She's One

Helen turned one year old on Thursday.

It has been a crazy journey. Very hard and very rewarding. 

Here are a few updates since last month:

• She claps her hands when I start singing patty-cake and puts her fingers together when I sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider.
• She started being able to follow directions. When I tell her to get a book she'll walk over to the bookshelf and pick one out. For a while she would only choose the Pride and Prejudice counting book. She held it up for me to read it to her again and again and again. Then I hid it from her. I'm such a good mom.
• I also taught her to get my nursing cover for me when she's hungry. Very handy.
• Her words have just exploded. She can say dog, cat, cheese, mama, dad, Teddy, up, all done, ball, please, pretty, brrr, and probably more that I can't remember.
• She's learning where her body parts are. Sometimes she'll point to her nose, eye or belly when I ask her.

I put together a short film with highlights of Helen's firsts:

Here's a look back on her first year of life:

Born on February 13, 2013 at 12:03 PM |  6 pounds 14 ounces | 20.5 inches long

You can read her birth story HERE

Rolled over on a hard surface for the first time at 15 weeks old

She was able to sit up on her own at 5 1/2 months

She tried her first food (egg yolks) at about 5 1/2 months

Crawled for the first time a few days after she turned 6 months old

Pulled herself up to standing at a couple weeks shy of 7 months

Started walking at 9 (almost 10) months

She began doing sign language and saying a few words at 10 months

You can read all of Helen's monthly updates HERE

DISCLOSURE: Some links are affiliate. 

Nursing Essentials: What Worked For Me

As a new mom, I was so confused about what I needed to nurse efficiently and discretely. I (stupidly) decided not to buy a lot of clothing before giving birth. After I had Helen, I had very little time to do much shopping. I wish I had known then what is useful and what doesn't work. Let me share my experience with you:

Empire Nursing Top | Nursing Tank | Hoodie | Nursing Cover | Boppy

Of course every mom will have different requirements for their nursing wardrobe. I personally TRY to stay modest as best I can (it's a LOT harder to do when you're nursing). And I prefer to keep my stretch-mark-riddled belly to myself, thankyouverymuch. 

Here are some items that I have found useful so far in my nursing experience.

0-3 Months

I basically lived in nursing tanks. They were so comfortable as my body adjusted to feeding another human being. Nursing tanks do NOT provide very much support, so I made sure to wear a thick hoodie on top. Otherwise I would leak through. How embarrassing. 

My favorite tanks were from Target and Bravado.

During these first few months, when Helen was feeding for an hour (or more!) at a time, I had to have my Boppy. I picked one up second-hand for a couple dollars. Now that Helen is older (and a faster nurser) I basically never use it, but it was a life saver at first. And I used it to make tummy-time a little more enjoyable for her (see this video).
I couldn't have lived without a nursing cover. My mom picked one up for me second-hand, but there are lots of cute styles online. Some moms can get by with just a blanket, but Helen is an active nurser and there have been many times I'm happy the cover is hooked over my neck.

Cami: Maurices | Shirt: American Eagle

3-6 Months

During this time I was still trying to figure out what worked for me. I tried the whole lift your shirt up from the bottom, pull down your cami thing and it drove me CRAZY. My shirt would stick to the cami and I got really frustrated as I tried to get ready for nursing and stay modest while holding a squirming, desperate baby. Not fun.

Then I discovered the cami + v-neck method. If you wear a camisole with stretchy straps you can easily pull is down and the v-neck aside for quick and easy access. 

However, this method is not the most discreet. You definitely need to wear a nursing cover if you're concerned about keeping covered.

6 Months - Present
Around this time I purchased my first actual nursing shirt. I fell in love and wore it all the time. If I could afford it, I would buy all nursing shirts. They are so easy to nurse in and are quite discreet. I haven't been brave enough to do it, but it would be possible to nurse without a cover with one of these shirts.
I really like THIS brand (I'm too embarrassed to say their name on my blog) and Milk Nursingwear.

