Growing Up

Everyone's growing up so fast! Here's what's going on in our house:

Lacy got her ears pierced! My mom made me wait until I was 10 to get mine pierced. I didn't want to be that mean to my own babygirls, so I decided I would let them get it done when they wanted (love ya mom!). Lacy has asked to have it done a few times in the past, but she's quickly forgotten about it. I wanted to wait until she was really ready to have it done, and really wanted to get it done! This week was the week! She asked me earlier in the week and kept on asking. She made a 5-day chart and said she'd get them pierced in 5 days if she was a good girl and did her chores. Well, she was pretty good most of the time, and there was really no reason to deny her getting them pierced, so today we went ahead and did it!

Then there's Rose. She's my rough and tumble little brave girl. She rarely complains and is so independent! I love that little girl! Poor thing is allergic to several things... what they are, I'm not sure. I do know mosquitos are on the list though. We went camping, and she was bitten way more than anyone else (even after bug spray was applied) and she swelled up massively. She looked terrible. To top it off, she fell off a makeshift swing that Dave made up (and subsequently dismantalled after the fall) and got scrapes on top of the already swollen mosquito bites. Poor kid! But she didn't complain at all. She's also starting to talk like a kid, not a toddler anymore. She still has a few speech issues (but the speech therapist said it's nothing to worry about), but she's certainly sounding more grown up every day!

And Uriah, my sweet little baby boy. He's eating solids now! I wanted to wait until he was sitting up unassisted very well, growing teeth, acted interested in food, mastered the pincer grasp, and was older than 6 months in order to begin solid foods. I am pretty strict about when to introduce foods because early solids introduction can lead to GI tract disorders, diabetes and food allergies, which can show up at any time in life. Dave is blessed with GI tract disorders and food allergies, and diabetes runs in his family, so I am extra cautious. But Ri was very ready, so at 6 1/2 months we started solids. He wasn't terribly impressed with them until he got to try cucumber spears and big chunks of melon. He loves those! My big boy is getting bigger now that he gets to eat big boy food! He'll eat maybe a tablespoon of babyfood at a time, but he'll attack foods that he gets to feed himself and eat a lot more that way. I've always given my babies their own food to feed themselves from a relatively young age, and I never knew that the technique I used had a name until maybe a year ago- it's called "Baby Led Weaning," and it's basically what I've always done with my kiddos, I just didn't know it had a name! I'll probably give Ri another week or so on babyfood before we abandon it completely!

First bites of babyfood... um... that was weird, mom.

But cucumber? Nom nom nom nom give me more, mama!