Ari and the Teething Biscuit

We gave Ari a teething biscuit the other day, because the list on the back of the box of milestones she's supposed to have accomplished before she can have one was completed! So she tried them out. They are the wheat teethers from Earth Baby Organics, but I think we're going to switch to the non wheat version...either way, she LOOOVES them. She's never sat in her high chair for so long! She got so messy and covered in cracker from top to bottom and did NOT enjoy the cleanup that ensued! We ended up just having to give her a bath because the washcloth just wasn't getting into all the nooks and crannies she managed to stuff cracker into. ;) Looks like we found a new staple treat... :D

Smiling baby

It's like you just can't fit enough happy into this child.

Happy Swim Time!

We went over and did a photo shoot and had bbq with some new friends of ours yesterday. They set up this awesome little kiddy pool and Ari and her friend S played around for a while until both mommies discovered giant spiders in the grass and got a little freaked out. ;) She does love the water though!!

Trying out some new vintage processing... :)

Ari really liked this flower, she kept trying to crawl on it and eat it.

She found herself a slide!!! :)

"Do we have to get out? Really?"

Ari and her friend S! S can't crawl or really sit up on her own yet, so she was just kinda chillin' while Ari pretty much dominated the swim area. Look at that huge swimsuit! We had to borrow it - 18 month size! ;)

Cucumbers

"Sometimes cucumbers can enjoy the pickle they're in, but only when they relish it."

~ Justin

Library Reading Time

The library near us has a "mother goose lap sit," a reading time for infants. They sing songs and play games and read books. Ari LOVES it. Today, my whole play group met up there. Ari had just woken up from a nap, so it took a bit to get her excited. But near the end, they brought out the boxes and boxes full of toys. Ari literally crawled straight to the middle of the toy pile so she was surrounded by toys, and just kind of stared, then crawled around to all the boxes and dumping them out. At one point she actually got herself stuck inside one of the boxes! Between the libraries close to us, there are 4 infant reading times a week, and so far we've been going to all of them. She just has SO much fun!

By the way - this adorable outfit she's wearing that my mother bought for her - yeah. Size 18 MONTHS. As in, EIGHT - TEEN MONTHS. It's not joking, either. There was a toddler about that age walking around today. Ari was TALLER.

She's gonna be a drummer!!

Ari's helping me pack

Yes, she did it on her own. ;)

This is what we woke up to this morning

Don't ask me how. I just work here.

New Sound

Ari has found a new sound. She does this ALL THE TIME! Can you hear it?

Baby Prison

We finally got Ari a little baby prison so I can clean (or, you know, blog about it) while she safely practices crawling. Here's a little pic of her chasing after her Sophie in it.

It's going to take some getting used to. She would just crawl up to the edge and scream. Then I got in the pen with her, completely ignored her, and just began playing with her toys and laughing hysterically. When I left, she seemed to be fine on her own. She's just old enough now that she should be able to play for a few minutes by herself without constantly having to be held! :)

Sophie

In response to the panic in the streets that the scare of BPA has created, I've decided to ditch all my plastic stuff and switch to natural. Even silicon pacifiers have toxins! I've just decided to play it safe from now on. So I bought Ari "Natursutten" natural rubber pacifiers, a "Sophie" natural rubber teether, a "Zmooz" organic cloth and natural wood teether, and "Green to Grow" BPA free bottles. I expected her to accept the new toys in place of her old - she's just not picky when it comes to stuff like that. I never, however, expected that she would love them THIS MUCH.

The first time she figured out she could chew on the wood on her Zmooz, she got a huge grin on her face and just started chomping down. She thinks the squeak in her Sophie is absolutely hilarious, and a few minutes ago (before I trapped her in her entertainer) she was rolling around on the ground giggling and chewing on the giraffe's squishy legs. And her pacifiers double as natural teethers - she seems to actually enjoy them more than her others! She is able to more easily grip the ring and so can insert and remove it with ease, a struggle with her others. Anyway - I'm really glad with these purchase and I can rest knowing my daughter is chewing on something completely natural - and not chock full of potentially hazardous chemicals that have been deemed "inert" by the same people who are trying to sell them.

I have a feeling Sophie and the Zmooz are going to be regulars in her toy rotation from now. ;)