MONTH 1: Not much to tell... I'm still taking it all in. The world's a bit blurry and pretty bright at times, which makes me squint. There sure are a lot of faces coming up to me though, and a lot of arms to sleep in. My tummy's awfully small so I need to eat every couple of hours. My parents (I think those are the two people who hover over me the most) haven't dropped me yet, thank goodness. I think they were both a bit nervous about handling me and frankly I was too - back in the womb I didn't have to worry about getting in and out of clothes and ALL those diaper changes! Sheesh, what a hassle. But I think they're getting comfortable now. The three of us like to hang out together and look at each other; we're learning to be a family.
MONTH 2: There's a lot to look at! I think I better just observe everything around me, no sense rushing in and grabbing things just yet. I've got a lot of interesting things to look at - there's a mirror hanging from my activity arch so I can look at myself, KarishmElf and KarishMoose keep me company when I sit in my swing, and of course that big Christmas tree with all those shiny balls on it.
I went on my first overnight trip away from home. Mom and Dad and I went to the coast (Yachats) and had a blast. We went for a walk along a coast trail but I don't remember much of it since I slept; it's awfully comfortable in my Baby Bjorn, snuggled up against Dad. We also went to Portland this month. We spent the day strolling through Washington Park and the Chinese Classical Garden. We were lucky that the weather was nice so we had clear blue skies (in January!) to stroll under.
I started sleeping in my crib in my OWN room, which is no big deal to me; I think it was harder on Mom than me. I'm also sleeping through the night, which seemed to thrill Mom and Dad. I discovered that I can suck my fingers, though it's a bit of a challenge not to get some of them stuck in my eye or nose instead. Something to work on I guess. So many things to do and learn!
MONTH 3: Hey, I've got a voice! I'm not quite sure if Mom and Dad know what I'm saying but they really enjoy it whenever I talk. I've learned to laugh which comes in handy because people sure make funny faces at me to get me to react. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable with my hands these days and they're starting to cooperate by doing what I want. For awhile there I wasn't sure if they were a part of my body - it seemed they'd randomly come in and out of view. Now I can use them to bat at my toys and even grab them to bring them in for closer investigation to my mouth. You know, you really gain a new perspective on an object if you can look at it, feel it AND taste it too.
MONTH 4: I just learned how to make raspberries. I figured out the key is to get lots of drool going; then I can make lots of bubbles along with the sounds. Sometimes I can carry on for many minutes at a time, at the end of which my shirt is pretty much soaked. Ah well, sometimes you just have to get messy to learn something new. I've discovered that I can stuff my whole fist into my mouth... better now than later I guess. It'll probably only get harder, since I don't see mom or dad ever doing it. I can also suck on my toes, which don't taste too bad since they don't get dirty at this point.
I had my 4 month appt. and got my 2nd set of shots. The nurse was NOT very good at giving shots and really made me cry (which made mom pretty upset too). I cried so hard that I could barely breathe and my chest got all splotchy. Luckily I calmed down after 15 minutes when mom let me comfort nurse. Mom promised me we wouldn't have THAT nurse again. The plus side of the appt: Dr. Allender says I'm growing well - I'm still in the 95th percentile for height and weight... I've doubled my birth weight. Guess that milk stuff is working out for me.
MONTH 5: This month I had my first taste of solid food - rice cereal. Frankly, solids seem highly overrated at this point. Actually, I'm not starting solids until next month, but got to try some at my anaprasan. My dad fed me first, then my Didan and Dadun. I'd pretty much had enough by the time mom got the spoon to me.
I'm learning to sit up now, and can do it for a little while at a time. But it's a good thing mom and dad put lots of pillows around me since I'm never quite sure when I'm going to topple over. I can show when I'm happy now by laughing out loud and giving BIG smiles.
MONTH 6: Solid foods, here I come! My first solid food ever (not counting infant rice cereal) is TURNIPS. And contrary to what you might think, they are delicious! Mom bought me organic baby white turnips from the local Farmer's Market and steamed and mashed them up. I'm also learning to drink water from my own sippy cup. It's a little hard to keep the water from dribbling down my chin, but that's what bibs are for, right? Anyway, I got the hang of the cup pretty easily, and this water stuff tastes so good!
I've discovered that I'm pretty limber. I can grab my feet in my hands and clap them together. This is especially fun to do during diaper changes. I also like to work on doing the splits in the air.
