34 Weeks

Dear Little Mover,

The paper diapers you sometimes wear when not in cloth (like when we are traveling or you are in the care of another person) are called Huggies Little Movers.  I think this description fits you perfectly!  You are a little mover.  This week you started to crawl quickly. You have learned how to turn around in circles, how to make U-Turns, and how to duck your head when you are crawling under a low space.  You are working on transitioning from standing up (leaning on an object at your waist level, like your Leap Frog music table) to getting down to crawl.  I think you'll have this skill mastered after ten or so more tries! 

You are also pulling up on things.  You can easily go from all fours to kneeling, and then you tentatively touch the surface of whatever it is that is at your level that you could raise up on.  Cabinets, my legs, the oven door, bookshelves... you are trying them, all.   You don't always get up each time you try. Sometimes you kneel and just pat things. 

You always pull up in your crib, however.  You greet us by standing up and snickering.  You seem so delighted that we have come to visit you!  This week you must have figured out how to get down from standing in your crib, because you used to not know how to do it.  You would be trying to nap but unable to get down to the mattress.  You were put to bed still awake, which meant you pulled up and stood and sang or cried for awhile, but you eventually spent the night sleeping curled up on your side or face down with your bottom in the air.  I don't think you could sleep standing up, but I would like to see that!

Today I saw you chasing some balls around the house.  I have several small globes filled with beans, water, and bells, and you were pushing them around the living room.  I am going to make you an oatmeal canister filled with noisemakers this week because I think you'd really enjoy that.

This week I also weeded through your clothing.  It is springtime now, so you need less fleeces in your wardrobe and more layers.  I think you'll be wearing a lot of jackets. t-shirts, cloth diapers with bright covers, and leggings this spring.  I think you look very sporty in this combination!  Your Aunt Rachel bought you a neat little outfit with jeans, a white shirt, and a lime sweater vest. It is so cute and you finally fit into it! I guess you just are ready for 9 month clothes (even though you are not quite 8 months old).

I think you are teething this week.  You are a little more fussy than usual, and you have a low grade fever.  You are also soothed by Infant Tylenol, Teething Tablets, and chewing on frozen washcloths.  You aren't as keen on the Baby Oragel.  Its pretty intense.  I tried some myself and my lip was numb for a long time! I wish I had thought of this when I was getting my wisdom teeth a few years ago.  Those really hurt!  So I imagine your front incisors are giving you trouble.

This week it was Easter, and you wore a cute outfit Aunt Rachel bought for you.  You looked so dapper!  You also had the chance to play with plastic eggs and wear bunny ears.  We went over to our friends the Dorrs for a little celebration on Sunday evening, and the older kids hunted eggs.  You and Emmett just watched.  Your dad hid some eggs pretty well for the kids, so maybe you observed some of his tricks!  Both of your grandmas gave you a book with your photo for the face of the characters, and you loved that.  You pointed at the baby (you!) each time.  So sweet!

Our friend Ann visited this week, as did your grandparents and Uncle Wes.  You enjoyed their company, too, though you were under the weather.  You weren't as happy or as much fun as they remembered you being and they wished you a speedy recovery. 

When we took you to the doctor this week, we were certain you were sick.  You just aren't ordinarily so fussy or grumpy.  You didn't sleep much and your appetite was low.  Dr. Wheeler looked you over and diagnosed you with a run-of-the-mill head cold.  It wasn't an earache (not yet, he said) or anything an antibiotic would alleviate.  He said to treat your fever with baby OTC meds and monitor you for any other changes in health.  We were relieved that you were not seriously ill, but I sort of hoped you had something besides a plain old cold so we would have some type of treatment or remedy to make you feel better more quickly and to explain your pitiful state.  Apparently, colds are no fun for babies, either. 

I turned the television on specifically for you one morning this week. As a rule, I don't think TV time is necessary or beneficial for children of any age.  However, I was interested in your reaction to kids' programming.  You seem to pay attention to the TV when we have it on the news or Wheel of Fortune or LOST, and I worry your attention span and desire to lay outdoors will be negatively influenced by this passive TV viewing.   So I sat you down in front of Sid The Science Kid, and you watched, mouth agape.  You did not seem to blink at all.  You turned to me with this shocked expression, and then you turned back to watch him explore simple machines.  After five minutes, you grew bored and crawled into another room.  We just listened to music the rest of the day.  I don't think you'll be much of a TV viewer, if I can help it!

When you read this some day, I hope you can appreciate how much time, energy, and effort it took to parent you.  Not that you owe us or anything... but to help you realize how much we care about you and how we changed our lives as a result of our love for you.  You have forever changed us into less selfish individuals and have given us new ways to love and to find joy in daily life.

