Who's That Baby?

Scarlett's First Tooth at Six Months, Three Weeks!

I had a bit of a surpirse today when I felt Scarlett's first tooth this afternoon!  She was sucking on my finger - as she often does - when I noticed a bump on her lower gums.  I ran my firnger over the bump, and felt the unmistakable sharpness of a brand new tooth.

I'm thankful for that little tooth, as it hopefully explains why Scarlett's voice has become hoarse, why she seems somewhat congested, yet has a runny nose sometimes, and why she seemed slightly feverish this morning.  I was thinking it was problaby seasonal allergies.

Her symptoms might still be allergy-related, of course.  But my hope is it's all just from teething.

And so it beings! :)

The Irony of Peas

Ah, peas ... you have disapointed me after much elation.   I never even got to sing your praises on our blog.

We are still having a hard time with Scarlett and solid food.  One thing she seemed to be somewhat enjoying was peas.  Tonight she was doing a great job of eating her peas (the most we've seen her eat so far).  But alas, a short time later, her tummy was bothering her and she was REALLY upset.

Unfortuatenly, this istn't he first time - though it was the worst time.   So ... the one food she'll actually eat must be removed from the menu.

Next on the menu ... hmmm ...

The Teething Biscuit

Since Scarlett is not interested in her pureed food and cereal, I thought I'd give her a teething biscuit.

She likes it ... she likes it!  Of course, we have to keep an eye on her to see when she manages to get a chunk off so we can get it out of her mouth.

Although ... I just learned about a movement in England called 'Baby Led Weaning."   The  word "weaning" doesn't have the same definition as here in the U.S. ... there, weaning is what they call the transition a child makes to eating solid food ... not the cessation of breast milk / formula.  The basic concept is that an infant of a certain age can start eating the same food we adults eat ... from the get-go.  No rice cereal, no pureed foods, etc. ... ever.   I need to look more into this concept, since Scarlett isn't too much into the food we've been giving her.

But for how, here' s out little Princessa really enjoying her biscuit! :)

The Big Stroller

Today was the first time Scarlett has been in her "big stroller."  It was only "really warm" today (verses "freakin' hot"), so I thought it would be nice to get out for a few minutes.   It got a bit too warm after a few minutes - I could have handled it, but didn't want Scarlett to get uncomfortable.

I'll probably be a few more weeks before we try another walk.  It's just so hot.

Miss Scarlett is Sitting Up

For the past few days, Miss Scarlett has been able to sit up all by herself.

And by that I mean without support.  We have to get her into the sitting position, but after that, she's the star of the show! :)



Yankee Doodle Sweetheart

Our thanks to Granny for the pretty dress! :)

A "Behnd the Scenes" Video for "Yankee Doodle Sweetheart"

Still Not a Fan

Miss Scarlett is simply still not a fan of her "real food."  I just don't know why.

I spilled a drop of food on her tray, and she started to play with it.  So I put a bit more on there, hoping her hand would make it to her mouth with the food on it ... but she completely lost interest.

Not quite sure what the trick is to getting a kiddo to eat.  Christian was an eager eater at this age.

Awwww ....

Miss Scarlett's Six Month Pictures

Here is Miss Scarlett at six months!

We found a wonderful local photographer who does great work for a very reasonable price.  Both the price and the quality of work is FAR better than what we've had at national studio types of places.

The Princess and the Swimming Lessons

Since June, 10th, both Scarlett and Christian have been taking swimming lessons every Sunday morning.  

Scarlett's class involves a long of songs and repetition.  We take them to the wall often so the can learn - over time - the wall is the "safe place to be."  

She is remarkably calm during class.  Much of the time, she's just looking around, sucking on her hand.  

For the first couple of classes, I kept Scarlett above-water.  On the third class, it was time to put her under.

Needless to say, it was uncomfortable for me - but I know it is part of the process and a crucial step.  The goal of swimming lessons isn't to create an Olympic swimmer, but rather to get Scarlett comfortable in water and over time, help her to know what she is to do if she finds herself submerged in water (i.e., heaven forbid, falls into a pool).

We learned that when submerging a baby, it is important to put her head completely under water.  Apparently, if she's not completely underwater, when she feels air on her head, she'll take a breath.  So it is important to put her completely under water.   Of course, it is just for a moment and then I quickly bring her back up.

And her dunks are always preceded with "One, two, three ..." and I lift her up, and then put her under.  The second week we did this, she got this wide-eyed look on her face as I started the count to three, and I knew she somehow understood she was about to go under.

Today, her teacher commented that it is impressive Scarlett is okay floating on her back (well, I'm supporting her).  She said many babies get upset at the sensation of water going over their ears.  But Scarlett actually seems to enjoy floating on her back.   I love it when she sticks her legs straight up in the air as I pull her along.

Since we're at an indoor swim school, these classes are year-round ... not just summer classes as are at outdoor pools.   Christian is really enjoying himself in the lane next to us, and since both kiddos are doing so well, I think we'll keeping doing lessons for the foreseeable future.   Child drownings seem to dominate the news in the Phoenix area and so to us, it is extremely important that our kiddos learn to swim as well as possible.