Dear Farrah: Part 7

WOW!!! 7 months old. In the last month, you have made some amazing strides. I can hardly keep up with you. This is mainly because you are now officially mobile. And with that being said, my house is not ready for you to be mobile...still. As a matter of fact (and don't judge me), I looked away for a second and when I turned around, you were all wrapped up snuggly-like in the massive chord of your dad's amp for his guitar. It was as if it were a snake and it wrapped itself around you to give you a big boa constrictor hug. Yeeeeah, that's about the time I jumped and grabbed a whole bunch of that "could potentially hurt or mame the baby" stuff out of the main room. It is weird how they say, "Don't take your eyes off your baby for a second." or "Don't ever leave your baby unattended." and you think, yeah, whatever. This is because when you were first born, you didn't do anything, didn't go anywhere, didn't even know what your hands were for, and didn't have enough or any muscle strength to even turn your head all that well. Why on earth would I think you were capable of suddenly learning how to roll, and not only roll, but roll completely off a king size bed when you were put in the middle of it for just a second? Well, ever since you showed a single hint of wanting to even try to roll, I've been overly careful and taking that advice. I don't want to take any chances. Now, while I'm sitting watching a movie, it can literally be 10 seconds that go by and you have now made it clear across the room. The new fear of not being ready is that you have made your way behind the sofa which is right by the stairs leading to the basement. Even as I write this, I have gotten up several times to make sure you are still asleep and still where I left you. Whew!




Your upper body strength is improving a lot. You are holding your body up with your arms and are using those little biceps, triceps, pecs, and traps to pull your body forward as your legs push off allowing you to begin scooting which will ultimately lead to crawling. Mind you, I have seen you lift your butt up and sit on your knees with your hands on the floor already. I know it's just right around the corner and I'm a little freaked out. I have been picking you up and planting your butt on the floor and you have shown that you are ready, not only able to sit on your own, but to play while sitting. You do still fall to the side and sometimes to the back, but you have yet to cry about this. That's because I'm very careful to keep you in an area that is cushy so you don't bump your head. There's plenty of other opportunities to do that. Like the time yesterday when you were under the piano and rolled into one of the legs that had a little corner on it. Very little whining from that bump, though. That's because I'm not raising a whimp. You recieved a big hug and kiss from your mama and took that pain like a champ and moved on for the next rolling adventure. (However, I felt kinda bad that it looked like you got a scratch from the piano. Sorry, honey.)



You are eating solids. Lots of solids. Which we all know what that leads to: Lots more diapers. You seem to really enjoy the mac 'n cheese dinner, the turkey and rice, and the chicken and veggies. For a while, you were only being fed sweet things like fruits, carrots and squash. That's like asking for a problem in the future. I didn't want you to get too used to the "fun" foods without getting some other nutrients in your little body. We are trying the standard feeding of "meal first and desert afterwards". You seem to enjoy that. Wanna know what else you enjoy? Spitting your food out at me. Yay! It's always fun to get mashed up sweet potatos sprayed in my hair, on my face, on my arms & hands, and all over my clothes. Thanks, Farrah. Of course you laugh when this happens because you usually succeed in getting a loud squeal out of me. When you laugh, your mouth is full of whatever I just shoveled in there and your cheeks are a completely different color than the usual porceline white & pink. You are showing your independence by constantly grabbing for the spoon. It's as if you're already saying, "Mom! I can do this by my self! I know how! GEEZE!!!" Well, for your information, I have allowed you to go ahead and try it a few times by yourself, and you do quite well until you don't realize that there is a back to your throat which tends to stop the spoon. You do have quick reflexes though. You have started to figure out that you don't necessarily need to put the spoon in as far as it will go in order to get a little food.



You are still talking a lot. I know I write this in every entry, but it's different. You started off by saying,"Bababamoomoodamamamamama." That's right! There was a "mama" in there. Now you say, "Mamamamamamama" all the time. In fact, today you weren't saying much except for your usual long-winded, "Ahhhhh Ahhhhh Ahhhhh" so your dad was saying" Mama" over and over to you. I was amazed as I watched you lip the word "Mama". You didn't say it, but you were certainly paying attention. You're awesome. Not only do you talk, but you yell, you scream, you grunt and growl. The growling is funny to watch you do and hear you do. You're so aggressive about it.



