Eight This Spud

Week 30:

  We took her playard to boardgame night.  Teddy wasn't sure what to make of her on his level.  She was having fun playing with her toys on her own until we fed her at the table and she realized we were doing something interesting.

  She is so good at sitting on her own on the floor.  She will even adjust her leg position if she is off balance when trying to reach for something or hold something in her hands now.

  I put her down for her nap on Tuesday without her lunch bottle because I accidentally mixed up too much solid food and she fell asleep.  She woke up and started crying.  I gave her her taggy-doggy and she stopped crying.  She then got her lunch bottle and slept holding onto her doggy.

  She has started crawling the more traditional way, but only one or two steps, along with a new variation.  She will have her left knee on the ground and use her right foot.  It's a bit of a hop.

  She's also getting so bouncy when she's excited.  I'm glad to see her so happy, but it makes her harder to hold onto sometimes.

  Before I left for knitting on Wednesday she learned how to sit up on her knees and hold on to the edge of her crib.  I then played a game with her where I would either be eye level to her or lower.  If I was lower I would tickle her tummy and if I was eye level I would try and get her hands by touching the back of them.  She then tried to get my hands as well, or flail at my hand if I tried to get her tummy.

  When I was at knitting I got a video from Bill.  In the video she said Dada.  It was so cute and sweet!

  When I got back from knitting I went to change her diaper and she had somehow taken one bandaid partially off, ripping it, and was trying to eat it.  No idea how she managed to tear most of the strip off but leave a small section still attached.

  She has fallen over and bonked her head enough times that she's learning that if she throws an arm out she can help slow her fall.  She doesn't always get the right angle, but it works most of the time, as long as she isn't falling backwards.

  I don't know if it was a combination of a different location and a new sleeping space, but Miss Spud did not want to go to sleep our first night at the cabin this trip.  We used to use her bassinet that she slept in during the night at home, but since she's too big and mobile for it anymore, we used her playard, which both use the same frame.  The floor was a bit cold, but her mattress wasn't too chilly.  She would lay down and start to fall asleep and then start crying and sit up.  When being held she would fall asleep easily, but wouldn't stay asleep when transferred.  Jim said he could hear her outside.  She finally went down at 3am.  We are hoping she won't repeat this.

  She took her time during this trip to work on her new skills.  She is crawling with her feet flat on the floor a lot of the time, or her right foot and left knee.  My mom wondered if she was trying to walk like Tank does.  Though if we have her in footie PJs she can't use her feet flat because she doesn't have enough traction.

  While we were watching some YouTube before bed on Friday we let Miss Spud wander around the sitting area.  I looked over and she was failing her crinkle book around.  I looked again and she was holding onto the rung of the rocking chair with one hand and trying to eat her book with the other while standing.  Her legs started shaking before too long and she started crying.  I think she couldn't figure out how to get out of that position.

Week 31:

  On Saturday she did not want to nap, so that meant she didn't want to go to sleep that night either.  I wish I could ask her why she was getting so easily upset this trip when we wanted her to sleep.  We knew she was tired because of her eye-rubs and how easily she would go to sleep when nursing.  Bill tried holding her at one point and she just cried.  She would be okay in the playard if she could also see us.  There were also times that one of us could be holding her, but if the other walked away she would start crying.  At one point we tried to partially crawl in her playard with her.  When she saw we were both in there, even though we were laying with our eyes closed, she got really excited and was kneeling while bouncing and wildly waving her arms around.  She looked so happy we were there.

  I tried nursing her while we were both laying down in there, but she just wanted to play and smile at me when she wasn't trying to eat my chin.  I finally got her down around 3:30 after nursing her on the couch again.

  I know they say that babies can go through a sleep regression when trying to learn a new skill.  She has really been working on saying words.  She has really been liking "A-dah-dah" and she is starting to make static sounds again.  She is also working on crawling, walking like Tank, and pulling herself up.  She has a big to-to list.  However when I see people post about their baby not wanting to sleep to learn something new they show them calmly working on it in their sleep area.  Not crying and worrying.

  When we would unzip the side of her playard she would crawl out so fast and press herself against us like she was worried she would never see us again.

  During this trip she has also become interested in pacifiers.  She was never really impressed with them before and was good at spitting them out.  Now that she is more coordinated and chewing on more things she can hold the passifier and chew on it.

  A few years ago one of our neighbors organized a block party.  I don't remember why we didn't go, but they had another on this Sunday.  Since I've seen at least one other family with a baby, I thought we should go.  I ended up having a lot more fun than I thought I would and Miss Spud was a hit.  I'm hoping that she and the other baby we saw and the one we heard about will become neighborhood friends.  It's nice to be able to walk down the street and hang out with your friends.

  I was nervous that her becoming scared at night would become a habit, but she went down on the first try the night we got home.

  Sometimes when we are trying to hold her she will try and kneel on our stomach and bounce.  It is very cute and she is having a great time, but it sure makes it hard to hold onto her.

  I came back from bottling the pumped milk to find her standing in her crib.  She needed to use the sides to help her balance, but she has gotten her feet under her and pushed up on her own.

  We went to Bourbon Boulevard for our Anniversary and Miss Spud got bits of all of our food.  She liked the bread and butter starter.  She really liked the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the pasta that also came with it, but mostly the cheese.  She likes the broccolini that I ordered, but wasn't sure about the steak.

Week 32:

  I used to find her laying in a random direction when I went to wake her in the morning.  Lately she had been laying with her head facing the corner of her crib that can see out the doorway the best.

