Baby spent most of the morning squealing and babbling. She was entertaining herself with a blanket. We stepped out for a while to get some groceries, and she babbled on the car ride to and from. Certainly more vocal today than she has been. When we got back, I put her in the crib and walked to the living room. For about ten minutes she squealed... her way of telling me crib was not where she wanted to be? We played for a while, and she fell asleep.

Now that she has gotten used to the rice cereal, I'm going to mix in some bananas and see what she thinks. I figure bananas are a good place to start since they aren't particularly sweet or bland--just enough flavor to keep her interested?

So, after weeks of practice, whining, and the occasional spitting up, Baby is able to push up on her arms!



And a few more pictures to up the cuteness...

Baby is nineteen weeks today. Perhaps her poo last night was her way of celebrating early.

Success!

Twice.

Both times, not delightful.

Yet wonderfully satisfying. Mostly for her.

Baby has not pooped in three days. Initially, this was worrisome. Actually, it still is, but my concerns have somewhat dissipated. I Googled "baby hasn't pooped," and learned that breastfed babies can sometimes go a week without pooping.

If the child seems to be in pain, has vomiting, or has blood in the stool, he should be seen by the pediatrician immediately. Otherwise, it can be completely normal to go only once every eight days -- as long as the stool is soft when it comes out. Breast milk is an amazing food that leaves very little in the way of waste. -DrGreene.com

I am still concerned because she eats rice cereal too, which definitely should cause bowel movements. The cereal has made her farts stink (almost as bad as Husband's). I would think that she would need to poop the cereal out. I suppose we just wait... She doesn't seem constipated, and she certainly still eats well. In fact, she had milk and cereal this morning. Fingers crossed, wipes out, diaper ready.

As we traverse the suburban jungle, I have noticed that most babies like pacifiers. Every place we go, babies lie calmly in their car seats or strollers, happily sucking on silicone. I suppose that's why they're called 'pacifiers.'

Anneli does not like pacifiers. It wholly fails to pacify when she is hungry, tired, or in need of a new diaper. Her face contorts with a look of disgust and pop! it falls out. She has rejected pacifiers since she was a wee one. The only thing that calms her in her times of discomfort is a blanket, and it must be one of hers. (How she knows is beyond me. It must be the smell, clean or otherwise.) She immediately pulls it to her mouth, licking and sucking like there's no tomorrow. I've tried to put a pacifier in her mouth by quickly swapping it in, but nooo, mommy is evil. When her face is buried in the blanket, do not disturb baby.

Anyway, it's a rather fortunate thing that she hates pacifiers. We all see toddlers with them glued to their mouths who refuse to give them up. I enjoy her distate for pacifiers, as I don't need to keep track of them or spend lots of money of replacing old ones. We have lots of blankets, whose only upkeep is a wash here and there. Of course, I suppose I can look forward to an emotional attachment to blankets, as opposed to pacifiers. Sheets of cotton, or rubber nipples? Choice is simple.

Eighteen weeks

The sesame seed is a whopping eighteen weeks today! We went on a nice shopping trip at Fair Oaks and Potomac Mills. I picked up a few cute shirts and sweaters at Pottery Barn (on sale!), and I got a pair of shorts and two tops at Ann Taylor.

Anneli was well-behaved today. She was so curious that she didn't even nap today. Every time I put her down in her stroller, she whined until I picked her up again. She was rather cheery even while we (mom and I) were eating lunch. She had a few wee dollops of mashed potatoes, which she seemed to enjoy immensely. She has gotten more comfortable with being in public and seeing strange faces. Plus, eating rice cereal helps her to stay full longer, so we can fit in more when we go out.

Oh, and Anneli and I are completely addicted to Jon & Kate. :P

Edit: Here's Anneli from last night. We were playing dress-up with her new clothes.

Four months

Weight: 15 lbs.
Height: 24.5 in.
Head: 16 in.
Chest: 17 in.

Sick babies cry a lot.

A lot.

Anneli developed a fever yesterday and made a point to let us know all day. Her fever eventually went away by this morning, and she's feeling much better. Back to her wiggly, giggly self.

I expressed my concern to the doctor that Anneli had not been able to push herself up on her arms yet, and he said we shouldn't worry too much since she was doing really well otherwise. (Ironic that she got so sick the next day.) He said just keep practicing with her and she would get it. Well, we tried this morning and she did!



She couldn't hold herself there for long; she started to whine because it was tiring. But we'll keep at it!

seventeen weeks

The little darling is growing and changing so fast. There have been lots of developments:

• She smiles immediately when I peek into her crib. She even giggles now.
• She reaches for a toy if it's lying next to her. Of course, her hand is unsteady, and she has a look of deep concentration.
• She attempts to grab things in front of her. Last night, she spent a good five minutes holding onto her blue bowl. It was too big for her to hold on her own, but she used both hands to pull it closer to her.
• She can manipulate things with her hands. She will hold one of her toys and play with it. Most of the time, it ends up in her mouth. She looks for it if she drops it, and reaches to pick it up.
  
• She eats rice cereal with her milk. She started two days ago, and she can eat about 4 tbsp. of dry rice mixed with 2 tbsp. of milk. I feed her with a spoon, which she thoroughly enjoys. She even opens her mouth in anticipation.
• She splashes in the bath. Well, she's actually been doing that for quite some time, but she now laughs when she splashes water all over me.

She has her four-month well appointment today, which means she will be receiving a second round of vaccines. I don't even want to think about the crying. Ugh.

Smile!

I finally got a really good cheeky smile from Anneli!



...
It's strange. She has been really calm and playful at home, but as soon as we leave the house, she gets grumpy and sour. Yesterday, we went to visit my parents, and she screamed at the top of her lungs for about 20 minutes. She wasn't like this before. Just until last Tuesday, she spent most of her waking hours with them, so I don't know why she has screaming fits. I hope this is something she'll grow out of.

She's also started to blow raspberries, and she's pretty darn good. She just lies in her bed doing it while foaming with little spit bubbles. I have a video, I'll post it later.

Look who's 16 weeks old!

It's hard to believe it's already been sixteen weeks. I'm looking forward to spending the summer with her. I don't think she'll be ready to go to the pool this summer.

Oh, the babbling

Anneli has become very vocal lately. She babbles constantly, especially when she's sitting in her swing or lying on the changing table.



And this is what our cutie looks like with a hat on:



How could you not love her? :)