You have been reaching up for us now. When I walk up to you and put my arms out, you stick your arms up ready to be held. Such a neat thing to feel needed. That's good considering it feels like you may not like us all that much when you constantly and violently try to scratch our skin off our skulls and pinch and pull hard at anything that looks like it might be painful. Although your father and I have worked hard on eliminating the f-bomb from our language (at least at home) you have managed to pull out a few from us when we grab our wound that you inflicted and see blood on our hands. That's right. You've drawn blood from your parents. Real nice.

You are very very busy. We had a crazy hot weekend in Wenatchee last week. I decided to just allow you to hang out in your diaper thinking that might be more comfortable for you. However, you had a better idea. Again, I looked away for literally just a second and the next thing you know, your diaper was in your hands now being used as a toy while the rest of you aired out. Your dad was sitting with you and he completely missed it until I informed him of your nakedness and potental messiness. Paper is now your favorite cheap toy. I just need to be careful not to allow you to give yourself nasty paper cuts.





It's weird. It's like you're a little person. You have such a personality now. Like whenever your Daddy walks in the door, the smile on your face is as if Jesus Christ himself walked in the room. I usually like to say your hero just walked in. Everything and everyone makes you laugh and smile. There's no mistaking you're an amazing human being with incredible potential. It's so exciting to watch the changes you make. It's almost as if it is on a daily basis. It's somewhat overwhelming, but so incredibly awesome at the same time. You have definately brought an amazing joy into our lives and I hope that we bring the same to yours.



I love you Farrah, and am looking forward to what this next month brings.

Always,

Mama (you can say it)

A Little Test

There is something I'd like for all of you out there to try. You know the movie, E.T. In the movie, there is a scene where Drew Barrymore discovers ET in the closet and screams at the top of her lungs. You know this scene. Well, if you happen to have it on either video or DVD, go to that scene and play it. When you do play it, be sure to have the surround sound up as loud as you can handle. Then, after watching that scene, rewind it and play it again, then again, and again, and again. Then take a break for about 5 minutes. Then play it again, and then again. Yeeeeeeah. Are you feeling my pain yet? My darling little petite Farrah has the lungs of a freakin' banshee. That scream that comes from young Drew Barrymore is nothing like that of Farrah. Hers sounds like it is coming out of a 4 or 5 year old little girl, but you can at least ask the 4 or 5 year old little girl to stop screaming. Farrah, on the other hand, thinks this is funny. And when you say "no" she keeps on going, because she's only 6 and a half months old and doesn't understand a word that is coming out of your mouth. No to her means, "please share this noise that makes my ears bleed with us some more." Thanks! That has been a little difficult to tolerate. It's cute for the first minute because she discovered how loud she can make her voice go and it's always fun to watch her make these new discoveries. However, when it's time for bed, time for a nap, or just plain quiet time, the screaming is no longer cute. That is usually when we have to finally send her to her room and close the door behind us. That way she can get it out of her system and we won't start crying from going insane.

She has also made an awesome discovery that her dad and I thoroughly enjoy listening to. Talking. She moves her tongue and mouth around and is making real baby talking sounds. She is heading in the direction of communication. It is entirely different from the talking we've experienced thus far. She will babble on and on and you can babble right back. She is learning to take her turn to talk. Mike and I could listen to this for hours because it's so damn precious that it helps us forget that only minutes ago she was screaming as if the boogie man jumped out from under her bed and was trying to take her down with him. We know our daughter will be okay if ever confronted with an unpleasant situation. Either she'll talk her way out of it, or simply cause their heads to explode with the sheer pitch of her vocal chords.

A WHOLE DECADE!!!

