She still has a good amount of stranger/separation anxiety. She's ok with someone else holding her as long as she can see me, but if I leave she just screams and screams :( It makes me so sad. Michael's mom has been coming over twice a week to watch the baby while I go to the gym and although it seems to be getting a little better, she still cries a good amount. It makes me feel awful to know that I'm doing something to make her so upset. I'm not a fan of the Cry It Out method, or for letting her cry for any extended period of time, but I've been told that as long as she's being held and comforted the crying while I'm gone won't have the same damaging effects as letting her cry it out. I'm only gone for an hour and a half and I always leave a bottle in the fridge for her, but lately she's refusing to take a bottle. I thought maybe it was just that she didn't want to take it from someone else while I wasn't around, but I've tried giving her a bottle too and she won't take it from me either. She just wants a boob I guess. She was fine taking a bottle a month ago, but now she wants nothing to do with it. I tried putting milk in a sippy cup, but she wasn't having that either.
Betsy Grace used to say "ma ma" all the time but now she only says it when she's upset. She has started saying "ba ba" and "ga ga" but still no "da da" although we say it to her all the time. She loves to shriek and make all kinds of noises like she's singing. She's also trying to crawl but can't quite figure out how to get her head and her bottom up at the same time. She's good with being on her tummy and lifting her head up or laying down with her bottom up so instead of crawling she scoots along on her tummy like an army crawl or she'll just roll all over the place to get to where she wants to be.
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| Swimming in the back yard |
This month she had her first trip to the Farmer's Market, her first time sitting in the grass (she wasn't a fan!) at the dog park, her first father's day, her first time in her little swimming pool, her first time on the swings at the park, and celebrated her first 4th of July. This past month we also spent some time in Tampa for a workshop Michael had to attend for work. While we were there we got to meet up with our friends Krista and Scott and meet there sweet little boy, Eli. Betsy Grace and Eli had their first play date together, although Eli slept through most of it :) She also had her first time eating solid food this month. We started with avocados and she ate some of it but didn't love it. We also tried sweet potatoes and cantaloupe but she didn't really like those either. We're just going to take a break from solids for a little while and try again in a few weeks. She's still waking up at least 2 times at night to nurse, which is fine with me. I just try to nap with her during the day so I'm not too tired (and she seems to nap longer when I'm laying down with her). Still no teeth either.
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| Eating avocado |
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| Not so sure about sitting in the grass |
Our very first "young, marrieds" bible study group from about 5 years ago was able to get together recently. Our group was together for two years before people started moving to different parts of the country for school and jobs. We always had a running bet of who would have babies first but it ended up being the opposite of how we thought it would happen. Now four of the five couples have had a baby and we were able to get everyone together to meet all the new little ones. Ava is just 36 hours older than Betsy Grace, Eli is 2 months old, and Jane is just two weeks old!
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| Katelyn and Ava, me and Betsy Grace, Erin and Jane, Krista and Eli, and Mandi (no baby for them yet!) |
