48 Weeks Old

Posts are getting farther and farther apart as my mind is more and more blown with how awesome my daughter is.
   Here we are having a grand old time... I think.

This makes me think of all those times I was tickle tortured growing up and leaves me wondering if I'm horribly scarring my daughter.  But she doesn't seem to mind so far.  And it's pretty fun for me, too so I think I'll keep doing it.  It will probably stop being cool at some point.  Like if I'm still doing it when she's 16 that might be kind of weird.
   Here we are at dinner.  She loves squash!

   She just turned 11 months old and we love that she is feeding herself.  It won't be long before she's scooping the food up on her spoon all by herself.  I might be bragging a little bit.  Ok, I'm bragging a lot.  
   I think I'd be an ass if I weren't bragging.

32 Weeks Old

VB has developed the skills of a chipmunk.  Last night for dinner we feasted on split pea soup, Italian bread and hummus with vegetables.  The vegetables included red peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers finishing with watermelon for dessert.

   We distinctly remember her first eating the pepper, then tomato and finishing with the watermelon.  I guess she was into the red foods.  But as we began cleaning her up, we noticed a small piece of red pepper wedged between her cheek and gums.  She somehow managed to store that little piece of pepper while eating tomato AND watermelon.  mmmm... such interesting food combinations.

This is not that meal.  This is a different, much cleaner meal. 

    Watching her eat sometimes breaks my heart.  And not just because she's growing up.  Ok, well that's a big part of it.  It's thrilling to watch her figure stuff out.  But there's something else that breaks my heart.  And this is the part that makes me an ass for the week.  

   Sometimes my wife will put something in front of VB that is really, REALLY tasty.  Like a quarter eaten grilled cheese sandwich or the aforementioned Italian bread.  And I know that the majority of this will end up on the floor, and I even think to myself, that's too good to end up on the floor.  I should just.... and I take it.  

   Yes, I take food from my baby.  But only when she's almost finished and I'm SURE she's not going to eat it!  That's okay, right?

   Well, I did that yesterday for lunch.  A slice of Italian bread was left on her tray.  When my wife went to get a wash cloth to clean up, I snatched the bread and popped it in my mouth and was instantly rewarded with one of the more disgusting textures I've ever tasted. I neglected to realize that my daughter had spilled water all over her tray soaking everything on it.  I guess I got what I deserved.  I think she may even have planned it.

   I can already tell she's going to be smarter than me.

24 Weeks Old!

It's Bound to come up.  And it's been in the news a lot lately.  I'm talking about the V word.  No, not THAT V word!   
   I’m talking about vaccinations.  It is quite a touchy subject depending on who you talk to.  And up until a few months ago, I had no idea that the subject of vaccinations could be so controversial.  I used to assume that everyone just did it and they started right after they were born in the hospital. 

   Then my wife got pregnant.  And we decided on a home birth.  And I started reading and researching all the alternatives out there.  If ignorance is bliss, what is the opposite?  Yeah, that’s how I’m feeling.

   Assuming you are truly unbiased, there is good information on both sides of this topic.  Yes, vaccinations save lives.  Yes, they have side effects.  Yes, the chances of experiencing said side effects are very, very small.  So are the chances of winning the powerball, but people still manage to do that, too.  And many of the illnesses that vaccinations were created for are not as ‘deadly’ as they once were. (At least not in this country)

   Sooo….  Lots of information to sort through.  Everybody has the right answer and it’s never the same as the answer that anyone else comes up with. 

   It is completely impossible to avoid being an ass when it comes to vaccinations.  Like everything else about parenting, it’s time to trust myself to make the best decision for my family.  And when someone asks about it, I can politely misdirect them by showing them cute pictures of my daughter… like these.