String Bean : Nine Months

Last Tuesday Beia turned nine months old (!) so on Friday we had her nine month appointment with the pediatrician. As usual, Beia was in her happy, smile-ly self—even through her two vaccinations. Her growth trajectory remains on track. At 29.25" she is in the 94th percentile for height and at 16lbs 14oz she is in the 17th percentile for weight. String bean, indeed. The doctor talked to us about reducing the amount of formula Beia is drinking and moving more and more to solid food. So this weekend we spent much of Beia's nap time cooking new foods for her to try and eat. Prunes remain her favorite, but she now has two new chicken dishes to try, along with the Greek yogurt she loves.

Ida-who?

Last week we all traveled across country—for the very first time—for a week's vacation at the Rubin family cabin in Priest Lake, Idaho. We were a bit apprehensive since Beia had never traveled by air, nor crossed time zones before. In the end, Beia traveled West like a champ—every bit the happy little girl we are used to.

The time at the lake was wonderful. Beia got to meet her "big" cousin, Max, who is just six weeks older than her. She also got to meet some more aunts and uncles, as well as spend some quality with her paternal grandparents. Of course Beia loved the lake itself, and we discovered that a boat ride is a sure-fire way to lull a baby to sleep—after the fussiness of having to wear a life jacket!

Beia also got to experience quality time with not one but three (!) dogs—Bailey, Blue, and Dylan—and she adored them all. Apparently she finds dogs hysterically fun and enjoyed watching them chase after toys (and each other), as well as see them splashing in the water!

The way back East was not as successful, but we did learn that the red eye flight is not for us. We are still working our way back to a "normal" sleep schedule, but the trip was worth it and we are looking forward to visiting again next year.

Imagine Swimming

This weekend Beia had her second swimming lesson at Imagine Swimming. It's a 40 minute class with three other babies her age. There is one adult allowed in the pool with the child, so with parents, there are only eight of us plus the instructor. The goal is to simply get your kid used to being in the water so that, eventually, they can learn how to swim. Beia seems to really enjoy it. We practice getting in and out of the pool. Floating on our backs, moving side to side—as well as forward—in the water. We also practice going under the water. Beia seems to really enjoy the water so we are hoping to continue the lessons each week, even past summertime. The biggest issue thus far is just fitting the lesson in between naps and feeding!

Buddies

Today it was very hot outside. At one point the temperature reading was 97°F ... feels like 110°F. So, yeah, we spent most of the day inside enjoying our air conditioning. In the afternoon we moved from the main room into Beia's bedroom to give her a change of scenery—it's not like our apartment is that big anyway. Dibi followed us in to her room and was quite the trooper. He allowed Beia to follow him around, trying to pet him gently. At times she wasn't as gentle as we (and presumably Dibi) would have liked, but Dibi never moved more than a foot or two away from Beia. He seems to trust her. Or at least realize that she's still fairly slow-moving and won't be able to reach him quickly...for now...

Family Portrait

A few weekends ago, Steve's younger brother and his wife came to visit and meet Beia for the first time. It was great seeing them—and we even got a nice (and rare) family photo of the three of us together. And if you look closely, you can see Tonka's backside between Beia's head and Steven's. We're looking forward to spending more time with Beia's Aunt A and Uncle T when we go to the Rubin family lake cabin (in Priest Lake, Idaho) later this summer. At that time, Beia will also get to meet Steve's older brother and his wife...along with their baby M. M is just a month and half older than Beia, so we can't wait to see how they play together.

Baby Naming

Last weekend we drove down to Maryland for Beia's baby naming. It was a special occasion in a few respects, beyond the naming ceremony itself. This was the first road trip for Beia and we were anxious to see how she'd do. This was the first time for Beia staying overnight anywhere but home. And this was the first time that Beia would be meeting so many new people all at once. All in all she did quite well. The road trip itself went fairly well, with only one or two meltdowns both ways. Can't really blame her, given how long the trip ended up being (5+ hours in the car). Steve's parents drove down with us, so we were all quite thankful for Beia's adaptability.

And adaptable she was. Beia slept, generally, quite ok at my parents house. We learned some important things for future trips away from home (bring a nightlight!) and we were a bit more flexible than usual with her naps (namely, we napped with her on the bed to help her sleep).

The naming itself was wonderful. It meant a lot to have both sets of grandparents there, along with so many Harris family friends. We were also lucky to have the Rabbi that married us perform the ceremony. He was also the Rabbi that officiated at my bat mitzvah and confirmation. He did, however, point out to us that we will eventually have to find a temple that doesn't involve commuting. He was fond of the Village Temple (in NYC)—mainly because the congregation would be the Village People...

Avocado

When Beia turned six months, we started experimenting with solid foods. The first was puréed carrots, and since then Beia has tried banana, apple, sweet potato, peas, avocado, papaya, and prunes. She hasn't outright rejected any foods, but has clearly expressed a preference for sweet potato as well as prune. Yesterday was an avocado day and was quite successful, meaning most of it ended up in her mouth and being swallowed. When she ate avocado the day before, most ended up on her bib. Avocado and banana are easy for us since they don't need to be cooked and puréed, but everything else we've been making fresh ourselves. It's easier than I thought it would be, and fun. And we like knowing exactly what is going into what she is eating.