margaretyagan

This morning was a bit out of the ordinary, as Dad was home and Mom was carpooling to work, so she didn’t leave quite as early as she usually does.  I hung out with Mom and Dad until 7:30 and then promptly took a nap as soon as Nana took over.  I had breakfast at 9:00 as usual.  This morning it was prunes and barley, which I handled much better than I did on Wednesday.

I had good playtime on my new mat and Nana even made me do tummy-time (Dad has pretty much given up!).  I took a great nap from 10:45 to 1:15 and then took my biggest bottle ever – 8 ounces!

I played really well all afternoon and then eventually Nana and Grandpa left and I got to hang out with Dad.  We had to run a couple errands, so Dad strapped me into my car seat and we took off.  I was surprised that he didn’t put me in my stroller, but rather carried me in my car seat (which must weigh over 30 pounds!).  We just missed a bus, so Dad just started walking east.  We got to the post office before another bus passed, so went and stood in a really long line.  Two little kids (Priscilla and James, I think) were enamored by me and kept staring at me as we progressed in line.  They even touched my feet! Finally Dad sent his package to Bodh Gaya and we waited at the bus stop for the next bus.

Finally the #70 bus came and Dad carried me on, making this the first bus ride I’ve ever taken!  I really liked it because the motion was very relaxing.  Dad sang a little song about busses and we rode all the way to the end of the line, by which time I had fallen asleep.  We got off and walked to the dealer where our car was getting fixed.  I didn’t even notice as he put me in the back of the car and headed home.  We made a quick stop at K-mart and then met Mom at home.

The three of us played together on my mat and then I got to eat my eighth food ever: sweet potatoes!   It looked a lot like squash, if you ask me, but it was a lot thicker, which I didn’t mind at all — it was quite yummy, actually.

I had a good morning on Wednesday.  I played pretty well before falling asleep for half an hour in Nana’s arms at 7:40.  For the first time, though, I really didn’t like my breakfast (barley).  It was a bit chunkier than I like — I got lazy after the applesauce last night!  Anyway, I didn’t quite finish the barley and turned my attention instead to — you guessed it — pooping.

My fussiness continued until my midday nap at 1:00.  Finally I got back to my normal self and had a really good afternoon.  I scarfed down the applesauce I had for dinner and then had fun with Mom when she got home.

Thursday morning started off with a quick 15-minute catnap at 7:30 and then I got started reading with Nana.  At 9:30 I took a much deeper nap — almost two hours during which I barely even moved.  I slept right through my usual breakfast time (around 10) and so I woke up really hungry and quickly ate my rice and prunes.

I hung out with Grandpa for a couple hours in the early afternoon.  We hung out, played, and at 3:00 he fed me my afternoon bottle. Nana and I took a walk to Wicker Park and 4:15 and then was thrilled to get my third straight night of applesauce dinner.

I woke up with Mom Monday morning and was sad to see that she wasn’t feeling well.  In fact, she was feeling so bad that she ended up not even going to work.  I thought that might mean more time hanging out with her, but since she was afraid it might be a stomach virus, she sequestered herself upstairs most of the day. 

Mom brought me downstairs to Nana and we hung out until my morning nap at 7:30 (funny to think that I take my first nap before lots of people even get up!).  I had rice cereal and prunes for breakfast and still had some light congestion that made my bottles just a little slower to drink.  I had a huge poop at 10 am (I’m getting more regular!). 

Mom came downstairs at 5:30 (an hour earlier than usual!) and we went for a walk.  When we got back, Mom fed me dinner: squash!  Now that I’ve had it for three days in a row, I can look forward to a new taste tomorrow.

To do my part helping Mom recover, I slept all the way through the night Monday night and was in a great mood Tuesday morning while she was getting ready to go work.  Mom dressed me up in a cute blue outfit.  I took a nap and was playful all morning.  Nana and I went for a walk in the afternoon and then I finally discovered my seventh solid food: apples!  Apples are one of my favorite new foods — definitely the sweetest of anything I’ve tasted so far.  And they’re so smooth that I can gulp down my two ice cubes of applesauce in just a few minutes.