Underpinnings
As far as undergarments go, I really like this kind from Target. I had heard that the underwire variety could make you get clogged milk ducts, so I bought several garments that were wire free. I hated all of them. They still had some sort of poky plastic for shaping and it always dug into me. Underwire is just more comfortable for me.

Other Things I Didn't Like
I bought a couple of nursing shirts from a company that is now out of business. They were cheap, but so not worth it. They were the "lift the hem" access type and they drove me batty.
I also tried the Undercover Mama tank. It sounds nice: turn any shirt into a nursing shirt! My problem was that it was too low for my modesty comfort and it's made from cotton which sticks to everything. When I tried to lift up my outer shirt, it just stuck to the fabric and the tank came up with it, exposing my postpartum (jiggly) belly.



So those are the things that have worked/not worked for me.

For all you veteran moms out there: What worked well for you?


Note: Some links are affiliate. All opinions are my own.

11 Months

My apologies for my hiatus in blogging. It was unintended. We got really busy (visiting my sister who lives over 3 hours away and going to visit my family 4 days in a row while our house was freezing cold). Plus, Reuben's computer died so I've been sharing mine with him.

Anyway, here's what's new with Helen this month:

• She knows three signs really well: up, please, and milk (see THIS video for proof). She occasionally signs for "more" when she's really desperate for something.
• She's also trying to say more words. She says "up" (with a silent p) accompanied by the sign when she wants to be picked up. And I *think* she's trying to say "teddy" and "daddy."
• She has four teeth now! Three on the bottom and one on the top. She was SUPER cranky when her top one was busting through. 
• I taught Helen how to drink from a straw the other day. She also uses a sippy cup and she actually drank from a bottle (she has hated using a bottle up to this point).
• Reuben pulled out his old teddy bear for Helen. She loves it. She'll rest her head on him and coo "Ooooh" -- it's pretty adorable. 
• She's more actively playing peek-a-boo now. She'll raise and lower a blanket and grin, or put her hands behind her head to play (why do little kids NEVER put their hands in the right spot when they play peek-a-boo?!).
• She's also learning to use objects for their intended purpose. The other day I handed her my comb to play with, and to my surprise she tried to comb her hair. And when I was sweeping the floor she found a little plastic golf putter and tried to sweep my dirt. Melted my heart. 
• She also loves to throw balls (or grapefruits) onto the floor and watch them roll (see THIS video).
• Helen knows where my nose is (she points to it when I ask her). Now to teach her where her own nose is...
• She's FINALLY warming up to food. When I'm eating something, she really wants a taste. I made her some ice cream (grass-fed cream, maple syrup and a splash of vanilla). And she loves her pickles (see this and this photo). She still nurses for most of her nutrition, but I'm hoping to transition to more solids.

And that's all I have for this month.

Have a lovely day!

Erica

10 Months + Photo-a-Day: Days 17 + 18

Helen is 10 months old!

Here’s what’s new this month:

• She started walking! At just a week or so shy of 10 months, she really took off. Here and here are videos to prove it.
• She learned how to point at things. It’s fun to see her pointing at animals in books and at people.
• She’s learning how to use signs as well. I taught her the sign for when she wants to nurse. It’s nice to know for sure what she wants.
• She’s learning knew words as well. She says “Bye-bye” and waves, uh-oh (see this video for proof), and hot (pronounced with a silent H) for sure. She probably says other things that I don’t recognize yet.
• She’s sleeping through the night. Hallelujah! She still fusses a bit in the middle of the night, but she’ll put herself back to sleep. We started sleep training her a few nights ago, and it only took about a night and a half for her to figure it out.

And now for the photo-a-day pictures:

Day 17: Cousin Susan loves to give Helen kisses. So sweet!

Day 18: Helping Dad! I love the look of concentration on her face.

