Let The Good Times Roll

Dear Delilah,

Last week when we were at the Chiropractor, a woman who was admiring you asked me how old you are. When I told her you were 8 months old, she exclaimed "Oh! That's when they really start to get fun!" You know what? She was right!

Make no mistake; you've been an absolute joy from the moment you came into our world. Save for those episodes of inconsolable screaming in the middle of the night, but fortunately, that phase was short-lived. While your existence thus far has brought us happiness and awe at the miracle of life being created from love (and all that mushy stuff), these last few weeks have been an absolute blast. You have us laughing from the moment we wake up in the morning (except maybe this morning, when you decided that 6 am was happy fun play time) and all throughout the day.

You are becoming so very inquisitive. I can watch you and just see the wheels turning in your mind as you try to figure something out.



You haven't started crawling yet, but that doesn't stop you from getting around. You've graduated from the inchworm to rolling everywhere. You roll your way half-way across a room in mere seconds. I think you'd roll from here to California, if I'd let you!

You like to learn with your mouth, and will taste (or try to taste) just about anything you can get your hands on, like Daddy's coffee:




Your own foot:




And even Grandma Laurel's coffee table:



The other day when you rolled across the room and off your blanketed play area, I caught you licking the wood floor! I'm no germophobe, and believe that exposure to icky stuff here and there makes for a strong immune system, but YUCK!

This certainly is a fun age, and I'm so grateful for the time I get to spend playing with you, enjoying you, and watching while you grow and blossom. It seems like just yesterday that you were a tiny little floppy bundle. Already, you're growing up too fast. Slow down, baby girl, and enjoy the ride!

Love,

Mama



*Photos by Grandma Laurel

The Hills Are Alive...

Dear Delilah,

Music has been a part of your life from the very beginning. While I was pregnant with you, I sang to you daily, and played guitar for you...up until my belly got too big to do so comfortably! Your daddy played guitar and sang for you in the womb, too! The regular singing and guitar playing continued after your birth. Daddy takes care of most of the guitar duties, since as you'll come to find out, he's a much better guitar player than I am! It doesn't stop me from torturing you with my playing every now and again though!



Your daddy and I have both created stations for you on Pandora Radio. I'm not sure how daddy made his, but I made mine by "liking" (or not) each song based on your reaction to it.

The more you babble, we differentiate what seems like singing from what seems like talking. We've let you try your hand at egg-shaker maracas, and I must say that your sense of rhythm is impressive for a baby your age! When we went to visit your Grandma Laurel in May, you got to play the organ for the first time.



You were captivated by the big sounds that came out with each tap of the keys from your tiny little fingers. During that same visit, Grandma Laurel gave you a little toy piano to play with. Over the past week, it has become your favorite toy, and has lent itself to lessons from your mama in solfege (Do, a dear a female dear; Re, a drop of golden sun!). You've started singing along as you gleefully bang on the keys, and, perhaps accidentally, have even matched the tone you are singing with the note you are playing a few times!



It is certainly no surprise that you're taking to music. Your father and I have wondered since before you were even born what sort of music you'd like. Will you pick up all things strings like your Luthier father? (Rumor has it he can hold his own with a saxophone, too.) Will you prefer singing and dancing in a show choir like your mama? Maybe flute and piano like Grandma Bev? Perhaps you'll take after your Grandma Laurel, a music teacher, and play a bit of everything! Of course there's always the chance you'll take after your Uncle Rudy, and go the route of a star athlete instead!

Whatever path you follow, you've got no shortage of cheerleaders in your corner, ready to support you in all of your endeavors. The interests you pursue will be your choice, but you can bet that your mom and dad will gently nudge you in the direction of all things musical!

Love,

Mama

A Link in the Chain

Dear Delilah,

Today, you are officially 8 months old, and I find myself wondering where on earth those 8 months went! Wasn't it just last week that we brought home a squeaky, floppy newborn? We had no idea what was in store for us. You are right on the verge of so many milestones. Your first tooth seems to be very close to making an appearance, and you seem to be about to start crawling at any moment. You are getting better at using your hands every day, and keep growing stronger and stronger all around.

We had a bit of sad news today. Your Great-Grandma Lillian (Daddy's Daddy's Mom) passed away this morning. Neither you nor I had the pleasure of meeting her, but I was honored to get a phone call from her on Mother's day and tell her all about you, her first great-grandchild. She was elated to know that you were in the world, and hoped to meet you.

I have a mixed up ball of emotions in reaction to her passing. I'm saddened by the loss to our family, and regret that we didn't make a trip to visit her so that she could meet you. We didn't realize what a short window of opportunity we had. While I didn't get to meet her in person, I am, and will forever be connected to her, through you. You exist, in part because she existed. I have no doubt that as you grow, your family will recognize characteristics in you that came from her. You are a continuation of the family she began with your Great Grandpa Herman, a link in a family chain that shall live on, unbroken.

One day, I will be faced with the responsibility of helping you to understand the concept of death, of loved ones moving on from this life. Today is not that day, but it will come. I only hope that I will have the grace and presence of mind to do so in a way that leaves you all at once thoughtful, nostalgic, and optimistic about the circle of life, and the interconnectedness of us all. I'm hugging you a bit tighter today, dear one, as I look deep within you for pieces of your father's beloved grandmother, a woman who will live on through you.