Sunday was a pretty exciting day, especially because I got to meet some new people.  We had brunch with Mom’s and Dad’s friends Ashley and Jereme.  Making it extra special was that (because we were running late) I got to bring my own food and eat in a high chair alongside the adults.  We ate at Moonshine, which was also the first restaurant I ever went to, back in March.

Later that afternoon, we got a visit from another friend that Mom and Dad went to high school with, Sarah!  That was fun, too, made even more fun because Dad was trying to Maggie-proof the house while Mom and I were hanging out with Sarah.

I woke up with Mom on Saturday and Dad stayed in bed while Mom IM’d with Aunt Claire and the rest of her family.  By the time Dad got up, Mom had already logged off because my congestion was making me fussy.  While Dad went for his daily run, I hung out with Mom and eventually took a nap.  I got up and had breakfast (rice cereal & prunes) and then Mom, Dad, and I hopped in the car and headed out to Oak Brook Center to go shopping!

I have to say that I don’t really appreciate shopping quite as much as I will eventually.  I sat in my strolled while we went in and out of stores.  Mom tried on lots and lots of clothes while Dad tried to keep my amused.  At Anthropologie, we ran into Mom’s and Dad’s friend Janet, whom I had never met before.  Dad changed me in public and fed me on a park bench before I finally fell asleep.

We headed home, with a quick pit stop at Dominick’s where Dad bought two butternut squashes.  When we finally got home (about 6 hours after we left!) Mom fed me a bottle while Dad put the squash in the over.  Mom, Dad, and I went out to dinner — while the oven was on! — at Pontiac, a place Dad has been wanting to go for quite a while.  Mom never wants to go out to dinner with me because I’m usually not in my best mood that late in the day, but today everything went really well.

We got back home and Dad fed me my sixth food ever: butternut squash!  It was really yummy and…orange!  As soon as I finished, Dad whisked me away to Dominick’s where we did our weekly grocery shopping.  By the time we got back it was dark outside (what’s going on?!) and I pretty much started getting ready for bed.

As weeks go, this wasn’t my best one ever.  It started well enough on Monday.  I was in a great mood, I ate well, and even had a nice poop.  I had a walk with Nana and had some quality time with Grandpa Yagan.  Monday night was terrible, though — one of my worst in recent memory.  Mom was up for a couple hours trying to get me to sleep.  Seems like I’ve got another cold trying to attack me!

When Tuesday morning rolled around, I was showing all the symptoms: congestion, watery eyes, and a runny nose.  The good news is that I definitely napped better than usual and I continued to eat and poop quite well.  Nana decided to limit my toys to plastic ones that could be easily washed.  This means that in addition to my usual roster of toys, I also got some Tupperware and measuring sups to play with.  We also didn’t get to go on any walks.

On Wednesday (which I found out was the fifteenth anniversary of my parents’ first date!) I was feeling a bit better and Nana let us go out and play in the yard a bit.  It was pretty hard for me to fall asleep for my naps (I could barely breathe!), but when I did I slept really well (three hours in the afternoon!).  The exciting news was that I had my fifth new solid food ever (the first being rice cereal, prunes, barley, and zucchini): peas. I devoured the peas just like all the other foods I’ve eaten.

By Thursday the rough week had felt really long.  Nana spent most of the day using the nasal aspirator to suck the gook out of my nose and then applying vaseline to keep my nose from turning red from all the wiping.  I fussed most of the day and had a really hard time sleeping (finally a walk in my big stroller did the trick) and when Mom got home, I could tell Nana was pooped from the long day.

Friday was especially fun because Dad was working from home, so every time he came upstairs for a snack or a drink of water I got to see him a little bit (he may have even made a few extra trips just to see me!).  Dad had ordered a bunch of things for me online that arrived today.  One of the things, though, he had to pick up from the store was foam play mat.  (Mom & Dad discovered this from my soon-to-be-friend Jackson who has one!)  Ever since I started sitting up, I’ve realized that on each floor there’s a pile of blankets that I usually hang out on.  Now, finally, I feel like I have a permanent play area on this foam mat (2/3 of which is in the family room; 1/3 of which is in Mom’s and Dad’s bedroom).  I’m slowly taking over the house!