  She is really good at crawling and I love how she smacks the floor when she does it.  She is starting to use things to try and pull herself up.  She is also getting better at petting Tank in a gentle way.

  We thought that the time we went over to my parents' house to do taxes where she cried every time she saw my dad would be a one time thing.  However, when we went back to finish our taxes she started crying again when she would look at him.  We gave her some wafers and that helped.

  The touchscreen aspect of Bill's tablet doesn't work, so one morning he let Miss Spud play on it while he was watching something on YouTube.  She was smacking it, leaning on it.  She tried to pick at the guy's face on the screen.  She was determined.  When none of those other things worked, she tried adding her feet into the mix.

  It is so funny to watch her chase after Tank.  She is getting better at sitting and turning around because of it.  Tank will walk in, you will hear Miss Spud slapping the floor to crawl to him, Tank will then just walk back out.  She will sit down to see what direction he went in before turning around to follow him out.  They both go up and down the hallway to some extent a few times.

  She has started singing a lot of her baby babble.  It is so sweet to hear her say in a sing-song voice "ah-dah-da-da" or "ah-wheh."

  She will look at Tank and giggle at him.  The rest of us have to blow raspberries on her tummy or tickle her to get anything close to what Tank gets for just existing near her.

  She is getting coordinated enough that I can put her down on the Boppy and she can roll herself over and latch.  So different from when I had to shove it into her mouth or she would miss.

  Bill was out of town for the work week and tried video calling us.  He made funny faces and blew raspberries but Miss Spud just looked at the phone with a blank expression.  I don't think she understood that Bill was talking through the phone in real time.

  If her Boppy is between her and a toy she wants she will lean on it while putting her feet flat on the floor.  She then leans way forward until she slides over the Boppy and will then wiggle until the rest of her body slides over the bump.

  During her full bath she has really gotten into the idea of enjoying them.  She sat herself up and was holding onto the bar so she could splash.  When I was washing her back she grabbed the shower head and was spraying her other hand with it.  She even held onto the bar at one point so she could kick her legs back and forth without falling over.  She also found the plug to her tub and figured out how to let all the water out.

  At knit night Fara asked if we had gotten her any puffs or if she wasn't good enough with her fine motor skills for them yet.  I decided to buy some sweet potato puffs and give them to her before her lunch the next day.  She picked them up with no troubles and figured out how to shove them into her mouth.  She would hold it halfway down her pointer and middle finger with her thumb stabilizing it.  Then she would lick her hand while opening her fingers to get the puff out.  They are a big hit.  By the end of her snack she was able to pick them up with just her pointer finger and thumb pretty consistently.

  I caught her leaning over the railing on her crib, so I decided that we couldn't wait for Bill to get home to lower her mattress.  I was worried that it was going to be tricky with one person, but it was really easy to do.  Miss Spud supervised me while I was doing it, so I know I did it correctly.

  I saw her laying on the floor like she does when she's asleep.  I was worried that she fell asleep for the night on the floor so I crawled over to see if her eyes were shut.  She was looking at Tank, who was loafing on the floor.  I then got the biggest smile and a snuggle from her.  I gave her the rest of her night bottle before she actually went to sleep.

Week 33:

  We went to the wedding of one of Bill's co-workers.  Miss Spud got to spend some quality time with her Funkle Mickey.  She has been having more troubles getting down for her nap because of her FOMO.  I had hoped that she wouldn't give him too much of a hard time.  I had hoped she would be asleep when we left, but she had other plans.  She only wanted to contact sleep and would get mad if put in her crib.  She also needed help going down for the night.

  She is getting really good at pulling herself up onto things.  This means that a lot of the baby proofing we have gotten done isn't doing as much as it once was.  She will go after anything she can reach.  I got her a pillow backpack because she kept falling backwards and hitting her head.

  Her FOMO is getting worse.  She tries to keep from napping because she is worried that she will miss something.  If it gets to be too late, I will let her get a snuggle nap so she will get one.

  At one point both she and Tank were playing with a ribbon.  She was giggling so much.  She is laughing more and more easily.

Week 34:

  When we were grocery shopping for the trip she managed to turn herself completely around and almost fall through one leg hole.  The seatbelt held her up.  We had to keep a better eye on her because she did that when Bill and I were picking out a few foods for her, which wasn't very long.

  At some point she started really sucking on her lower lip.  She will also alternate between raspberries with her tongue in and out.

  Our baby-lead baby proofing is an almost all day activity.  She has learned that she can hold herself up with one hand and reach things with the other.  She is also getting better at standing on her toes to lean and reach things on tables or book shelves.

  We tried giving her some Arrabbiata sauce.  She wiggled her arms up and down on either side of her for the first bite.  However, the second bite must have been spicier because she fussed and wiped at her mouth.  I gave her some cheese to help after Bill wiped her down to keep her from getting it into her eyes.  The mini meatballs were a big hit and she ate two of them.

  She is getting so good at side stepping while holding herself up by the edge of her crib.  She will also take a few steps if you hold her hands.  To get her clothes changed I have started having her stand in her crib.  If I try anything else she will try and crawl away.

  Banging on things is a lot more fun when you can reach more.  She will bang in my Chupa Chups collectable tin and the metal lampshade of a small lamp we have unplugged on the floor.

  It's taken many falls, but she is learning how to plop herself back down onto her butt instead of just falling when she wants to go from standing to crawling.