2 Responses to 10 Months + Photo-a-Day: Days 17 + 18

1. Cait 
   December 19th, 2013 at 3:19 pm
   She is so tiny to be walking! It’s adorable. My Jacqueline was just past her first birthday, and even she looked like a baby doll walking around.
2. Linda 
   December 19th, 2013 at 8:03 pm
   Congratulations to Helen! Her concentration is a real marvel–where there’s a will there’s a way, and will she has! What a sweetheart.

9 Months Old

Helen is 9 months old today!

Here are some highlights from this past month:

• She now has two teeth (see third photo).
• She’s a little better about cuddling now – she’ll actually lay her head down on my shoulder! One day she laid her head down on her favorite blanket and cooed (see second photo).
• She’s definitely trying to copy my words now. When I fix a smoothie for my breakfast, I say “Brrr, cold!” and let her touch it. She says “Buh, kuh,” in response. There are several more sounds that she tries to copy, but I won’t bore you with the details.
• Still not sleeping through the night. When will it end?!
• She can walk with a little walker that Dad made for her (see this video). She stood for half a minute unsupported before sitting down yesterday; she took half a step yesterday as well.
• She started banging two objects together earlier this month, and yesterday she clapped her hands for the first time. She also learned how to wave earlier this month.
• Helen loves books. She’ll sit on the floor and turn the pages all by herself.
• She loves animals. When I was watching a video while nursing her, the lady in the video picked up a kitten. Helen immediately recognized it, sat up and started cooing.
• She still doesn’t love food. Some new ones she’s tried are carrot, apple and cream.
• She definitely has a preference for me, and no one else will do sometimes. I’m glad to feel needed, but it can get a bit annoying when I’m trying to cook supper. :)

And that’s all the mommy bragging I’ll do for now. ;)

5 Responses to 9 Months Old

1. Beth 
   November 16th, 2013 at 9:10 pm
   I like the shoes in picture four! ;) It’s fun hearing all the updates . . . isn’t it amazing to watch them learn and grow?
2. Judy 
   November 17th, 2013 at 8:15 am
   Have you tried the “sleep training” method where you just make sure all is well with her when she wakes and then simply don’t go to her when she should go back to sleep? It can be a couple of nights of a learning curve for her (and you too) but eventually she will figure out that she’s in charge of soothing herself back to sleep. There are lots of resources and discussions on this on the web, just google “sleep training for babies”. Hope this helps Erica! Thanks for the cute photos of Helen!
3. Megan 
   December 9th, 2013 at 10:55 am
   Traveled over from pinterest–this post is a few weeks old, but I just wanted to encourage you that you’re an awesome mom :) And to link to an article I literally just read that I hope is a word of encouragement from the Lord:
   http://breastfeedchicago.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/5-cool-things-no-one-ever-told-you-about-nighttime-breastfeeding/ . You may have heard most of them, but just an uplifting reminder that you’re always the best thing for your sweet babe :)
4. Erica Lea 
   December 16th, 2013 at 1:14 am
   Megan: Thank you so much for the encouragement! And that was a very interesting article – I hadn’t heard quite a few of the facts. :)
5. Erica Lea 
   December 16th, 2013 at 1:18 am
   Judy: We’ve actually just started to sleep train Helen. It was becoming obvious that her nighttime feeds were a habit. It’s been two nights (only one FULL night), and so far so good. She cried a bit the second night, but nothing too horrible. Fingers crossed that this works – I would love to be able to sleep more than three hours at a time. It’s been a long, long time.

Awkward and Awesome

I’ve seen a few bloggers do a series called “Awkward and Awesome” where they highlight some of their funny/happy moments from recent weeks. I thought it would be fun to write about some of the things that have happened to us lately.

