my little pumpkin

Although she's been increasingly wary of new people, Adelaide is all the more expressive and outgoing at home. She's learning to communicate and to reciprocate affection. She kisses us when she's happy, and crawls over to pull my pant leg when she wants to be lifted up. If I've left her in her room too long, she'll come scooting around the corner, looking for me, and then raise her hand in the air with a smile, as if she's saying "hey! I found you". She makes it clear how much she loves us - not just through smiles and laughs but now with gestures too. She's also figuring out that she can control the things we offer her - she'll gesture towards her water glass when she's thirsty or push at my hand when I give her strange food. She may not use sentences but she surely does converse!

first game

Adelaide is learning about 'object permanence' - and here she is working hard at her favorite task: taking things OUT. She has several bowls, baskets, boxes and she loves to take anything out of them. She will sit and take her rags or blocks or small toys piece by piece out of a bowl, then she yells when it's empty so that we fill it up again. Joe hopes that one day she is as diligent about putting things back IN (so that I don't have to clean up after both of them!!). But for now, it's great watching her discover the difference between full and empty.

mobility

Adelaide turned 7 months this week, and I have a confession to make. She has been crawling for nearly a month, but I've been in denial! To be honest, I was hoping she'd be stationary for a bit longer! When she first started crawling, I would pick her up quickly so that she wouldn't practice ... we didn't have the house ready ... but now we are all "baby-proofed," and it's pretty fun watching her tear across the floor in pursuit of a something new to explore. She is so excited with her new ability to move around that she's actually easier to watch because she entertains herself so well.

solid

This was Adelaide's first week of solid foods (I use that term loosely). Inspired by the book Super Baby Food, we are making our own baby food - at least for the moment. Who needs jars anyway, right?? Adelaide is now a connoisseur of pureed oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and avocados (no, not together). Of course, she is related to her dad, so avocados are the biggest hit. We waited to start her on solids until she was 1. six months old, 2. could reliably sit up by herself, and 3. showed an interest in eating. To be honest, I was hoping for another week or two to get organized but she has her own schedule, and she was ready! (Apparently when babies start eating more often and stop sleeping through the night, it's time for solids.) And you have never seen someone get so excited about an ounce of squishy mush. From the very first meal, she loves to eat, especially when we are eating too. So she gets solid meals twice a day, and so far she puts more down her throat than she spits back out, so we think that's pretty good!

upright

We are back from California, Joe's school year started, and I am almost done with my residency applications!! So much happening. And in the midst of it, Adelaide is now 6 months old (I still can't say it aloud though - somehow 6 months seems way older than 5 months). She is developing quite the little personality - still smiles a lot and is quite content most of the time, but she's learned to be very demanding when she wants our attention. She's developed good dexterity in her hands, and she's interested in everything. It's so fun to watch her explore whatever she can get her hands (and mouth!) on, usually with raised eyebrows and wide-open eyes.

As of the last 2 weeks, she very reliably sits up on her own. She still doesn't catch herself if she falls, but thankfully she doesn't fall often! It is hard to imagine living with absolutely no idea that there are consequences to your actions. Like if you topple over onto your head, no idea that it will hurt, and no reflex to stretch out your arm and catch yourself. Until she figures it out, I'm happy to catch her whenever she needs it :)

smiles all around

Today is our 3rd anniversary - hurray!! To celebrate we went camping at the coast and then toured in-land to Napa Valley for wine tasting. It was a beautiful weekend. Here are Joe and Adelaide smiling on the beach - we have been noticing lately that Adelaide (probably babies in general, but we like to think it's particular to her!) brings out happiness in everyone. Everywhere we go, people smile at us! Pregnancy was a bit like that - women smiled quietly at me a lot, but Adelaide makes absolutely everyone laugh - it seems like everywhere we go, people are happy! And you can see why - she's so cute!! :)

California dreamin'

Greetings from the "bay area"! We're in our second week living in Berkeley, just around the corner from the Grateful Cafe, where all the menu items are raw, local, and sustainably prepared and they ask when you order, "what do you appreciate about yourself?" Classic. There's a festival coming up called "how Berkeley can you be" ...

I'm here to study at the county hospital in Oakland, but we've managed to find enough time to explore San Fran as well - clam chowder at Fisherman's Warf, the cable cars, aquarium, etc. It's beautifully sunny here and we are staying in the huge house of a doctor from the hospital where I am working - when everyone's home, Joe and Adelaide have a cat, a dog, and 3 kids to keep them busy in between adventures.