  The doctor suggested giving her some crab dip to see if she had a shellfish allergy.  Wegmans claimed to have some in their Ready To Eat section, but I couldn't find it.  We just ended up getting her some crab meat.  She liked it and has been getting some every day to make sure she isn't allergic.

  The Internet warned that if you let them have some of your food you will never have Your Burrito or Your Apple ever again and it will become Our Burrito or Our Apple.  She looks at us expectedly when we eat in front of her.  If we give her puffs or teething wafers she's usually happy, but she still side eyes our food.  I made sausages and spicy noodles for dinner and I gave her a few small chunks of my sausage.  She kept going over to Bill for some of his food, but we knew the spicy noodles would be too much for her currently.

Preparing for T.A.P.S.

Big Twist Party in Succulent - I Love This Yarn Ombre in Old Glory - Red Heart Super Saver in Woodsy, Camouflage, and Americana

  Many years ago Claire would go to the T.A.P.S. event that was usually held in May.  She would get a table to use to hand out water bottle holders and whatever other small things we would make.  She would also teach anyone who wanted to learn to crochet how to.  Her favorite story was how she was given a ton of the water bottle holders and didn't know what to do with them.  One little girl got one and exclaimed that it was the "best day ever!"

I Love This Yarn Ombre in Old Glory & Red Heart Super Saver in Woodsy, Camouflage, and Americana

  When we lost Claire we also lost the information on who to contact within the T.A.P.S. organization.  We have talked about making things for them, but none of us want to sit there to offer crochet lessons.  Since I had been saving some specific Worry Worms and yarn for things for them, I decided to reach out.  It took some back and forth with whoever runs their Instagram, but I got contacted by someone.  Our new contact even remembers Claire.  They have moved locations so there isn't a whole table for us, but they are going to take our donations to hand out.

 

Yearly Yarn Tracker:

Yarn In: 1 (1)
Yarn Out: 7 (3)

Total: -6

Ribbed Hats Are Back

Pattern: Side To Side Ribbed Hat by Sally L.M. - Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Strawberry, Blue Mint, and Autumn Red - Size: Baby/Child - Hook: 5.5 mm

   Here is everything I do differently on the Side to Side Ribbed Crochet Hat:

  • start with a regular chain instead of a foundation stitch

  • only have 2 sc difference in each short row

  • have three short rows instead of two for baby, and 4 for child or adult

  • when changing color, finish the last stitch on the downward long row, chain two with the new color, and pull the old one tight

  • ending in the bottom instead of the top

  • seam it together by inserting my hook into the back loop of the last row and then the entire cast on chain and slip stitch together 

Yearly Yarn Tracker:

Yarn In: 0 (0)
Yarn Out: 4 (0)

Total: -4

SevenTato Months

Week 26:

  I tried adding some formula to her pears.  I think she liked them better that way, but was still not impressed.  She's used to getting more sugary foods, human breast milk is very high in sugar and is sweet tasting.  I tried a bit of her pears and just wasn't impressed.

  Poor Bill got to deal with her first poop after starting to get big people food.  I then got to deal with her poopy PJs and sheet.  She had gotten it into her belly button and out to her wrists.

  On her third day of food I mashed some bananas for her.  She was really weirded out by the texture but didn't mind the flavor.  She was again unimpressed by a food.  Later that day I tried giving her some teething wafers.  She liked those a lot more and ate them without too much of a mess.  I don't think she considers anything other than milkies to be food because she was giving hunger signs, so I gave her more wafers.  She was eating them while getting more and more grumpy that I wasn't giving her food.

  Since she is getting so good at getting onto her hands and knees we decided to have her sleep in her crib at night.  She had already been taking some of her naps in there.  While she isn't a fan of not being able to see anyone when she wakes up, she has been doing pretty good at the transition.  I miss her not room-sharing.

  On her second day of trying banana and her fourth day eating something other than milkies, she started to get it.  She was chewing more and wasn't wearing most of it by the end.  I also heated it up a little.

  Since she's not just consuming liquid, it was suggested we give her some water in a sippy cup.  She's had a bit of water before from her washcloth or when I sprayed some in her mouth during bath time.  This was the first time she has had it like this and had some difficulties.

Week 27:

  We tried sweet potato since she's our little sweet potato.  It was a hit.  If I stopped feeding it to her before she was done she would start yelling.  She was excited for it again when we gave her more at dinner time.

  She's army crawling with precision now.  She can make it across the room and out the door if she sees Tank.  She will manage to find anything she isn't supposed to get into and ignore everything else in the room.

  We tried carrot, but she wasn't a fan of it, it made her cry.  I tried some and it tasted very acidic.  I would have guessed that it was lemon over carrot.  Mango was a big hit though.  I tried steaming some baby carrots later on and mash them, but she was still not a fan.

  If we are on the couch she tries to climb over everything to get to Tank or try and get on the floor.  She is so wiggly and strong, it's hard to hold onto her.

  We still lay her down to sleep on her back, but she likes to sleep on her stomach with her butt in the air.  We tried a closed bottom sleep sack to see if it would help her stay on her back, but she deftly rolled over.  She also gets so mad at us when we don't let her roll herself off the changing table.

  On Tuesday she slept in and then was grumpy.  She only wanted to eat Blueberry and Purple Carrot Teething Wafers or scream at me.  She only partially wanted mango.  She was much happier once she had two packets of wafers and a rinse to get the wafer goo off of her.  She chased me around the room for a bit, then had a big bottle before a long nap.