Almost all of the awkward things involve Helen. :P

Awkward:

• As seen in the photo above, Helen managed to open a bag of coconut sugar and spill some of it on the floor. She licked some of it off of her fingers before I had a chance to stop her.
• While I was shopping at Claire’s for some small hoop earrings the other day Helen managed to get her hands on a piece of paper that had fallen out of my pocket. She soon had a piece ripped off and was gagging on it. I reached my finger into her mouth and pulled it out, but that made her gag even more. So of course she puked on her shirt. I didn’t have a spit-rag with me, so I used my glove to scoop up the vomit, wad it up and shove it into my pocket. Ew.
• On the same shopping trip, this time in a thrift store, a little baby started crying. Helen responded by cooing and laughing. No sympathy!

Awesome:

• I have been enjoying lots of cocoa lately. Whipped cream is a must in my book.
• I figured out how to give my hair lots of body for an updo: braid your hair while it’s still a bit damp and leave in all day and night. The next day, brush it out, bump it up and twist into a bun. Voila! See an example of it here.
• New yarn in the mail! I’m knitting a hat for my sister as a belated birthday present, and I’m planning on knitting a hat for Helen.
• Another new thing in the mail: this tulip shirt. I likey.
• I finally got around to editing some more of the photos I took of Katelyn. I might have to share them here sometime. Here’s a sample photo.

What sorts of funny/interesting/awesome things have been happening to you lately?

2 Responses to Awkward and Awesome

1. Heather 
   November 9th, 2013 at 5:55 pm
   I can’t think much of an awkward/awesome moment. But, I do have a gross moment you reminded me of when you mentioned Helen was gagging on some paper. When my daughter was about 9 months old I gave her a magazine to distract her, not thinking about how everything goes in to the mouth. I caught her when she started to choke on the paper she ripped out. I swooped her up, telling her to ’spit it out, spit it out, Nicole. Open, Nicole, open your mouth, spit it….’ and that was all that came out. While my mouth was open and forming the rest of the sentence, Nicole finally dislodged the wad of paper, along with all of her recently eaten meal. I’ll give you three guesses where it all went…
   Ewwww.
2. Erica Lea 
   November 9th, 2013 at 11:40 pm
   Heather: Oh, wow, I thought my experience was gross! Yeah, I’ve let Helen play with magazines only to have her start to eat them. It’s really too bad because it would keep her entertained for quite some time otherwise! :)

8 Months Old

Helen is 8 months old (8 months and 3 days, if you want to be particular).

She continues to love her bath time.

She’s taken to fake smiling, coughing, and crying. Here’s proof of her fakey cry.

Helen likes food again!  She’s gets the vast majority of her nutrition from breast milk, but it’s fun to feed her solids every once in a while. So far she’s tried egg yolk, chicken broth, avocado, banana and pumpkin (mixed with grass-fed, organic butter). Here’s a video of her eating pumpkin.

She has been having some MAJOR separation anxiety issues lately. She’s all happy and content while I’m holding her, but if I set her down for one second she loses it. Also, I know she doesn’t have pants on in this photo. That’s because she cries and kicks when I try to change her diaper or put clothes on her. So sometimes I just give up and let her roam without pants. I haven’t let her go without a diaper…yet…

Here are a few more facts about Helen:

• She finally got a tooth: her lower right front tooth.
• She also decided to (finally) grow some hair. It’s so fun to see it get thicker.
• Since she got her tooth she’s been experimenting with more consonant sounds (dada, mama, baba, ect.). She says “mama” when she wants comfort.
• Her night time sleeping is actually worse than it was last month. She usually wakes 2-3 times during the night. I haven’t had the heart to makes her go back to sleep without nursing first. I wonder if teething is at the root (no pun intended).
• She’s getting better at standing. She can balance for a few seconds and she has even pushed up to standing by herself (no support) a couple of times. I’d be surprised if she isn’t walking by Christmas. But of course it could take her longer to learn than I think.
• She loves to look at pictures of babies, including herself. And she coos when she sees her cousin Susan.

And that’s Helen’s 8 month update!

