We've been enjoying some warmer weather here in Rochester. I must admit that when things green up around here in the summertime, Rochester is a pretty nice place to be! We've enjoyed lots of strolls and playing in the parks. Here's a bunch of my Mommy friends right before we went on a walk to Soldier's Field. Walking five across at some points, we definitely made quite a formidable stroller brigade!
Malea still loves the baby swing. Here she is, with her friend Isaac, at the park near our house.
And with Stewart on a beautiful sunny Saturday!
Sitting in the grass is another matter... here's her reaction when Felix and I decided to see what Malea thought of a lounging around in a grassy yard. Needless to way, she was not a happy camper!
But, since we're spending so much more time outdoors, Malea's gotten more and more comfortable with the feel of grass over time. Here's a picture of us at Soldier's Field park at the end of May (she's still not quite sure of the itchy grass feeling on her legs), and another from last week in Tim and Sally's yard where she spent many minutes touching and pulling on the grass!
I think separation anxiety is beginning to creep into our lives. I've noticed that Malea starts to cry and whine when I leave the room. It's kind of flattering to know that she misses me, but also very annoying since many times I'm only leaving her sight for a few minutes to pick up some laundry, go to the bathroom, etc! But, they tell me separation anxiety is a very developmentally appropriate milestone, so I'm trying to be sensitive to her needs and give Malea lots of cuddle time and reassurance that I'm not abandoning her. Fortunately, daycare drop-offs have continued to go smoothly. No crying... yet!
We've continued to experiment with more solid foods. Malea has now tried rice cereal, oatmeal, multi-grain cereal, peas, pears, prunes, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, squash, green beans and bananas (more on that below). Except for the initial shock with her first taste of solids, Malea has enthusiastically chowed down everything we've offered!
Here's her first taste of banana. It's in a teething feeder - essentially a mesh bag so she can gum the banana juices! No doubt about it, our little girl loves bananas (just like her dad)!
And of course, after all that messiness, it's bath time! Since Malea is getting too big for her bathing seat, we thought we should try transitioning from the kitchen sink to the bathtub. We even had a super cute inflatable duck bath given to us by a friend. It was a big hit with her young daughter, so we thought Malea would love it too. Unfortunately, Malea's first few times in the duck bath were not so fun. She really seemed scared of the duck and would cry and grab at our arms when we placed her in the water.
But, after we brought it out to the living room and played in it for a few days, Malea seemed to overcome her aversion to the inflatable duck. A pep talk from Grandma Su via webcam also helped - "You can do it, Malea! You're a big girl, and that is just a duck toy... nothing to be afraid of." My mom says Malea is a lot like me was when I was a baby. Cautious about new experiences and the unknown. But, given a little time to explore and test things out, I would then dive right in. Like mother, like daughter! Malea now happily sits and splashes in the duck at bathtime!
We hosted a playdate at our house last Friday and once again, had to arrange the babies for a group shot, this time in age order (10 months to 5.5 months). They weren't so happy about being squished onto one couch, but it makes for a priceless picture, don't you think?
And here we are, Malea and Mommy! Already 8 months old - I can hardly believe it!
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