  She will more consistently either look around in the crawl position or on her hands and feet.  She doesn't know what to do from there, but she is trying things.  When she is in the crawl position she will then move her knees apart and have her legs in a frog pose before dragging herself somewhere.  If she is on her hands and feet she will move one foot around before either just plopping down or accidentally rolling over.

  It is so sweet to come into her room and see her happily playing with her tag-doggy or her teething ring.  I like that she can play by herself sometimes.

  She didn't want to go to bed on Wednesday.  She had her nighttime bottle and was rubbing her eyes, like usual.  However, when I tried to nurse her to sleep she kept getting distracted.  I put her in her crib and pumped.  She was playing okay for most of the pump, but then got grumpy.  I was going to see if she wanted to nurse, but then Tank was acting strange.  I picked her up like a football or a handbag, with her chest in my hand, and we followed Tank around.  At one point he just sat in front of the litter box and wouldn't look at us.  I put her down on the LoveSac and he finally used the litter box.  Miss Spud was not pleased that she was left alone and I was afraid that she was going to wake Bill up.  She finally nursed and was out around 1am.

  She has started either just closing her hand or holding something while moving her hand back and forth, I say she's being very Italian.  She has also started holding things and hitting the surfaces around her with them to make different sounds.  She has started kicking the ground with more force, it can be heard from downstairs.

  When we were all hanging out in the Game Room she started acting fussy.  I saw the Owl Beanie Boo I was thinking of listing online and handed it to her.  She loves it.  She will chew on it and fling it around.  I first saw an owl at a random store, but didn't want to pay full price for it.  I then saw another in a toy bag at the thrift store.  When I brought it home I went to put it with the other small stuffies I have and saw an owl already there.  I considered listing it online, but never got to it.  So now Miss Spud and I have matching plushies.

Week 28:

  I took her to knitting at the Church.  I made sure to bring her wagon so I wouldn't have to try and hold her.  She spent the time either sitting or rolling around.  She was a big hit, as usual.  She impressed everyone when she ate her teething wafers all by herself while sitting unsupported.  She smiled and blew raspberries at everyone.

  On Sunday she was on the sectional in the Game Room.  She did her usual flop-roll, but got enough momentum to cartwheel off the seat.  It's low to the ground, so she didn't hurt herself, but she did startle herself.  She calmed down when Bill gave her a snuggle.

  She had a bad night.  She was tired and rubbing her eyes, but didn't want to be held.  If we tried to hold her she would cry.  We tried putting her to bed to see if she would just grump herself to sleep, but she was crying instead.  She wanted to be able to move around, but also see us.  We got her to sleep twice, but then she woke up yelling not long after.  I tried holding her and rocking, but that wasn't helpful.  Bill managed to rock her to sleep and once she was finally out she stayed out for the rest of the night.

  On Monday we gave her some plain Greek yogurt.  She was not sure what to make of it.  Her face contorted and it looked like she was considering spitting it out.  However, after chewing it a little she decided to keep it in.  The next few bites went a lot smoother.  Bill thought it might be a good idea to mix in some of her peach puree to give it a better flavor.  She was again shocked by it and wasn't sure what to make of it.  I wish we had recorded it.  She looked so doubtful as she ate, but kept opening her mouth for more.  In the end I think she decided that she likes it.

  I've started breaking her teething wafers into pieces when she eats them in her highchair.  That way she can work on her pincer grasp skills.  I think she likes being able to reach for the pieces on her own.

  Since she's gotten more mobile I joke that we are doing baby lead baby proofing.  We see what she wants to get into and fix it.

  I made her oatmeal thicker and added some of her fruit to it.  She is starting to learn that she has to open her mouth more and not just suckle on her spoon to get food off of it.  She is also getting better at chewing before swallowing.

  She has started bending her legs when we carry her, so we can sometimes hold her by having an arm under her butt and hold her leg.  Before this she would try and straighten her legs.

  Dragging herself around the Game Room has made Spud gets better at pivoting.  She is also learning how to sit up on her own because of the smaller pathways.

Week 29:

  She is getting so much better at eating teething wafers (even though she still tries to put them in 90° off how they should be eaten) and opening her mouth for her baby spoon.  She tries to help sometimes but gets mad when you try and move her arm to scoop more food into the spoon.

  At Rocky she distracted everyone.  At one point she tried to get a snack from her Aunty Laila before the show.  She knows what boobs are for!  We are pretty sure this is her 6th show now.  She tried to help with callbacks by blowing raspberries and cooing.

  She is getting better at "petting" Tank in a gentle way, but will still grab a fistful of fur and yank or try and chew on his tail.  He's so sweet and keeps letting her get close to him, though I think he figures she won't bother him if he faces away.  It doesn't work.  She just looks so happy when she sees him.

  On the Sunday before St Patrick's Day we all hung out at our friend's house.  Mary used to have parties at her house a lot at Dr Denver likes cooking for St Patrick's Day.  Miss Spud had a lot of fun meeting their bird Mercedes and dragging herself around their living room.  She didn't want to nap unless it was a contact nap.  We also ended up staying later than we thought, so when we got home she really needed her last bottle of the night. She must have drank it a little too fast because she was fussy and spit up a little until she gave two giant burps for Bill.  Then she settled in for some night-boob and was out the first try when I put her down.

  She has added an inhale laugh to her baby babble.  She has started telling us "stories" that usually involve a lot of owl sounds and raspberries.