Love,

Mama

Fun With Food

Dear Delilah,

For the first 6 months of your life, your only source of nourishment was my milk. On the day you turned 6 months old, we offered you your first taste of "real" food. (Make no mistake, mama's milk is as real as it gets!) Like all of the other decisions we've made so far regarding your care, we did plenty of research into how to feed you. We knew we would give you a vegetarian start in life, until you're old enough to understand what meat is and how it goes from being an animal to being on a plate. But what would your first food be? Rice cereal is a popular choice. Jarred purees are another common first food for babies. (When I was pregnant with you, your father bought a few jars of organic baby food to taste test!) Perhaps we'd make our own purees at home.

I started to hear about something called "baby-led weaning", which basically means allowing a baby to experiment with regular food in baby-friendly sizes and textures. Instead of parents giving mushy food on spoons, babies feed themselves! Your first meal included some wedges of avocado and some chunks of banana. Your uncertainty about this strange new adventure was brief; you've taken to solid food like a fish to water!

You've only been eating solid food for 2 months, but you've gotten to try a variety of fruits and vegetables, and everything from little bits of vegetarian "chicken" nuggets to the fistful of pasta & pesto you grabbed off my plate the other night. One of your favorite foods is asparagus roasted in olive oil; a food I didn't even sample until my mid-twenties!

Tonight for dinner, you started off with some peach and blueberries:



Then you had your first taste of zucchini, from our trip to the farmer's market this morning. I slice it up and sauteed it in olive oil. Simple and delicious:



Next up were green beans; one of your favorites! These also came from the farmer's market, but very soon, we'll get to pick fresh beans from our own garden!



Last but not least, a few spoonfuls of the lentil "stroganoff" concoction I made, mixed up with some rice:



Your daddy isn't a big fan of lentils, but he wasn't home!

It is such a pleasure to watch you explore and enjoy the different tastes, colors, and textures of healthy and nutritious food. You feed yourself as much as you want, and you feed our dog Sadie a little taste every now and then too! It didn't take her long to learn that the best place to be during meal time is as close to your high chair as possible!

I look forward to offering you more and more options, and even more to having you help out every step of the way when you get a little older, from planting and harvesting to cooking and serving!

Love,

Mama

Taking a Stand

Dear Delilah,

As of a few days ago, you can do this:



The funny thing is, you seem as terrified by this development as I am. After about 10 seconds, you let out a frightened sounding scream, and then fall backwards onto your butt. You are intimidated by your own strength, and it is very endearing, my dear!

Love,

Mama

Taking Pride in the Little Things

Dear Delilah,

Yesterday, we ended up on an unexpected outing with your Aunt Janelle, your Grandma, and a couple of Grandma's friends. The initial purpose was to see Grandma try on her dress for Auntie's wedding, but we got to the bridal shop too late, since I had to wait for you to wake up from your nap. Don't read that as complaint. I am always, always delighted for 2 hour long naps!

Grandma invited us out for lunch, and I hesitated, since I didn't even have my purse with me, and had just quickly thrown a diaper into the diaper bag as we left. No bib, no baby mum-mum crackers, no extra toys, nada.

The restaurant was nearly deserted, and you were delightful. You're a petite little baby, so restaurant high chairs dwarf you, but you happily sat in it and chewed on the edge of the table, the corner of my menu, and even a few of my french fries! Grandma's friends were very impressed with the way you handled those fries. They'd never seen a baby so small feed herself solid food! Your Grandma proudly proclaimed that you don't eat purees, you only eat the real stuff! She bragged about you eating asparagus and broccoli and beans ALL by yourself!

You tolerated being passed around the table beautifully, so all of the ladies could admire you and exclaim over how cute you are, how strong your little legs are, and how smart you seem, the way your eyes take in everything about your surroundings. Thank you for being such a joy. And for not pooping while we were out and about!

Love,

Mama

A Battle of Wills

Dear Delilah,

You are making your desire to crawl abundantly clear. I am trying my damndest with stern looks and the best "serious business" voice I can muster to make it abundantly clear that mobility isn't really that exciting, and that it's perfectly fine for you to wait to start crawling until you're...oh...3 years old sounds pretty good! My stern looks, however, are no match for your beaming, sunshine of my life, melt away all that's wrong in the world smile.

Your current mode of transportation is hysterical, by the way, and merits mentioning. I've heard of babies who roll everywhere. You are not one of those babies. In fact, when you first rolled from your front to your back, you did it non-stop for about a day, and then didn't do it again for like, 2 months. Same with rolling back to front. This rolling business is apparently just not your bag.

Instead, you prefer a sort of inchworm approach. You roll onto your back (rolling is only good for getting on to your back to inchworm, or getting on to your front to continue willing yourself to crawl), arch your back WAY up, and then straighten yourself out in such a way that you manage to propel yourself backward a few inches. The back of your head is pretty torn up from this. Your father and I are starting to fear that the bald spot that resides there is permanent.

While it is truly a thrill to see you grow and develop, and I can't contain my excitement at seeing you get just a little bit closer to crawling with each day that dawns, I'm not sure I'm ready to keep up with you yet! Before I know it, you'll be eating out of the dog dish, stuffing the dust bunnies in the corner up your nose, banging your head against the glass panels in the TV stand, and gleefully crumpling up my work documents (which I should really find a place for, other than the floor).

My dear child, your will to crawl is coming from every fiber of your being, and is overcoming my attempts to will you to be still. I predict that in the coming years, our battles of will shall be plentiful and of epic proportions. Prepare yourself to lose most of them. In this particular case, however, victory will be yours, and soon.

Love,

Mama