Aurora at 9 months

Aurora exploring her new home

May, 2014:  My two weeks with Aurora have been the best two weeks of my life.  Being a Grandma is so fulfilling for me.  I can enjoy every minute of cuddling while she is drinking her bottle.  I can watch how she tries, and then the next day she does it, pick up the bottle herself.  She holds on to it almost the whole time.  Her schedule is to wake up about 7:30 or so.  She gets a diaper change and sits on the potty.  Then she gets dressed for the day and gets a bottle.  Then breakfast.  Tricia likes to feed her avocado, then banana and or applesauce or yogurt.  Then I get to see her because I have slept in, and we play.  At first there was nowhere really to play, but I made room for her on the floor in various spots so she could crawl.  They have been moving so floor space has been at a minimum.  No she has a big area in the living room of bare wood floor, the kitchen, but she goes right for Sunny’s bowls, the hallways, and the basement.  She once crawled all the way from one end of the laundry room, across the downstairs landing, and into the guest bedroom.  She would stop for a minute and sit.  She once put her knew sup to the first stair, but I don’t think she really knew what she did.  She is pulling herself up as much as possible, except, she doesn’t have a grip that lasts very long.  She can sure grip things, but then she drops it.  She has been amenable to dropping it in my outstretched hand, and then I immediately hand it back to her and say thank you and “now I am giving it back to you.

She likes to flirt, and is so curious of everything around her.  Whatever it is, she has to touch it and put it in her mouth if she can.  Her one bottom tooth is fully out and you can see it when she smiles.  She must be getting another one because sometimes you know it hurts when she bites on everything.  One day we gave her Ibuprofen.

After we play for awhile, I like to read to her, or show her how to put the rings on the post, or play music or do the sharing.  I love to watch her explore.  I left the cupboard door open and she pulled out all the bottom shelf toys.  The next day she did the same but then got all the top shelf toys off also.  She was determined to get every last one.  That white duck finally made it in her mouth.  She climbed up onto Aaron and sort of stood up before she plopped.  She is getting stronger and stronger every day.  If she has a cuddly sleeper on, it is slippery to crawl.  Good on carpet, but not on wood.  So I let her go barefoot if necessary.  She likes to dance if you say dance, or play fun music.  She eats about two tablespoons of food after the bottle.  Tricia makes baby food out of stuff they eat.  She just puts it in a baby food mill and heats it up before she eats.  We feed her and she opens her mouth until she doesn't.  Hands up means all done.  A few minutes later she may need to poop.  We just put her on her little potty and she sits there and poops.  She likes to sit there.  I only had a poopy diaper once.  Then she takes a nap at 10:00 am, but it has been hard to get her to sleep without a pacifier.  When she wakes around noon, she gets a bottle, some food, and maybe a poop, then playtime until 2:00 pm.  Then nap until 4:00 to 4:30.  Then she gets the bottle and food, and playtime for the rest of the evening.  So now you can take her out to dinner, like we went to the Ethiopian restaurant where she loved the flat bread stuff.  She flirted with everyone there.  They are going to start giving her own food to put in her mouth herself.  I can’t wait to see her again soon.  She is such a joy to relax and be with her and not have any pressing chores or phone calls or errands.  What a life for a mother to do on her own.  I know Tricia missed Aurora, but also, she was thrilled to get to paint the rooms and rearrange things and put up the pictures.  The house looks really nice now.  They have done a great job.  They put in the new circuit breaker panel today.  Aaron scored a lot of really nice wood for the basement.  They have a lot of plans. 

Brother and Sister, Aurora and Sunny

I can't wait to see them all again in August for Aurora's first birthday.