  I tried giving her some banana spears.  She wasn't sure what to make of them.  She first chewed, but they didn't act like wafers so she tried sucking on them.  She eventually got some bites and was able to spit out pieces that were too big.  I think it was a bit too much for her, but she did a good job with it anyway.

  While I was giving her her Wednesday bath she ended up pooping in the tub.  I wasn't sure what to do, but I pulled her out and helped her stand in the big tub.  She smiled a huge smile at me when I sprayed her butt with the showerhead.

  On my birthday we spent some time outside.  She tried applesauce and liked it.  For my birthday dinner we went to Milk and Honey.  I gave Miss Spud a few small bites of the soft part of my biscuit and she liked it.  She did a lot better at sitting up than she has in other highchairs where she tends to lean after a bit.

  I put off getting a Real ID until my current driver's license expired, which was this year.  I made an appointment to make sure I could do it.  I packed enough wafers, food, and toys to keep her entertained for hours.  When I was in line I got pulled out and went right to a counter.  Miss Spud smiled at the lady helping us.  It was really quick and I managed to bring more things than I needed.  Including walking in and back out to my car, I was there about half an hour.  I think that's the quickest DMV trip I've ever been on.  The employee was so nice and smiled about Miss Spud, her child is 20 now.  I hope we brought some fun to her day.

Week 30: 1st part

  I showed Bill her sleepy smile once and he's hooked.  It's so cute seeing her wake up and look so out of it, like she may have slept for 100 years, then see you and give you a sweet smile.  However, today she was grumpy that she woke up on her back, so there was a delayed smile.  He also makes her breakfast a lot more fun because he swings her back and forth as he lowers her into the Boppy.

  Bill shaved and wanted to see if she was going to have a big reaction.  She was calm about it and didn't freak out. 

  We got her some suction bowls by Munchkin.  I had a tricky time getting them to stay stuck at first, but then it randomly worked.  We also got her recycled plastic spoons by re♻play, which turned out to be a bit big for her mouth currently.  She tried eating from both ends of the spoon and got it all over herself and everything around her.  She did get some reaction bumps on her cheeks from the yogurt, but she has had no reaction when eating it.

  On Saturday I felt her gums and her second tooth has broken through.  Everyone keeps saying to just wait until she is teething and she won't be so calm, but I haven't noticed any difference in temperament so far.

  She has started doing a bit of regular crawling.  She will crawl on her hands and knees for two or three strides before trying to lift her foot or going back to army crawling.

  When we first got to my parents' house Miss Spud kept crying whenever she looked at my dad, until I gave him wafers to give to her.  She was trying to steal his glasses at my birthday gathering the night before.  After Bill worked on our taxes we ordered Chinese takeout.  I gave Miss Spud some plain white rice and she seemed to like it.  My mom wondered if she would like some chicken from her fried rice, but I didn't think the oil would be good for her.

  She has seen us stand enough times that she is trying it.  She can get her feet flat on the floor and push back with her hands, but she hasn't figured out balance or how to get her upper half up.

Let's Talk About Tank

   When we got back from the cabin, Tank did his usual thing.  He had to potty and I told him he did a good job.  Later I noticed he was cleaning his butt, but instead of doing it once, he kept doing it.  I thought maybe he needed help and tried to help him out.  That stopped the cleaning for a bit, but then he started back up again.

  The next morning I noticed a bald spot from all of his cleaning and a small lump.  I called the vet and got a same-day appointment.  By the time we got there the lump was bigger.

  Turns out his gland got an infection.  She tried to alleviate his discomfort while he was awake, but it was too severe.  He got sedated, or a "forced nap" as I call it.  They sent me home with a cone.  This is the first time I've seen Tank with a cone on.  They suggested I get one of the "toast" ones, and even though I ordered one, he still had to go the night with the clear one.

  He didn't like the fact that it pushed down on his head when he walked, so there was a lot of backing up and sitting still.  I saw him trying to lick and saw the cone do it's job.

  They told me to keep him from stairs and jumping until the sedation completely wore off, so the baby gate helped with that a lot.

  He got used to the cone pretty quickly.  He still needs to get used to a bigger turn radius.  He will sometimes get his cone stuck in the stairs, but he has figured out how to lift his head and not fall down the stairs.  He also wanted to jump onto his Attention Post, but I was told to limit his jumping, so I tipped it over.  He then climbed all over it.

  I was nervous about the warm compress I was told to put on his butt.  When I first did it, he was weirded out and tried to get away.  It seems that it felt nice because before too long he started purring.

  The night before his follow-up I heard a loud sound and then Bill say "Ohh, Tank, come back".  When I asked about it later, it turns out that Tank farted loud enough that it scared him and he ran away from it.

  They had to do some more uncomfortable squeezing at his second appointment and he got to keep wearing his donut.  He stress ate two tubes of squeezy treats at the Vet's office.  It wasn't completely good to go, so we had to schedule another follow-up on Valentine's Day.

  He got the clean bill of health on his second follow-up and didn't need to go back.  To help prevent this in the future I was told to add some more fiber to his diet.

Yearly Yarn Tracker:

Yarn In: 0 (0)
Yarn Out: 4 (1)

Total: -4

Oohhh, We're Halfway There (6 month update)

Week 22:

  She is learning that she can push off things to help her to try and move places.  It isn't the most effective since she needs someone solid behind her.

  Tank brings her so much joy.  One morning Tank was laying on me and Bill brought her over.  She would touch him and then look at Bill.  She had a 'can you believe this?' look on her face.  She will also get the biggest smile when she can see Tank and will try to get over to him.  He's starting to let her touch him more, but still sometimes ends up getting kicked.