Love,

Mama

Standing at Fence

Daniel attends some of his father's softball games.  He has been to several in his life, but now he wants to get up and crawl or stand at the fence to watch.  He no longer stays in his stroller or naps.

He will be a Cards fan based on his geographic location and genetic disposition.  Plus he looks handsome in red!

 I thought the lighting was awesome - it really shows his profile and delicate skin.

Near the end of the game, Dan went up to bat and Daniel pointed at him.  He looked at me and pointed again.  It was the first time he's recognized his dad from afar.

 He spent nearly as much time looking backwards and at other ball fields as he did facing forwards and noticing the game before him.

He stands on tip toe or flexes his feet when he pulls up on objects.  It is helping to strengthen his balance.

He pulled and rocked on the chainlink fence.

He laced his fingers around the wires of the fence and didn't want to let go!

His expression in some of these photos is so much more that of a Douglas expression than one from his father's side. I think it looks like photos I have of my father as toddler (thanks Aunt Ruthie for sending those!).

Playing in the Crib

Daniel often plays in his crib when he wakes up from a nap or for a few minutes before his nap.  Here is a glimpse of his bed toys.

Milestone: Drinking From a Straw

In Daniel's ninth month, he learned to drink from a straw. Though I often have a cup with a straw, he has always been more interested in chewing the straw and plucking it from the lid. He discovered how to suck on the straw and get liquid out when his Nana was holding him and her Diet Coke. I wish I could have captured the startled look on his face when he realized what he had done!

When he drinks through a straw, his lips purse in the sweetest way. It reminds me of when he was first born and we'd blow into his face and he'd make a similar pursed lip and closed eye expression. Its just TOO sweet.

DDD - 5/31/10

Daniel is looking in to a fountain pool in a small Japanese garden. We
took a trip to a park today and enjoyed the lovely weather!

DDD - 5/30/10

One of Daniel's favorite hobbies is catching and tugging on this
garage door pull. As soon as we go into the garage, he starts making
excited gestures and lunging for it.

DDD - 5/29/10

Isn't this a funny expression? He was looking at a fan for the opposing team.

a picture for you

Daniel enjoyed the fence at Dan's softball game last night! I don't
think he noticed the game nearly as much as the fence or the kids who
were there!

DDD - 5/27/10

33 week letter

Dear little child,

This week I feel conflicted writing to you as a baby.  The salutation "dear baby" does not sound correct.  You are really less of a baby and more of a small boy.  You can express your emotion, volition, and needs.  You are a little human being, and I guess I didn't think of you as such when you were a tiny baby who could not express anything he felt, wanted, or needed.  You were still a human of course, but you were more of a living doll that I had to dress and make assumptions about your needs.

This week was a week of visitors.  Oddly, none were related to you!  Usually our visitors are related to you.  On Sunday, my friend Laura came to visit.  She brought you several pairs of lovely (and masculine) shoes.  Some you can wear now, and some you will grow into.  This is quite generous of her.  Her son Cedric has long outgrown them, and we are thankful for her kindness.  During her visit, she ate an apple.  You were curious and crawled over to her.  You licked the apple.  She offered it to you, and you gummed it.  I think you liked hearing your teeth scrape against the peel and your tongue taste the juices.  I bet it was an odd experience for you.  You love to eat applesauce and have it nearly everyday.  This apple experience was so different.

Another visitor was our dear friend Ann Hoemann.  She is so much like a sister to me that I hope you call her Aunt.  She has been praying for you since before you were born.  She also mails goodies to you, like the Life is Good tee you wore at 1 month and the board books at Christmas time.  She also bought you your first swaddle (the one with the reptiles you came home from the hospital in!) and several other educational toys and books.  Anyway, Ann came to stay with us for a week.  She had a negative experience happen to her family, and she needed a place to come for comfort.  I think your sweet smile and goofy attitude brought her joy, which was a comfort to her.  It made me so pleased that my close friends think you are precious and intelligent, too.  You went shopping with us, came along on our walks in your stroller, and endured lots of girl talk.  She helped me take the 33 week photos in this letter by holding a distracting toy near the camera so you would not attack the week sign.

Our friends Kristen and Riley Oesch came to visit us for Monday day.  They have not visited since you were three months old (and Riley was six months old).  During the last visit, you and Riley upset each other.  You reached for her face and she screamed! So you screamed.  Today's visit was quite similar.  You approached her curiously, and she did NOT want to be touched.  Her sudden movements made you fall down, so you screamed out in surprise.  This caused her to get upset.  She began to howl.  So you began to howl.  It was quite difficult to get you both settled down!  I know that you are used to girls fawning over you when you smile at them, so perhaps this is a valuable lesson.  The rest of their visit was more pleasant. Both of you babies rode in strollers while we girls enjoyed lunch at Panera and some errands at the mall.  Kristen enjoyed watching you crawl and pull up on furniture at our house.  Riley content with no crawling these days, so I bet Kristen got a dose of how busy little movers can be.  I felt a bit jealous watching Riley play contently in one place because this does not happen with you too often!

