The first few months of parenting are not boring, but they aren’t exactly exciting. Your baby isn’t very responsive, they can’t do much, and so you spend a lot of time just looking at them, listening to the occasional babble, and figuring out ways to make them laugh.
I would argue that it isn’t until month five or even month six that things start getting fun.
Isabel now consistently laughs, screams, smiles, and expresses herself in more than just wails. We know what makes her happy (most of the time) and have figured out methods to keep her “entertained”.
This update can be grouped into the five senses:
Taste
We introduced solids this month. Starting with oatmeal (not the biggest hit) and moving to other things (sweet potato, banana, apple sauce, green beans, peas), Isabel is showing us that she enjoys eating. She definitely prefers the sweeter foods (who doesn’t?), but I suppose baby purees are just like adult foods – it’s all in the preparation (ie. oatmeal by itself or mixed with banana, clear choice there) which Mrs. FWL is having a great time making for her.
Smell
With real food, comes real poop, and real poop smells. There’s no denying when she has pooped (although we are faked out all the time). So I suppose the smell is more our nostrils burning than Isabel smelling anything new. Did I mention we love poop?
See
Once we became parents, we starting spending considerable amounts of time on the floor. And let me tell you, the perspective from the floor is much different than what I am used to at 6′ 5″. Now imagine going from floor POV to sitting POV. While 12″ may not seem much to us, what if you are only 23″ tall? Sitting up gives Isabel a new perspective. And makes it much easier too…
Touch
She is grabbing/pulling everything. Toys, air, Mrs. FWL’s hair, our lips, the cat’s fur, clothes, magazine pages, that sticker in the picture above (she ripped it during the photo shoot, and then put it in her mouth), need I go on? But this is exciting. She is learning how to use her hands, what things feel like, and forming a relationship with the cats! While they may be a little frightened of her, she is certainly loving them and screams in excitement whenever she sees them. And we get to “teach” her a new word – “suave” (literally smooth in Spanish, but used to mean “gentle” in these situations)!
Hear
She got a new toy. A Bright Starts Around-we-Go to be exact. If I was a baby I would be geeked for this too. It makes cool sounds, has things to push, turn, and hit (sounds like every other kid toy). But as with all sound-based toys it is also annoying . I can hum the songs in my sleep. But, it isn’t about me! She seems to love it. And while she can’t quite perform the “around-we-go” part, she loves hitting the piano and hearing the sounds (or at least I think she does). In any case, she loves music, and if she isn’t able to play Beethoven when she’s older, then that sound box she has was all for naught (another toy I can hum in my sleep).
And I would be remiss to not mention that Isabel heard/felt her first earthquake! A 4.7 shaker that lasted about 2 seconds. It may have not been “The Big One” that has been predicted every year for the last 10 years here in Southern California, but it woke her up and scared her nonetheless. I also don’t think I’ve run 20 feet faster in while.
This little girl is amazing us at how fast she is growing and hitting some pretty cool milestones. Next month could be a major update, so stay tuned.
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