  She was taking a nap and I startled her when I walked into her room.  She looked up at me, but lowered her head back down when I told her that she could go back to sleep.

  Her recent Lovevery box is her favorite so far.  She was shown how to use the rotating rainbow twice and get got it down.  She also loved kicked with the jingle socks on.  The tissue box toy wasn't a huge hit as it is currently, but the individual pieces of fabric are a lot of fun.

  The bath is becoming more and more fun.  This time she was fascinated by the water from the showerhead hitting her hand.  She also kept opening her mouth to try and catch some of the water.  The hand towel I use to try and keep her warm was also very delicious.

  We had our first encounter with her looking to us for how to react.  She was sitting on her own, lost her balance and hit her head on the wooden arm of her play mat.  She didn't start crying but looked at me a bit confused.  I said "Oh, you bonked your head!" and laughed about it.  She then smiled and started playing again.

  Some strange foods I have combined recently:

      • Dahi Chutney and banana
      • Raita with spicy pork rinds

  On our way to the cabin she decided to not eat much.  I offered her a full bottle, but it was a struggle to get her to eat most of it.  She then didn't want any of the bottle we made her before bed.  She nursed a little, but not a lot, so no one was surprised when she was really hungry at 6am.

  She thinks it's really funny when you make lip smacking noises at her.  When she was done eating her first dinner on Friday she made the lip smacking noises at me and giggled when I made them back at her.

Week 23:

  I feel like no one wants you about how sharp babies are.  This isn't new to this week, but she's getting more curious.  She grabs for people's phones more and needs to give more things the Scritch-Scratch test.  She saw my open bag of popcorn and wiggled her way to it.  She almost grabbed it and would have gotten popcorn everywhere while chewing on the plastic.  Since she's bigger now, she's also stronger and can dig her nails in a lot more.

  She is checking all the boxes for baby lead weaning:

      • They can sit upright, with minimal to no support from a parent or caregiver.

      • They show an interest in food.

      • They can reach for objects.

      • They can put things in their mouths.

      • Their tongue-thrust reflex is gone or going away. (That means they don’t immediately use their tongue to spit something out of their mouth.)

  We took her on a ride in the UTV.  Since she's been reaching for everything, we had to take some pictures of her trying to drive.  She was kicking and having fun except for the two times I didn't manage to block a small branch or vine well enough and she got whacked with them.  She cried a little and we gave her Parent Kisses to make it all better.  It rained a lot the day before and with the snow melt, it was very wet along the ATV trail/second driveway, so Bill was able to splash through a bunch of puddles.

  When we stopped at Smiley's for ice cream she kept wanting to grab it, but didn't open her mouth when Bill wanted see if she was interested.  While we were there Rapunzel and Cinderella stopped by for some ice cream.

  Miss Spud had a great time both trips to the vet.  When we took Tank in for his bi-yearly checkup there aren't many other animals for her to look at, but when Tank wasn't feeling good and we had to go back, there were.  She got to see dogs of all different sizes.  She was mesmerized by them and kept trying to lean out of her carrier.

  During one of her diaper changes I noticed that she had some milkies on her neck.  I used one of her Boogie Wipes to get it off.  She then gave a good giggle.  She has given little laughs before, but this one was bigger and more hearty.

Week 24:

  She's so interested in eating big people food.  Every time I moved the spoon to eat lunch on Saturday she kept opening her mouth.  I let her try the handle a few times and she was getting it.  I then used my frother on some of her milkies and cleaned one of her baby spoons.  She did very well at eating the foam off her spoon.  She would open her mouth so I could put the spoon in and sometimes she would help guide it to her mouth.  A few times she blew raspberries into the foam, but that was pretty funny.

  She's getting much better at rolling and pulling herself places.  There have even been a few times where she has gotten herself into the crawl position, but can't hold it for more than a second.  It's funny to watch her plank and army crawl around.  However, now there is a lot more That's Not For Baby moments.

  On Sunday we went to the Carter's clearance store since she's outgrow a lot of her PJs.  She's also too big for her Newborn insert for her car seat.  There were too many cute things, but we didn't go too crazy.  After shopping and wondering around the Lego store we got a late lunch.  At one point she tried to order herself a blood orange IPA on the tabletop tablet.

  We have been looking to get her a seated activity center.  We found out that the Buy Buy Baby is going out of business, so we got a good price on the.  A lot of the smaller things were already gone and there were no discounts on diapers.

  I put her in her activity center, but she wanted to practice army crawling around.  She tried to pull herself out, but it didn't work.  She then looked at me with the saddest look on her face and started crying at me.  I took her out and she was instantly better.

  One night Bill gave her night bottle and I was going to put her to sleep with some night milk.  She arched away from me and refused to latch.  I put her into her bassinet and she quietly played with her passifier and kicked for a bit.  She then screeched, so I got her again.  We watched someone crochet a no-sew amigurumi bear for a bit, but she was asleep before the video was done.

  She is showing a lot of signs that she is teething.  She has been chewing on her rubber triangle a lot, or as I call it, her Dorito.  She has also added her Sophie la girafe to the list of things she really likes chewing on currently.

  Because of her activity center she can practice standing and balancing without us.  Some of the time she stands in her tip-toes, but she also does it flat footed.

