babies/

31 Days of Play

Day 6:  St. Patty's 4 Mile Run/Walk

Today Jeff, Quinn, and I did a 4 mile run/walk with Stephanie, Eric, and Caleb.  We walked a mile to Westport for the race and then home after the race so we actually did over 6 miles today.  The race was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect.  We took the kids in a double jogging stroller and took turns pushing it.  After the race we had brunch at the Swanson's house and sat outside to enjoy more of the beautiful day.  Then tonight Quinn experienced Daddy's love for Mizzou basketball and we watched MU win the Big 12 Championship.

 

Q wore her track suit for the race.  

And look at her pink hair clip!  She looks like a little girl!

Day 7:  Sick Day

It's pouring outside.  Quinn may be sick for the first time :( she has a crazy cough and a very runny nose.  So we are not doing much of anything today, except trying to get Q to nap and wiping lots of snot off her face while she yells at us.

31 Days of Play

Day 4: Bubbles

Quinn did not take a whole lot of notice of the bubbles but she did love reaching for the bubble tumbler and pulling out the wand.  Let me just tell you that the $1.99 I spend on the little bubble tumbler was WELL worth it.  It DID NOT SPILL a drop!!  I don't know how this magical little device works but Q was flipping and rolling it all over the place and nothing came out!

Day 5: Peek-A-Boo Fruit

I put a lemon and a pear under two small bowls and let Quinn figure out how to uncover them.  Then I narrated her exploration and labeled the fruits and their colors and what we do with them.  She explored with her hands and her mouth.  Then I cut up the pear and let her eat some.

adapted from: http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2011/05/peek-a-boo-fruit.html

31 Days of Play

Day 3:  Sensory Tub

I gathered different textured material scraps, ribbons, and yarn and let Quinn experiment with and enjoy her first sensory tub.  First she loved pulling out the yarn and ribbons to chew on.  Then the tub became a drum and soon she chewed on the tub as well.  Then she figured out how to pull the ball of yarn apart and had great fun doing that.  Tomorrow I will add a wooden spoon and maybe some small plastic cups or bowls. 

 

31 Days of Play

I am going to embark on a journey in play this month.  Yes, I know it's March 5th so I am 5 days behind, but such is life.  :)  I am going to try to do a *new* activity or outing each day with Quinn using some activities I find on Pinterest and from this blog:
http://www.dirtandboogers.blogspot.com/p/31-days-of-play.html

I am sick on "pinning" great ideas and not using them.  So this is my challenge.  I want to engage Quinn and let her explore the world.

Day 1:(Today I was planning so this is a freebie.)
Today Quinn and I got our first mother-daughter pedicure with Aunt Brooke!  She was soooo good the whole time.  She just sat on my lap and played with her rattles and looked at the colored lights in the water.

Day 2:
Quinn and I went to "Bring Your Baby Matinees" to see "The Vow" with our new friends, Alicia and her son Jude.  She did great, just sat on my lap and played and then nursed.  After the movie we sat outside and ate ice cream.  It was a lot of fun, we plan on going again next month.
http://pregnant.thebump.com/bring-your-baby.aspx?MsdVisit=1

This evening Quinn and I sat outside since the weather was AMAZING and I attempted to BBQ (Jeff is out of town).  Steph, Eric, and Caleb came over to join us for dinner.

Tonight I gave Quinn a bath and we did this activity:

Shower Power

Splish-splashing in the bath lets your baby explore the thrill of making something happen – and because water is such fun to manipulate, he's flexing those fine motor skills to boot. Here's a game where he actually gets to make it "rain."
Appropriate for: 7 months to 1 year
Skills developed: Fine motor, sense of cause and effect
What you'll need: A small, empty, clean plastic food container (like a tub that held cottage cheese or yogurt) with a lid; something sharp to make holes in the container's lid

Using a knife, fork, or scissors, punch small holes in the container's lid. Fill the container with water and snap the lid on. Once your baby is in the bath, show him how to turn the container upside down and sprinkle water into the tub. A water toy like this has endless potential: As your child becomes more skillful, he can help a doll or rubber ducky take a "shower," he can take a shower himself like Mom and Dad, or he can make it "rain" over the water – and you can point out how the droplets make ripples on the surface.

from:http://www.babycenter.com/0_lets-play-choo-choo-training-shower-power_1498486.bc

Quinn LOVES bath time but she was not interested in making it rain.  She just wanted to splash and play with her rubber ducky and try to grab the spout.  :)