Sippy cups, Tiny Tunes, and Adams Farm!

A lot is going on in Roselyn's life lately! First of all, as we continue to work on Roselyn's finger foods we now have introduced another new object- a sippy cup! The first time I gave it to her I was probably a little optimistic and filled the cup to 5 ounces. At first I placed it in her mouth so she could taste the apple juice/water mixture without dealing with holding the cup as well. She gave a strange look and let the juice dribble out of her mouth. I then allowed her to hold the cup since I figured maybe she just wanted to explore it herself. She did a great job holding onto the cup, but had no interest in drinking from it, she only wanted to chew the nipple of the cup. Once that bored her she took the cup by one hand and swung it around allowing all the juice to fly out. I placed it back in her hands and tilted the cup in her mouth- she dealt with the situation, but you could tell she rather chew the cup than drink from it. Since the first time we are slowly making progress- I think she is actually swallowing some now:)
Tiny Tunes is a music class for babies and toddlers that Roselyn attends on Tuesdays. The class has about 9 kids, and thankfully, Roselyn is not the youngest. The ages range from 6 months to 4 years. There is a "curicullum" that includes a CD for the kids to listen to at home and a music book with all the songs. Roselyn loves listening to the songs and experimenting with the musical instruments. Some of what takes place is for kids that are more mobile (there is time for kids to dance with scarfs and such), but Roselyn LOVES to watch the other kids. She also enjoys the bubbles at the end. She truly does not stop smiling the entire time! I work with her on the songs at home and in the car and she always perks up when she hears them. She sometimes will "sing" along too, and it is too cute!
Adams Farms is a u-pick berries farm in Fayetteville. In the past I have gone in the summer by myself and have picked a few things for fun. Rob actually suggested we go and take Roselyn with us. We went at 10am in the morning hoping it would not be too hot, but it was still nearly 90 degrees when we arrived. Luckily, the aisles for the raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries were wide enough to take Roselyn's stroller and we could angle her stroller so she always had shade. Rob and I picked berries while Roselyn watched and smiled. We let her hold onto the small baskets and touch some of the raspberries and strawberries. I did watch carefully that she did not squeeze the the berries because she was wearing a white top and there was no way to clean off red fruit stains. Roselyn loved looking at all the berry plants and receiving complements from the other pickers!

9 Months Old!

Hard to believe, but Roselyn is 9 months old! Of course, that means another doctor's appointment. Luckily, there are no shots this time around! She certainly has grown- 20lb 5oz, 28inches (she is in the 75th percentile). I can't remember the head circumference, but that is in the 95th percentile (she has a big brain!). Roselyn did not like the doctor checking out all her nooks and cranies- she showed Dr. Cheeks how she can "talk"- dadada and ahhhh were heard a lot. The consensus was that Roselyn is a healthy and happy baby. I asked about finger foods and a sippy cup. I was told both were a great idea to start as soon as possible. I was also told the normal summer precautions (sunscreen and bug repellent) and given a list of food for Roselyn to avoid. I ask if I could ween Roselyn off nursing from 4 times a day- luckily (or maybe unluckily since it is a joy) I was told yes, but hold off on cow's milk until she is a year old. Lastly, it was recommend that I have Roselyn's finger pricked for an iron check. Thankfully, Roselyn is used to being poked and got over this pretty quickly. However, I did recieve a call later that day telling me that Roselyn will need to take Poly-Vi-Sol plus iron since her count was a bit low. Oh well, that is the way things go...
So Friday I tried strawberry yogurt melts for Roselyn's first dinger foods. I placed one in her mouth and she contemplated what it was while it dissolved in her mouth. The next one I placed in her hand, which she seemed to like to hold, but did not quite understand it was FOOD and needed to be directed to the mouth. The third piece I placed om her tray which she picked up and played with- again she was having trouble realizing it was food. The forth piece was much like the third. Still, I was happy she did eat them, and my fear of choking was unfounded. Yes, it will take time, but she will be a big eater before you know it! On to the sipply cup...

Memorial Day, Dahlonega, and POOL TIME

Finally another long awaited update! This time I will back track to the end of May and describe Roselyn's Memorial Day. First of all, the Memorial Day festivities actually took place on Sunday, May 24th. On Sunday Roselyn's Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Ted, cousins Brett and Carl, and Mimi and Grandpa Bill all came to visit and have dinner. Also visiting was John and Shelley Clifford with their son, Colin (he was born one month after Roselyn). When Roselyn woke from her nap she was surprised to see all the people in her living room, but seemed happy to have some many people to play with her and give her attention. Colin and Roselyn played on the floor the entire time everyone was visiting- even during the meal time people watched out for them while eating dinner. Roselyn still did something special on Memorial Day, however- she attended a wedding for Ken Ferguson and Christina Paino. The wedding was outdoor in Dunaway Gardens and was gorgeous! Roselyn enjoyed the attention given to her by the wedding attendees. She also danced with Rob several times and seemed to love the dance floor (or maybe it was just who she was dancing with).
As for Dahlonega, we went to stay at Lily Creek Lodge like we always do a couple times a year and visit the local wineries. This was the first time the innkeepers had a chance to meet Roselyn and she was a hit! Unfortunately, she was tired the first night and very fussy- so off to bed early she went. Luckily, our monitor worked great in the lodge and we were able to stay with Don and Sharon downstairs while Roselyn slept (and cried a little- she is teething after all) upstairs. Day one in Dahlonega we visited wineries. However, due to a sleepy baby needing an afternoon nap, we cut our wine excursion short and relaxed on the deck at the lodge (with baby monitor in hand). When Roselyn would not sleep (lots of noise coming from the baby monitor) we went on to the Oar House for an early dinner. Roselyn finally fell asleep on the way to dinner and so Rob and I had a relaxing meal with a sleeping baby in her stroller beside us. Day two in Dahlonega was the Georgia Wine Country Festival. Again, Roselyn was a hit. Everyone asked if we were "starting her early". As most nursing moms can relate, the only place to feed and change Roselyn was in the bathroom. I sat in a stall on the toilet (with pants still up) and gave Roselyn her lunch. However, I did not realize there was a line generating outside the stall and its services were needed. When I left the bathroom I apologized and quickly gave Roselyn to Rob so that I could get in line to use the bathroom for myself (I wasn't going to preoccupy it any longer than necessary the first time).
Once we arrive back at the house from Dahlonega it was POOL TIME. We had tried to take Roselyn to the pool before, but it was too crowded. At the Lodge, the water was way too cold. We were told the pool in the neighborhood also had cold water, but we were determined to get Roselyn in a pool. Unfortunately, Roselyn was in rare form and cried the entire time we got her ready for the big event. Thankfully, pacifiers do wonders. Her attitude did change once we hit the pool. Rob gently put her in her penguin float in the water and she let out the biggest smile! Both Rob and I joined her (me for short duration because I hate cold water). Our friends the Bevills were there with their 5 month old daughter, Addison. It was fun to watch them interact and enjoy the pool. Roselyn really got into splashing the water and kicking her feel. Overall, a successful ifrst experience!