Wow, I had my best night’s sleep in weeks — I didn’t get up a single time between 8:00 pm and 5:30 am.  When I got up I was in a great mood, ready for a fun day.  As usual on the weekends, Dad got up with me, gave me a bottle, and took me downstairs to start playing together.   Well, working is probably a better description.  Dad took apart my crib and lowered to the middle setting.  He and Mom were starting to get worried that I might be able to use the mobile to pull myself up and then fall over the rail!

Then we went downstairs and played for almost two hours (with little diversions like laundry & cooking barley).  We had a lot of fun!  Around 7:30 we took off for a walk (shockingly, to Starbucks!).  We got there and Dad started working on his laptop while I looked at all the passers by and especially the other babies also at Starbucks.  All of a sudden we realized we had a visitor – Chris…and his new dog, Watson.

Now Dad usually keeps animals far away from me, but he let Watson get pretty close.  It was pretty cool.  As soon as Chris sat down, though, Dad started showing me off.  First we put me on the table and showed Chris what a good sitter I am.  And then of course, he got me to pull myself up into a standing position.  I think I stood up for longer than I ever have — to the point where Chris called it an “Olympian feat!”

We took the long way back home and after he changed me, I could tell he was excited about what was to come.  I got in my high chair and out came the chunkiest, lumpiest barley ever!  He seemed pretty hesitant about feeding it to me — and I’m sure Mom never would have let it anywhere near me.  But he fed it to me and I ate it (only gagging a couple times).

Mom came downstairs and I hung out with her while Dad went running and then went off to Chris’s house to watch the Bears game.  We played a lot and then decided to go for a walk and we swung by Chris’s, too, where we hung out with Dad, Chris, and Monica.  By dinner, Dad had made a new batch of barley that went down much more smoothly, saving the chunky barley for when I’m older.

Unusual for a Saturday, when I woke up I was greeted by Mom rather than Dad.  She was up to IM with Aunt Claire and so Dad slept in for a bit and just joined in at the end.  After chatting with A/C, Mom got in the shower and Dad fed me breakfast (rice cereal & prunes). 

Dad went for a run and Mom and I took off for a walk (well, Mom was on a mission to buy a wedding shower gift).  Dad met us while we were out and we amused each other while Mom shopped.  The three of us went to Janik’s Cafe — a cute little restaurant that we’ve never been to before, despite its being one of the closest food establishments to our house.  I made faces at the cute little 2-year-old girl at the table next to us while Mom & Dad ate lunch. 

Mom’s party was over an hour drive away and there was some talk that Dad and I would go out to Barrington with her and amuse ourselves while she partied.  They decided against that and Dad and I hung out together all afternoon.  We went down to the office where I played with my toys and then headed back upstairs where I ate and then took a nap.

Eventually Mom got back and home and after she fed me my zucchini dinner the three of us went to Dominick’s.  I can’t remember the last time all three of us went grocery shopping!  It was so fun.  Dad was being really really silly, which made me laugh and even made Mom chuckle a little bit.

Bathtime is even getting more fun, as Mom is letting me sit up and play after I am all clean.  Soon I’ll be able to take my entire bath sitting up (or so I’ve overheard).

Friday was a very uneventful day.  I  hung out with Nana and Grandpa all day and then when they left for the weekend, I got to hang out with Dad until Mom got home.  I was so, so, so excited to see Mom (I didn’t get to see her last night before I went to bed)!  The three of us hung out all evening — really great family time.

Oh, and I know it’s been a while in the making, but here’s my photo album for my sixth month of life:

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

 I woke up on Thursday morning and Mom got me out of my crib, as usual.  I was happy to see that Dad was home!  When Mom left for work, Dad tried to get me to take a nap with him in his bed, but I was having none of that.  The two of us went downstairs and played until about 7:00 when Nana came up and took over.

At 9:00 I ate my fourth solid food ever: zucchini!  I devoured it and it was especially easy to eat because it was so runny.  Nana and I went for a walk in the park and then I took a big bottle and a long nap.  I ate more zucchini for dinner and then headed off to sleep.

Nana has been trying to get me to learn how to stand up on my own, and today we started using my shelf of clothes to support me.  It’s only a matter of time until I pull it on top of myself, but until then it’s fun to play on!