On Tuesday, my friend Elegan Lee came to visit.  She made know pretenses that she was visiting me or your father!  She came to play with YOU.  I know Elegan from MU and from teaching together at West Junior High.  She is a chemistry teacher and tennis coach in St. Louis.  Her teaching personality and philosophy is really similar to mine, and I know she could teach you A LOT and inspire your curiosity. Well, in about fifteen years or so! I think you taught her A LOT about baby boys during this visit.  Elegan played with you and also fed you some chicken and noodles I'd prepared for you.  When you woke for a snack at 9 PM, I let you play with her. You played tickling games and read stories.  This was a real treat for you since your parents put you straight back to bed!

This week our friends the Dorrs also visited.  You and Emmett and a lengthy grunting conversation.  Though he is one month older than you, you have surpassed him in size.  This surprises me, since you used to look so scrawny compared to this brawny kid.  Emmett is a really strong crawler, but you are catching up in motor skills!  Taylor enjoyed you, too. You grinned as soon as you saw her and had a hard time not trying to make her smile and laugh.  You mutually enjoy each other.  We also went to the Dorrs house for dinner this week, and you seemed okay with the change of pace with eating in a different high chair and playing with different toys.

Something you did this week that surprised me was FUSS.  You seemed irritable, which is really not like you.  Your naps were short.  You woke up standing in your bed yelling a few times.  You gnashed your gums against practically everything in site.  You tolerated Baby Orajel and seemed relieved to get Tylenol.  This makes us all think its TOP TEETH TIME!  I cannot imagine what you will look like with teeth. Will you have a smile similar to mine or your dad's?  You do have a crooked smile, which is my natural smile, too.  Right now your bottom teeth are half way up and are perfect little squares.  They really have some power, too.  You bite into your spoons sometimes and its tough to get them away from you.  You have never bit a person - and we are thankful for that!

You talked A LOT this week.  You are such a jabber box.  You say things like this:  Yahyahyahyah Mamamaaaamama Bobbabobobbobma.  You also have started to say Nie Nie Nie type sounds.  It sounds like you say Dan sometimes.  You definitely say Momma, but I am not convinced you are saying that to me.  Its just a sound you have said for a month.  You started to do a lot of buzzing of your lips.  You blow on your tongue and make lots of sounds.  This discovery has led you to start making th and zzz and sss and sh sounds.  This means it sounds like you are making rude noises sometimes, like farting noises.  Yuck.  I hope you stop thinking this is funny because it is somewhat embarrassing!

This week you started to tolerate finger foods!

While we were reading in the nursery one afternoon, you heard door open and close.  Peered at bedroom door just waiting for his dad to come it.  Its great that you know when he comes home, he comes to find you. You've got a daddy that really loves his family.

Today your menu was nursing four times during the day, breakfast of 2T apples and some rice, a few glugs of water, chicken and noodles mash, carrots mixed with mixed vegetables mash, blueberry chicken and peas and rice and formula.  You also enjoyed trying to eat finger foods - freeze dried yogurt puffs and some cereals.  You are working on that finger grasp!

Other notable things from this week include: many stroller walks, Elegan Lee brought you two new stories, The Tooth Book and Mike Mulligan, you ate some Mexican food right off of my plate, and you got too tall for all of your six month sized pants.

As always, I love you so much and think you are wonderful.

From, your mama

DDD - 5/26/10

Daniel didn't wake the last two nights! Here he is sleeping soundly
last night at 9 PM. SO cute!

DDD - 5/25/10

Practicing crawling up, down, and over.

Playing in the Car

This is one of Daniel's favorite places to explore.

There is so much to look at! 

So many things to touch when you are not confined to a car seat.

Peeking behind the seats to see what goodies are back there.

Wants to see it all!

Its no wonder he gets excited when we go into the car!

And no wonder he gets so disappointed when I secure him in his chair.

So every once in awhile, if he has been an obedient boy, I let him roam around the car.

Of course, its always parked and I'm always supervising.

He really thinks its special!

Sometimes I let him play in here while I vacuum the car.  That is double the fun for him.

He is singing  from delight!

And laughing at the vacuum.

Fifteen years from now, I bet he is even more excited to be in the car as a driver!

Hopefully by then, he helps clean the car, too.

And hopefully he doesn't still consider the car to be the ultimate fun toy!

He'll be sure to be safe and buckled in then, too!

Maybe I will let him take me for a ride!

And hopefully I will feel as happy watch him enjoy the car as I do now.