7 Responses to 8 Months Old

1. Rebecca Lately 
   October 16th, 2013 at 1:15 pm
   What a sweetie!! She has such a pretty smile :)
2. Kathryn Grace 
   October 16th, 2013 at 4:54 pm
   Love that smirky photo… so cute!!
3. Rebekah 
   October 17th, 2013 at 9:15 am
   She’s a doll! And I bet you’re right about teething as the cause of more frequent waking. That’s what my daughter did… she was sleeping perfectly until the teeth came along. Like you, I just nursed her back to sleep. I figured I’d rather spend five minutes nursing than half an hour listening to her cry. :)
4. Diane 
   October 20th, 2013 at 1:24 pm
   Yes, it’s the teething. Does she have one of the teething rings you can freeze for her to gnaw on? My boys liked that. Of course they also liked gnawing on the furniture and their cribs.
   I don’t think she has separation anxiety, Erica. You’re there all the time so she’s testing you to see how much she can get away with. Dress her and give her some toys to play with when you have things to do since she needs to learn to entertain herself. She can look through some cloth-bound books or stack blocks or bang wooden spoons together. She’ll be walking soon and she needs to know who is in charge (That’s you. Not her.) so she doesn’t end up hurting herself by running from you.
   This is very important if you should have another child while she is still small. She needs to know that you are the final authority and she can’t break things or hurt others. Kids aren’t bad (although it’s easy to think that when they sink their teeth into your leg), but they live in the moment and can’t think ahead. You have to be ahead of her.
   I’m not trying to be bossy, so please don’t take it that way. My kids are grown now and I know trends in childrearing come and go.
   Best of luck!
   Diane
5. Arianna 
   October 22nd, 2013 at 8:39 am
   Oh my, she’s so sweet, in the third picture she’s just… awwww :)
   Cheers from Italy ^_^
6. Arianna 
   October 22nd, 2013 at 8:42 am
   oops I meant greetings, lol
7. Erica Lea 
   November 12th, 2013 at 10:07 pm
   Thanks, everyone! :D
   Diane: I don’t think you’re being bossy – I have lots to learn! :)

7 Months Old!

Helen is seven months old today!

This little rascal is getting into all sorts of trouble lately. She’s an expert at crawling now and loves to explore everywhere. But particularly in the most inconvenient places. Like the trash can.

I can’t believe that she’s already starting to pull up to standing. The other day I was sitting next to her, reading the manual for my new (old) sewing machine. When I looked up, she had pulled herself up onto the window. She’s definitely a very motivated baby.

One awesome thing she’s started doing: going to bed early and sleeping through the night. She still wakes up at 3:00 sometimes, but mostly she’ll sleep from 9 PM to 5 AM. I usually just feed her and put her back in the crib (or keep her in bed with us if I’m too lazy or want some cuddling).

I decided to remove all of the breakable jars from the bottom of this bookshelf and set up a play station for her. She can sit and play by herself for quite a while now (if she’s in a good mood). Hallelujah!!

But I still need to keep an eye on her.

She was contentedly playing with her spatula the other day while I was trying to tidy up our pigsty house. Everything went quiet. I quickly moved in to check on Helen. She had something squishy in her hands. Turns out it was a tiny dead frog.

I had a bit of a freak out moment.

“Aaaahghljkjsdk!! — It’s okay honey. It’s okay. — Gaaaaaah ewewewewew!!”

Later that same day I left her in the bedroom for a moment. I saw her eagerly crawling towards something out of my sight and decided I should investigate. She was just starting to pick up a (very dirty) diaper that I had forgotten to toss into the diaper pail. Thankfully I caught her before she could shove her hand into it. Grossgrossgross.

“Can you believe she’s almost seven months old?” I asked Reuben last night.

“That was a LONG seven months,” he replied.

And it has been.

It’s been a crazy hard adventure.

But it’s so rewarding. I love this little girlie more than I can tell. It’s so much fun to see her personality start to show.

