Push-ups

As if sitting up were not enough, Petra has started doing push-ups (at least when forced to lie on her tummy). We're getting closer to mobility every day. Yikes!

We added sweet potatoes to the "solid" food repertoire today. We'll see how that "goes" over the next couple of days. My goal is to have her on enchiladas by June!

We went to a going away party for our good friends Patti and Andy (packing up and moving to Portland). Their 11 month old son Noah was thrilled to see Petra, and couldn't stop touching her (is she real?). Petra was a bit excited to see Noah and other kids there, and latched on to one boys hair and wouldn't let go! Seeing Noah was a bit of a wake up call for us- he's 6 months older than Petra, and crawling around like crazy and standing himself up (though not quite walking yet). It shows us just how close we are to the total chaos of having a self-motivated baby in the house!

My back has been killing me lately from carrying our nearly-17 pound baby everywhere in the Bjorn, so this weekend we popped into REI and bought a Kelty-kids backpack to carry her around in. We took a short walk to test it out, and she seems to like being up so high (a few inches above my head). If the weather is nice next weekend we'll go for a good hike!

Photo-palooza

Sorry it has been a while since the photo album has been updated. I've just added a few dozen glorious images of our little darling for you to coo over. The link to the photo album is here.

Buzz

Petra had her first Peet's coffee the other day, and has been buzzing ever since. Well, OK, really she just played with the cup after mommy had an iced espresso, but it was still fun (and she probably got some caffeine via mommy anyway). Please note in the picture she is holding the cup all by herself. She also holds her own bottles when daddy is feeding her (not always at precisely the right angle, but she certainly has the right idea). She's also been sipping water out of a sippy cup, and this week we began introducing her to solid foods (if you can call baby food solid). We knew it was time when she kept grabbing our food out of our hands and shoving it into her mouth. Some calabasitas from Loteria Grill went down her throat before we had a chance to stop her (and they came out whole from the other end). She was sucking dried apricots to within an inch of their little lives, so we gave her some peaches for the last couple of days, and it seems to be going well. Zucchini is next!

We went to UCLA today to attend a childcare orientation (short answer: tough). Petra was a big hit, as was the stroller. One woman said she thought she had researched every possible stroller for her 5 month old, and was not happy she hadn't found the Zapp. Another guy came up with a story of longing for his Quinny back in Europe. Once again, the Quinny rules!

Speaking of Buzzes, I saw another Quinny (the Buzz)/Maxi-Cosi combo heading for Farmer's market, and a Quinny 4xl there. I've only seen 5 Quinny's ever (2 are ours), and all have been at or near the Farmer's market! We are such the trendsetters!

Betting Pool

I think we all lost this round of bets on Petra's growth. Her doctor's appointment on Monday weighed her in at 16lbs 9 oz, 24.5" long! She is a big girl! The doctor also pointed out that her amazing sitting ability (technically "Tripodding") is quite ahead of the curve (usually at 5-6 months, not 4). As we suspected, she is indeed a genius! She has also discovered her toes (very cute!), and is loving her baths now (splashing everywhere!).

Petra and I have been taking lots of walks around the neighborhood (often the only way to quiet her down in the afternoons). Everyone we pass thinks she is adorable (of course) and is amazed at how alert and happy she is while we walk. She prefers to ride outward facing in the baby Bjorn, so my back is getting quite a workout. The stroller usually is fine- she'll sleep for quite awhile, but if she wakes up look out! I carry the Bjorn for backup!Petra and I visited the university on Friday to check on progress of some projects and attend a coworkers baby shower. This was the first day Petra didn't go to UCLA for lunch, and she handled it pretty well. Desiree babysat most of the time, and Petra was fine with that. She was held and cooed over by at least 2 dozen people, and didn't melt down for about 2 hours (and 2 bottles of milk). The good news was that the second I put her in the stroller to head for the car she conked out, and slept the whole way home. Good baby!

Not such a good drive Sunday though after we visited our friends in their new house in Valencia. She slept the whole way up (good baby!), but squalled almost the whole way back. We've got to work on that!

Friday she fell asleep in my lap for the first time, and yesterday she slept in my arms 3 times (once after each bottle). She is so cute in her little milk coma! I need to be better about planning for it though- leg falling asleep and nothing to read make for uncomfortable naps.

Milk Coma

Happy Valentine's Day!

And happy birthday to me! Petra is the best valentine a guy could ask for, even if she forgot to get me a card. Actually, having Petra made it easier to do something for mommy this Vday. Normally, the 14th comes and I don't have a chance to even get a card (well, the Thrifty down by work has a fine selection of "Mahogany" cards, but she's a little pale for those). This year though, I was able to pack Petra into the Bjorn and take her shopping for card, chocolates, and a necklace. Hardly any meltdowns at all. Next year I'm sure will be back to the same grind, but this year was great!

After all the trouble we went through to make sure Petra's name isn't too popular, we found out today that it is in the top 10 (in Hungary). Well, I suppose it could be worse. Everyone loves the name, and I doubt there will be more than 3-4 other Petra's in her class when she starts school/childcare.

Petra and I have been pretty good on the schedule thing. Up at 7:30, play until 9, bottle, nap, up at noonish, drive to UCLA for lunch with mommy, walkies, another bottle, then hang on daddy until mommy gets home. See, no room for meltdowns in such a busy schedule! The bottle feeding is going really well. Petra now grabs and holds the bottle when she's hungry (and forgets about it and drops it when not). She definitely likes to be in control. She loves playing in her bouncy chair (yet another part of that Craigslist haul) for precisely that reason, even if it is a little big for her.

Sit-ups

Petra is in much better shape for sit-ups than daddy is. Daddy had a pleasant case of viral gastroenteritis over the weekend, and is still in the recovery stage (just be glad you can't hear my stomach rumbling on the blog). Petra, on the other hand, is doing great at sit-ups. She can't quite do it herself yet, but she can stay upright pretty well now, though the balance is a little iffy.

Petra's also doing pretty good with tummy time now, starting to push herself up with her arms rather than just arching her back to raise her head and chest up. We picked up a Tiny Love playmat on Craigslist and she's having fun kicking those things about. The person who sold it to us threw in a great set of chimes for it as well, and Petra loves making them ring.

Speaking of rings, Petra has really taken to grabbing, gumming, and flinging the Haba wooden rings that we bought her. Her hand-eye coordination is just to the point where she can grab them well and pass them hand to hand to mouth. But obviously what she likes most is hurling them as hard and far as possible. She's nearly killed the laptop twice flinging the rings at grandpa during a videoconference.

Mirror Mirror
Petra also recognizes herself in the mirror. We were doing a diaper change at the Hammer Museum show "Masters of American Comics" (regrettably a short very short visit), and there was a full length mirror behind the table. When she stood up and saw herself she did a little dance and gave a sweet giggle. She's seen herself in several other mirrors, and it always catches her attention (well, unless she's crying).

Quinny 1, Bugaboo 0
Coming out of the Hammer, we were waiting to cross the street near a couple with baby in a bugaboo. They were having a hushed conversation, casting glances back at us, and finally the woman broke away and asked "where did you get your stroller?" Hah! Quinny Zapp wins again!