Saturday, June 30th, was Mike's and my 10 year anniversary. We met at his 30th birthday party on June 28th, hung out on June 29th, and went on our first date June 30th. We celebrate this date because of how incredibly long we've been together. We are very proud of how long we've been together. We have a very strong relationship that I can't help but brag about. Stop gagging. The best moments of my whole life have been spent with Mike. I love that. Some of the worst moments of my life have also been spent with Mike (not because of him, mind you). I love that, too. If not for Mike, I would've had a very difficult time getting through those times. He is an amazing man. I knew it the moment I met him.

I was 20 years old when I met Mike. I had an on again - off again boyfriend back in Alaska who I had told that I was going to start dating other men because he couldn't decide if he wanted to be in a relationship or not. I was also hanging out with a guy from time to time (the on again-off again boyfriend knew about him). No, I wasn't being bad. In any case, I met him on the night of his 30th birthday party. I didn't feel like going out that night, but I was told to go by my friends. When I arrived, I happened to sit right next to him. I immediately took notice of him because he was wearing glasses (I love glasses). Not only that, but he looked like a bad boy too, with his white tee shirt, jeans, and cigarette (I know, bad). Sophisticated with the glasses and a bad boy with the smokes. He was sexy. He and I hit it off immediately, and I knew we had a connection. Throughout that night, we continued to talk until the sun came up...literally. Any thoughts of old boyfriends and new ones went straight out the window. They were completely insignificant to this person I had just met. I had known the moment I left his house, I wanted to be with him. The next day I waited for his phone call. When I got it, my youthfulness came out. As soon as I got off the phone with him, I jumped up and down like a little girl. You'd think I had just won the lotto (I guess in a way I did). We hung out again that night and decided to make plans for an actual "date" for the next night which was a Sunday.

Date night consisted of us going to the Ponderosa Tavern with a bunch of his friends. I, of course, didn't have ID, but he knew the bartender. He told her not to give me any shit because I was going to be the next Mrs. Moody. Funny thing, he asked me if that weirded me out and it really didn't. It actually made me feel good and I was comfortable with the thought. We sat at a table away from al of his friends and talked. At the end of the night when it was time to say goodbye, he asked my permission for a kiss. I said yes, and we did. Ever since that night, we have never been apart except for a few hockey tournaments, business trips, or golf weekends. After our first date, I knew I wanted to be with him forever and ever. We chose to take things very slow in the upcoming years with buying a house, getting married, and of course, having a baby. Everything in due time, and it all worked out perfectly.

I am completely happy. My life is more than I thought I could have, but all that I've ever wanted. It is that way because of my husband, Mike. He is an amazing human being who has brought pure joy to my heart and to my life. To this day, Mike and I talk on the phone at least 4-5 times a day. If we can't be together all the time then we'll talk on the phone to feel close.

To Mike:

Honey, I love you with all of my heart. You are my favorite person and I couldn't imagine my life without you in it. You are my soul mate. There is no other for me. The connection between us is cosmic. This is not our first time being married. I know we've been together many lifetimes before and every time, we find each other. Like I've said before, the best decision I've ever made in my life was to go to that party. I'm so very glad I did. But you know what? We'd still have found one another eventually because we're supposed to be together.

Change (In more ways than one)

Have you ever changed a tire? Have you ever changed a tire while the car was driving down the freeway going 65 miles an hour? That's a little what it is like changing Farrah's diaper. I feel like I have to wrestle her down just to get the crap off her butt. She tightens up her legs while stretching and twisting her body so she can get to the Winnie the Pooh lamp on her changing table. It is always quite the event with her.

Well, I am not working right now. Which is to say I am not out at a 9 to 5 job getting paid. I am currently playing the role of "stay at home mom" and loving it. It has forced me to throw myself into being domestic. I'm not very good at it, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I've been given an opportunity to spend more time with my daughter and get some things around the house taken care of that have been on the back burner (including Titan who, by the way, was given the best bath of his life today by yours truly). I am back to cooking dinners again. That has not been high on my priority list lately because the task of putting together a big dinner after a long day at work followed by the gym was not appealing. In any case, that is what is going on for the time being. We'll see what happens next. In the meantime, I will enjoy this little break and spend some very important time with Farrah and get some chores done.