I have continued to take a picture of Helen once a week. It will be fun to put the pictures together into a collage on her first birthday.

Here she is from 0-7 months old.

Little dolly.

Have a lovely day!

Erica

4 Responses to 7 Months Old!

1. Gabby 
   September 13th, 2013 at 3:51 pm
   Haha! She is just so adorable! And looks so sneaky! Such a great idea to take the photos, bet it will be a lovely collage later! =)
   Wishing you a nice weekend! =)
2. Anna 
   September 14th, 2013 at 12:12 pm
   Aw, she’s lovely! And SO up to no good in the first picture :) I’m glad to read that she’s sleeping through the nights and that you’re getting some sleep, from what I’ve gathered you had a rough start.
   I had a similar frog-episode with Malva when she was about 9 months, our cat had dragged in a mouse and laid it beside her, as a gift I presume.. when she was sitting on the kitchen floor up in our summerhouse in Sweden. I totally freaked out to say the least.. :)
   Have a great weekend!
   Anna
3. Cait 
   September 17th, 2013 at 12:56 pm
   What a sweet face! I have the same chevron sheet on my daughter’s crib right now. I had bought fabric to make one and then realized it was only $2 more to buy it at Target, so I returned the fabric :)
   Every two months or so it seemed my baby reached a new turning point. 2 months and 6 months especially were like night and day from before. It gets easier! A lot easier, but then you have to start training them :)
4. kelli 
   October 18th, 2013 at 6:09 pm
   she makes the cutest faces! happy to have stumbled upon your blog via a leaf garland search.=)

And She’s On the Move!

This little rascal started crawling this week. She’s still pretty wobbly, but she’s starting to get the hang of it!

For proof, watch THIS video.

And now for some more cuteness for your (or my) enjoyment:

Those eyes! I die.

I’ve been starting her on solids. She doesn’t like bananas. It’s so funny to watch her shove it into her mouth, make a disgusted face and spit it back out.

Her first food was egg yolk, and she loves it! I’m thinking I’ll try avocado next, or perhaps bone broth.

In case you’re wondering, I’m following the nutritional advice as outline by The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care. I don’t agree with some of their methods of child training, but their nutrition is spot on.

Here’s a question for all you moms: have you tried a glass or stainless sippy cup? If so, did you like it?

For all the rest of you (okay, I guess moms can answer this question as well), what would you like to see on Simple Days next? A photography, hair, or craft tutorial? Let me know in the comments! Otherwise you’ll just get more of Helen. ;)

