Peek-a-boo, another no-crawler

I'm debating on whether to resign myself to the fact that Julie is just not a crawler. I never crawled. And Christopher never crawled, so I guess Julie will turn out okay. But she is still almost completely dependent on me to get to where she wants to go, and that can really be a drag! Christopher still just does not have the upper body strength or coordination to carry her 20lb body around, so I remain the sole source of baby transportation.

Julie turns 11 months old on Friday! She just learned to clap her hands today for the first time! I was so excited! The kids saw it first and told me...it is the most darling thing to see those chubby angelic little paws clapping away. But she won't scoot, crawl, or even roll to where she wants to go. She just gives up and puts her head on the floor and wails. It's heart-breaking to watch, and so I don't let her do it very much.

I've been working with Julie everyday with little Physical Therapy tips I remember from Christopher' early intervention days. One problem is that she keeps her body as stiff as a board. That's bad news when it comes to falling, she keels over like a felled tree and that could lead to some bad ouchies. With that stiff body, she won't bend her hips or legs. She is so stiff, that I can pick her up by the ankles and she can do the wheelbarrow. At least she has recently developed enough arm strength to do that. The other obstacle is getting her to keep her hips together. She wants to splay them wide all the time. Her body is so strong and stiff, that I literally break into a sweat trying to get her hips together. It's crazy hard. She's close to pulling up, and she loves to stand. She'd spend all day standing up just holding onto my shirt, but she can't get into that position by herself. She can't get into a sitting position by herself from lying down, either.

It's partly because babies who sleep on their back often develop a dislike to being on their tummies, so they never learn any of these skills.(many of my kids hated tummy time!) (Those dr.s out there who advocate "back to sleep" don't tell the mommies all the other possible side effects their babies might struggle with as a result.) I'm sure the other part of the picture, however, is that as baby #5 she is held constantly (to keep her safe from the chaos) and she hates being on the floor. She's much happier perched in a backpack on my back.

I guess she'll learn to walk eventually whether she crawls or not. I'm just hoping our little P.T. sessions will help speed her along. I'll expect her to be a little late at all those milestones, but since she's my youngeset, I'm just going to enjoy her being a "baby" for a little longer, and I have no problem with that!!!

Water Baby

Jewel is a water baby.

She was born in the water; a nice big comfy pool of warm water welcomed her into the world.

(I have a great pic of me (mostly modest) holding newborn Jewel in said birthing pool, but my hubby is understandably scandalized by such a notion and so out of respect to him, I won't post it.)

Because of that I assumed that from the very beginning she would adore bath time. To my complete surprise, for the first several months of bath time she hated it and would cry and fuss.

And then I figured it out. She hated being confined in the water, and she HATED being cold. She loved being free. Jewel loved showers and being held in the water...lots of really warm (almost hot) water so she could float and by comfy. Those were the only ways to wash her without her screaming bloody murder the whole time.

No baby bathtubs. No bath seats. So I got rid of all the commercial bath-helpers many moms use. Jewel would cry and scream in the newborn little plastic bathtubs because as a newborn of 10 lbs, she couldn't stretch out or get comfy. It also doesn't allow enough warm water to cover them and so the poor little dears freeze their little tummies off. She hated bath seats and how they limited her movement. So this is how she takes all her baths. In open warm water with just mommy holding her. Like this she'll squeal, laugh, and kick like a real water baby. She'll roll and turn over and try to swim. I'm so glad I chucked the baby implements and found a way for Jewel to love the water again.



Now every time I walk into a bathroom, she cranes her head around to look into the bathtub. If the water is running she gets very excited, and If I dare leave the bathroom without giving her a bath she screams in frustration. All my other 4 kids usually got baby baths every single night! Poor Jewel, as the 5th child she is lucky if she gets a bath once or twice a week! I'm shocked at myself, but I can't handle any more because if I run her a bath, soon I find a bunch of little girls stripping naked and jumping in with her! (bathing 4 girls at once is a real chore and takes at least an hour before they are all washed and dressed) So when I do give her a bath, I'll often sneak back into my bedroom to do it so I can wash just one baby and watch her have fun instead of 4 kids trying to crash the party.



My kids are taking swim lessons next month at the aquatic center. It will be fun to see how Jewel enjoys the kiddie pool!

Baby toys are boring!

Julianna thinks baby toys are boring! She does like to try and play "ball," but hasn't figured out yet how to throw it.
Jewel likes unsafe things best: paper, plastic....ribbon. The ribbon is the safest (while I'm watching her!) At least she doesn't choke on it like she does whenever she manages to grab a mouthful of paper.
One piece of ribbon keeps her happier longer than a whole box of baby toys.
Anybody need a box of baby toys? I could use some more ribbon, though!

Just Another KId

This is Lucy. She thinks she's just another kid! It's so much fun to have such a sweet, loyal, food-motivated dog around the house. She sure can be trouble sometimes, but we're glad to have her!

Here we capture the first time baby Jewel pets her friend Lucy. Baby has always been a little worried about the Dog. Jewel has been hit by the dog running by and got whacked in the head with her tail a few times. But Lucy has been very good about being around the baby. She's probably only licked baby's face twice...and for Lucy, that's showing real restraint! From the day we brought Jewel home, a common phrase for Lucy was the command: "No baby!" She learned pretty quickly that she was suppose to leave the baby alone. That's hard for a dog when babies are filled with such interesting smells.
Lucy with green glow eyes, baby with red glow eyes...what a pair!
SO sweet, is it the beginning of a beautiful friendship? We bought Lucy as a puppy when Angel was 7 months old, and so I thought Angel would grow up with Lucy as a best friend. But Angel has always been so quiet and reserved, and so far, she hasn't taken to Lucy at all. But maybe Jewel will? Angel only likes to boss the dog around....but then, maybe that's because she sees Mom do it all the time.

Two little creatures, competing for floor space! Lucy was excited when Jewel started on solid foods! A new person to follow and lick up crumbs from. I can't count how many biter biscuits and crackers she's enjoyed from Jewel's high chair, not to mention loads of cheerios.

This is a picture of Lucy licking my camera when I was trying to take a picture of her. She likes to get right up close to people...and their faces. We've tried since she was a puppy to train her to not lick people's faces, but she loves doing it, and will always try if she thinks she can get away with it. So if you come to my house, be warned! Lucy is a very social people-loving dog. And we have yet to convince her to not go crazy when people come to our house. So we usually lock her up when guests come, and so of course, she never learns.Here's our typical Lucy. The lovey-food hungry-licking-affection starved dog. I feel bad that she doesn't get more attention. I don't pet her as much as I should because I have a slight allergy to pet dander, and her furry body makes my hands and face itch. But with a busy house full of 5 kids, there's never any lack of activity for Lucy to get involved in. Whatever the kids do, she does. She'll explore the forts they make, she'll jump on the trampoline when the kids do, and she'll try to get in the van whenever we're going somewhere. Whenever we leave her at home, I always feel as if I am leaving to poor neglected orphan behind. Poor Lucy! She just thinks she's another kid.

Jewel the Jumper

Jewel LOVES to jump. She doesn't just jump up and down, though. She runs with her feet and swings herself back and forth.

She loves the jumper more than any of our other babies. She likes it better than her high chair or excer-saucer. The only thing she likes better is to be held!

She likes it best when music is playing, or the kids are running around and being noisy, because then she feels like she fits in. It's so much fun to watch!

Baby Want a Cracker?

Yummy first cracker!

Even though she's had very little solid food, she did great with it!

No teeth yet, that's okay, Mommy can wait a few more months!