MONTH 7: My first tooth is coming in! It hurts enough that it wakes me up in the middle of the night and messes up my sleep. But it doesn't bother me that much during the day. I'm not really interested in teething toys or sucking on frozen washcloths.
I'm discovering lots of new foods. I've tried broccoli, barley cereal, and mango to name a few. I've pretty much enjoyed everything I've tried so far. I fed myself for the first time too- held a Ritz cracker and took a bite out of it. I'm also trying to pick up Cheerios and eat them, but they're pretty small and I'm still learning how to grasp things.
I was on the front page of the Oregonian this month. Mom, dad and I went to the Oregon Garden grand opening in Silverton and a photographer wanted to take my picture as I looked at the flowers. We went to WinCo the next day hoping to see if there was a small photo of me in the paper when we saw the Sunday edition and my face was on the cover! I also got to see my tile at the Oregon Garden... it had my handprint from when I was 5 months old.
MONTH 8: I think I've got this sitting thing down now. I hardly ever fall backwards, except when I get really excited. It's a lot more fun to sit up and play with toys - I can reach for so much more and see a lot more too. My big experiment for this month is seeing how 2 objects sound when banged together. Whenever I can, I try to grab something in each hand and smack them together.
I went to visit my grandparents in Montana this month - this was my longest car ride so far (11 hours but we broke it up into 2 days.). Mom and dad agreed that I did great - they entertained me by singing lots of songs to me. I also tried to catch up on lots of beauty sleep since I knew I'd be busy once I got to grandma and grandpa's house.
I got to meet lots of relatives on this trip - I met my cousin A.J. for the first time and my aunt Tina. I also met my second cousins James and Michael. Michael who's 2, taught me to say 'dah'. One of the first things I did in MT was explore my grandmother's garden. She took me in there and we sat on the ground and picked peas and ate dirt.
After I got back from MT, I learned to fall asleep at night on my own, without a pacifier. Now I have a bedtime routine: I nurse, I get my face washed and teeth brushed, then mom and dad read me a bedtime story and sing me some songs until I'm drowsy. Then I go to bed. It was hard the first night - I couldn't fall asleep for 20 minutes, but I was able to go to sleep within a couple of minutes by the 3rd night.
MONTH 9: I've been going to Water Babies with my dad since I was 6 months old. This summer we started biking to class. Sometimes it's okay but I'm not used to my Burley yet, or my bike helmet. But I'm glad to have the helmet since it keeps me safe. It's pretty cute - it's yellow with bumblebees on it.
I waved at mom and dad for the first time. I was with Grandma on the ferry and saw them on the deck below. Speaking of ferries, one thing I HATED about them was their really loud horn. It really scared me and made me cry any time one went off when I was out on the deck.
My face of the month is to scrunch up my nose, open my mouth wide in a big smile to show my bottom 2 teeth, squint my eyes and breathe in and out loudly. My folks call it my buchki face.
MONTH 10: Lots of friends have been saying that I'm looking more like a little kid these days and no longer an infant. About time! My hair has lightened up this summer and it's definitely a lighter brown with some reddish brown highlights. I've started eating regular table food now - I usually eat the same foods that mom and dad eat at dinner rather than special baby food.
I've started pointing to show what I want and to ask what things are. I like to have objects/people named when I point to them, and I can point to things if you ask me where something is. My favorite objects in the house are lights, the doorbell chime box, and smoke detectors.
MONTH 11: I'm on the move! I started scooting and it's so exciting to be able to go to things that interest me, rather than relying on someone to bring them to me. I've also started crawling, although it's more of a crab crawl - I step on my right foot and drag my left foot under me rather than crawling conventionally on my knees. This has been a busy month. After several months with just 2 bottom teeth, 4 of my top teeth started coming in all at once!
I love to play peek a boo, especially with sheets and towels. I put the sheet over my head and then will peek out from under it to see if mom or dad notice I'm hidden. Hiding under sheets is so much fun it makes me laugh out loud.
November 5, 2001: Hard to believe one year has gone by. It's true what they say... the first year goes by so fast. After the first month, Karishma physically grew fast; the small clothes she used to fit into when she was first born look like doll clothes to us now. Only a year ago she lay swaddled in our arms, unable to turn her head much or grab anything. Now she crawls so fast that we have to lunge for her to grab her sometimes, and washing her face while she twists this way and that usually requires both of us to get the job done. It's a blessing to watch her develop new skills and learn to observe and interact with the world around her.