Week 25: Katsucon

  The night before we went to the con we heard about a water pipe/sprinkler that had burst in Artist Alley.  On Saturday The Gaylord reported that the leak was from a kitchen pipe.  The artist Hua.Xuann was the one right under the kitchen leak but Hibiscus Stitch was also affected.  It sounds like a lot of people jumped in to help move things out of the way.  I'm hoping they didn't lose too much due to damage.

  Parking was a nightmare.  One guy tried to pull into a garage towards one of the exits, even though someone was standing by the entrance saying it was full.  He then tried to drive up to the cone blocking the entrance and the guy had to tell him again that the garage was full.  I think this is the worst I've ever seen the parking situation to be.  We ended up parking at the MGM Casino and taking the shuttle.

  After the Lolita 301 panel she was chewing on my thumb and I felt a corner of a tooth!  It was a front lower tooth on the right side.  I tried to show Bill but she kept chewing on my thumb or sticking her tongue out.

  She was a big hit with so many people, even if she wasn't in costume.  She smiled at people when she was awake.  She slept through about half of the Dealer's Room.  I was hoping we would all run into Rachel Maksy, but I didn't see her.  Miss Spud did get to see her Auntie Kat again.  She instantly reached for Kat's face, which she doesn't do to everyone.

  She slept so soundly.  I was worried that she was just going to be overwhelmed but I think she had a lot of fun!

  After a quick trip to McKay's Bookstore we went out to lunch.  Since she's been doing so well at sitting up we tried putting her in a highchair.  She did pretty well, she did slump over time.  She got hungry but didn't give clear signs until Bill went to the bathroom and she was screaming for food.  I mixed up a bottle one handed and she was a lot happier.  She also liked looking at the other kids we had been sat near.

  It has been a while since I have gotten some Con Crud.  All I want to do is sleep.  On Wednesday I decided to try and nap when she was taking her second nap of the day.  Lately she has been taking her longest nap on her play mat, so I can't really leave her there alone.  She stayed asleep when I transferred her and I decided to try and nap myself.  She didn't wake up the second I laid down, like she has before.  She fussed once, but was quiet otherwise.  When I woke up she was quietly playing in her crib.  She let me sleep for three hours!  This is the first time I've napped when she has, and it was quite nice.

  I'm not sure when it started, but she has a new habit of kicking her diaper with her right heel.  She has also changed her rolling tactics from using her legs in the air to arching her back.

Week 26: 1st Part

  In the mornings, Bill has been putting Miss Spud in the big bed with us so we can hang out some.  She has fun trying to eat the blankets and get ahold of Tank.  It's funny to hear both her and Bill making pterodactyl sounds.

  At her 6 month appointment she was: 13lbs 11oz (10th percentile), 16.5in head circumference (43rd percentile), and 2ft 2.8" tall (83rd percentile)

  The doctor complimented her on how strong she was and commented that we should take a picture of how well she was planking.  We mentioned that she has been doing that for months now.  We've heard "babies that age just don't do that yet/so well yet" so many times.

  We got some feeding suggestions, so after board game night we decided to give her some Happy Baby pears.  She wasn't too sure of what to make of it at first, but went along with it.  She might have been more interested in eating the straps of her highchair or the paper towel, but she ate a good part of the tablespoon of food we gave her.

Big Twist Party: Is It The Worst or Is It The Best?

Big Twist Party

Overall ratings: 4.7/5 from 231 votes (Jo-Ann) -  4.3/5 from 72 (Ravelry)

Average Cost: $6.99

Pattern: Interstice Beanie by Weaving Wonder \ Alex Burdo - Color: Succulent - Needle: US 8

  Everywhere I looked said that this yarn was discontinued, which is another argument to use your yarn and not to wait so long.  I bought it a little bit over two years ago at this point, it's good that I didn't end up needing more of it.

Nice Stitch Definition/Pretty Colors

This yarn is very pretty but can be difficult to work with. The first row is very hard to get through, but gets easier as you go along. I am making a patchwork table runner and dish towels out of it. It has an odd feel. It feels more like cotton than acrylic, so much so that I'm wondering if it was mislabeled and that's why it was discounted so low. I really wouldn't want to make any garment out of it because of the weird texture. It does have the tendency to split, and as I've said, has a cottony feel which makes it lose points in my opinion. Not that easy to work with. Does have beautiful stitch definition and colors. But definitely doesn't deserve 5 stars

~ ChristiLou1982 (7 months ago) 3/5 stars

  I like how each skein gives you an idea of how many you would need to make a scarf, a hat, a sweater, or a blanket.  Of course different stitches will use different amounts of yarn, but it's a good starting point.  Though I was able to find a lot of patterns that only would call for one skein to make a hat with this yarn, so I'm not sure what they are basing it off of.

TOP FAVORITE YARN!!

The colors are truly gorgeous and they work so well with each other for creating color palettes. This is going to be my new Go-To yarn. JOANN'S PLEASE KEEP THIS YARN AS A STAPLE YARN. PLEASE DON'T DISCONTINUE THIS YARN!!!

~ Kris (9 months ago) 5/5 stars

  I think it is so strange that they would discontinue it with such high ratings.  There are some bad reviews, but I haven't seen any yarn without any.

Bring Back Our Party!

I absolutely adore this yarn!! I am so sad that it was discontinued and hope so much that it's brought back in the spring or summer. I love the way this yarn feels. It's not your classic acrylic. The colors are gorgeous and so much fun. They also coordinate beautifully with each other so it's easy to make interesting blankets and garments with a lot of shades that look great together. I am a very experienced crocheter so I got used to using this yarn quickly, but I can see how beginners might have some trouble getting accustomed to the thin threads. Absolutely worth the learning curve. Yes, I recommend this product.

