Happy Chubba Wubba

The early morning sun and Aurora's mood helped me capture this shot today. I'm so lucky to have such a happy baby.

Swingtime

After several days of Aurora becoming fussy in the evenings, Gary and I took drastic steps. Aunt Laurie suggested maybe it was the caffeine I'd started drinking again that made Aurora not take naps during the day and then get upset around dinnertime.

Poor baby! Naughty, sleep deprived, Frappucino-loving Mama.

Baby swing to the rescue! It swings and plays music, which is not unlike the music you can hear in the summer emanating from those obnoxious ice cream trucks. It's less brassy and annoying, thank goodness.

Yesterday the swing held her interest (as in, helped her sleep) for several hours. Today we had visitors and a long trip to the fabric store, so she only had a little time to sway with Gary and Arlo watching and reading to her. Luckily she's sleeping well now (it's after midnight) and hopefully the trend will continue!

Oh, and I stopped drinking any caffeine. That's NOT a trend I would like to continue.

Is There No Privacy?

Some people just don't like to be seen when they're eating. And yet other people are always lurking with a camera. Tsk tsk.

Multitasking

Who needs bibs when you can cover the whole baby with a diaper? Plus if she falls asleep afterwards it makes a handy blanket. And they're organic!

And, of course, the indefatigable Baby Power sign. Almost missed that, didn't you?

Ruler of the Roost

Can you tell by their expressions who is the queen and who is merely the queen's servant?

Yes, the small, wiggly one made the tall, lanky one find just the right position for her comfort and happiness. Phew. Good going, Gary. You don't want to make the queen cry!

Horsetail Falls

I've been hankering for some greenspace lately, so Sunday Gary and I drove up the gorge. We took the old highway and passed several waterfalls before arriving at our destination, Horsetail Falls. I strapped the baby into our new baby bjorn (what was I thinking? Did I really need an extra 10 pounds to carry up the trail?!) and we headed up, with me in the lead to set the pace. Huffing and puffing, with Gary behind me to break our fall if needed, we made our way the half mile to the upper falls. Aurora watched the scenery for awhile and then decided her efforts were better spent napping.

It was an 80-degree day but the air was refreshingly cooler as we approached the waterfall. The trail descended to curve underneath a shallow cave, and we walked below the waterfall and thought about living down there. Too damp, I think. Aurora slept through the whole walk and then had a tasty snack once we reached the bottom.

Hey!

This is a repost from my other blog, What the!

Smacky has always been a noisy little creature. Especially when (not) settling in for the night, she has a repertoire of squeaks, groans, mouth smacks (hence the nickname), and particular sounds that are similar to a squeaky fan belt or a car turning a corner too quickly.

I've learned that these sounds, accompanied by her punching and kicking the air, usually mean something is amiss. If she's smacking and awake, that probably means that she's hungry (again). Or she's soaked through her diaper, through the towel and onto the bed (again). Or she's cold. It's wonderful that there are so few things that can be wrong at this age, isn't it?

When I leave her on the boppy on the couch to run into the kitchen or the bathroom, if she thinks I've been gone too long she'll give a little frustrated shriek. Hey! The photo above is actually her yawning, thinking about crying, but then going back to her happy self.

Smacky rarely cries. One thing she DOES hate is having her bottom cleaned with a cold wipe. Whoever invented the wipe warmer was a genius!