20 Responses to And She’s On the Move!

1. La Godiche 
   August 23rd, 2013 at 4:07 am
   She’s beautiful! I love the second photography.
   For next post I would like a hair tutorial, because I dream to do my hair like you!
   (But more of Helen it’s great too! ;) )
   Charline
2. Anne 
   August 23rd, 2013 at 6:48 am
   Safe sippy 2. Expensive but wonderful. My son hated the “sippy” valve so we went straight to straw valve. He was off the bottle by 10 months. (Bf until 16m)
   They have AWESOME customer service. Highly recommended!
3. Melanie 
   August 23rd, 2013 at 2:19 pm
   All four please! :) How about photography, Helen, hair, Helen, craft, Helen, repeat!
4. jean 
   August 23rd, 2013 at 2:42 pm
   I’d love to see a craft tutorial for a fall item. I love seeing Helen, too. Glad you are both doing well!
5. Annie 
   August 23rd, 2013 at 10:05 pm
   Hi Erica, I’m the one who stopped you to say hi at Story Book Lodge in July. :) I’ve so enjoyed seeing your pictures of sweet lil’ Helen! I definitely wouldn’t mind more. But I’d also love to see another hair or makeup tutorial.
   Blessings!
6. Moriah Mari 
   August 24th, 2013 at 8:56 am
   She’s really growing quick!
   I vote for photography or hair tutorial (both is fine too:).
7. Diane 
   August 25th, 2013 at 1:20 pm
   Helen really is darling. As to your question about drinking cups, I never gave my children a sippy cup. They had their own little metal cups with handles on both sides when they were Helen’s age and then a cup with one handle when they were a year or so and had more small muscle control. I did this because I didn’t want them dragging cups around the house and the car and spilling them or losing them. It’s tough enough to stay ahead of housework with an active infant. Why add the headache of spilt drinks everywhere?
   Oh! And crafts would be my preference along with Helen pictures, of course. ; )
8. Erica Lea 
   August 25th, 2013 at 9:02 pm
   La Godiche: Aw, thanks! I’ll have to hunt up Pinterest for some hairstyle ideas. :)
9. Erica Lea 
   August 25th, 2013 at 9:03 pm
   Anne: I’ll have to look them up! I’d be willing to pay more for something good rather than waste money on cheap junk. :D
10. Erica Lea 
    August 25th, 2013 at 9:04 pm
    Heehee! I like the amount of Helen that you included. ;)
11. Erica Lea 
    August 25th, 2013 at 9:04 pm
    jean: I’ll have to look for some inspiration for fall crafts – I’m getting excited for cooler weather!
12. Erica Lea 
    August 25th, 2013 at 9:06 pm
    Mariah Mari: Yes, I can’t believe how much she grows and learns each week!
13. Erica Lea 
    August 25th, 2013 at 9:08 pm
    Diane: Thank you! I love her so much – she grows more precious to me each day. :)
    Yes, I like the idea of cups with handles. Helen can already grab a metal cup we have that has a handle. Did your little cups have lids?
14. Erica Lea 
    August 25th, 2013 at 9:10 pm
    Annie: Hello, Annie! It was so cool to get to meet one of my readers in person. After we me I tried to visit your blog, but it’s locked. :) Oh, a makeup tutorial would be fun! I’m getting some new foundation soon, so I may have to do a tutorial or review. :)
15. Diane 
    August 26th, 2013 at 3:09 pm
    Hi Erica! No my children’s cups didn’t have lids. I did this on purpose because I wanted them to be clear that they were only allowed to eat and drink at the table, not all over the house or in the car, even from a very early age. It helps them learn eye/hand coordination, too and improves their dexterity with their fingers.
    Naturally, they are tempted to pour drinks on the floor or on their tray, but that is usually when they are finished eating and are fooling around and trying to be the center of attention some more. I like that she is handling a spoon, too. She’s probably clutching it and waving it around, but give her a baby’s spoon (your mother or grandmother may have saved yours) and let her try to feed herself in a few months. She’ll get the hang of eating oatmeal or mashed potatoes easily, although her trusty fingers are always the first into the food!
    Blessings to you and yours!
16. Stephanie 
    August 28th, 2013 at 11:03 am
    Oh! A craft tutorial please! Though I’m up for more of Helen too, of course!
17. Linda J 
    August 30th, 2013 at 10:54 am
    I vote for “craft”…..and Helen is adorable!
18. Annie 
    August 30th, 2013 at 2:14 pm
    Yes, I did lock my blog for privacy purposes, but I’ve sent you an email invite if you’d like to visit. :)
19. Laura 
    September 1st, 2013 at 12:15 pm
    Hello Erica,
    I thought I’d suggest a book I acquired a while ago with activities/learning games you can do with your beautiful girl. I recall you’d asked for suggestions beyond peekaboo or patty cakes ;-) This is the link to it on Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Bright-start-Activities-develop-potential/dp/0785349022
    Enjoy!
    The book is called Bright Start
20. Cait 
    September 4th, 2013 at 2:11 pm
    I have the Safe Sippy 2 I believe, though we haven’t used the straw yet for my 19 month old. I liked the versatility and was tied between other similar stainless sippy cups. So far we like it :) I do wish they made one without orange on it but it looks a lot less ugly in person; I was pleasantly surprised :)
    Helen is so cute – those eyes really are something!