~ TinkerBellStitches (20 days ago) 5/5 stars

Pattern: Side To Side Ribbed Hat by Sally L.M. - Color: Succulent - Hook: 5.5 mm

    In the end it might not matter how we feel about any of the Big Twist yarns since they are going to close 500 of their 800 stores before too long.  The one near my house isn't on the list, but the one I used to work at is.  I had seen more types of Big Twist yarn when I was in their store last, which I thought was interesting.  There is now a good range of colors and even color types.  Their Jelly Bean line really caught my eye.  I considered not even posting this review, but so many people really loved this yarn.

  JoAnn Fabrics' Owings Mills closure follows the chain's recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy announcement on January 15 due to financial and inventory issues.

  The 82-year-old fabric and craft retailer shared its goal to "facilitate a sale process to maximize the value of its business" in a statement earlier this month.

  Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, LLC, which recently purchased hundreds of Big Lots stores, was named as the "stalking horse" bidder to acquire JoAnn Fabrics.

  It is the second time in less than a year that JoAnn Fabrics has filed for Chapter 11, having previously filed for bankruptcy in March 2024.

  During the first filing, the crafts store cited a drop in sales following a pandemic-era boom in hobby spending.

  The company reached an agreement with creditors to eliminate $505 million in debt and keep its hundreds of stores open.

  JoAnn emerged from bankruptcy in April 2024 as a private company.

- The U.S. Sun.

  I really liked working with it.  I used a twisted German cast on and I noticed the tail was untwisting itself.  If the working yarn had been doing that, it would have made working with it more troublesome.  The light twist it had did mean that at one point when I was making my slipknot I accidentally pulled one ply a bit too tight and another was too loose.

  It would be pretty sad to see another craft store go.  First we lost Total Crafts, then Hancock Fabrics, A.C. Moore, and now possibly JoAnns.

2025 is the Year of the WIPs and UFOs

Pattern: Ice Bridge Headband by Celeste Knitwear - Yarn: Red Heart Soft in Watercolors - Needle: US 6

  The more I work through my yarn the more I want to keep going.  I have a bunch of of WIPs (work in progress) that keep taunting me.  I also have a large bin of UFOs (unfinished objects) that I haven't touched in so long.  It felt so good to finish that scarf I had hidden away, so I want to keep that going as well.

  Doing that will be a bit tricky, but I have a plan.  The bin with my older WIPs somehow got pushed into a corner of my craft room.  It got pushed because other things got put away in the same area.  I need to clean that area out and reorganize it.  In the meantime, I can start clearing out old project bags I have laying around the living room.

  We went to brunch at Bourbon Boulevard and there was a book club sitting behind us.  I couldn't quite get what book they were reading, but there was a character named Kelly who cooked a lot and there was a detective who may or may not be attractive.  Miss Spud kept trying to get to Bill's Croque Monsieur and his grapefruit mimosa.  He jokingly offered her some of his drink and she went to grab it and opened her mouth.

Pattern: Granny Hex Bucket Hat - Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Stripes in Motion Stripes & Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Peace and Love in Groovy Green - Hook: 6.5mm

  Usually when you change colors in crochet you work the last loop of a stitch with the new color.  When working a slip stitch, you only get one to work with, so the whole action is performed using the new color.  It might just be this yarn, but I found my joins getting loose when I did that.  Instead, it worked better to join the round with the old color, work a single chain and tighten the old color before starting the new row.

  I was curious how much yarn these used.  On this one I used 52 grams (92.3 yards) of the green and 58 grams (103 yards) of the pink.  I could have used one less row on the brim.

Yearly Yarn Tracker:

Yarn In: 0 (0)
Yarn Out: 3 (3)

Total: -3

One Whole Hand's Worth of Spud Snuggles, Month 5

Week 17: First Christmas

  At one point on Christmas Eve, she got very fussy.  She wanted to be able to look around but didn't want to have to work at holding herself up.  I tried to have her use the Boppy to sit on the couch, but she kept wiggling and kicking, so she would slide unless she had something to press against.  I then tried putting her Boppy into her wagon.  It wedged her in enough that she could stay mostly seated without any effort from her but she also could have her legs free to kick.  She ended up taking a supervised nap in it.

  She impressed everyone after we all had dinner.  She got hers once we were all done.  My dad was holding her after he finished feeding her and she let out a burp loud enough that she interrupted everyone.  We all congratulated her on her big burp.

  She has started needed a "smile break" when she is eating sometimes.  She will look up at you and smile, then she goes back to eating.  When she is nursing and needs to take a smile break she will pull herself off and then need to find it again.

  During Christmas dinner she kept eyeing everyone's plate.  She kept smiling and moving her mouth like she was chewing while we were eating. Bill let her smell his wine and she tried to taste the glass.  She got really smiley and leaned in intensely when we got to dessert and she saw Bill's pumpkin pie.

  After dinner we played a fun game where we would put a cloth coaster in front of her on the table.  She then would claw at the table, kick, and try and pounce on it until it got knocked down.  Then we either picked that one up or put a new one down for her.

  She has definitely left the innocent stoneground mustard poops stage and have moved on to the more stinky ones.  They are also a lot smoother in consistency.

  She definitely enjoys having more people around.  She also likes to go places and look around.  All that means she gets more attention, but it also means she doesn't want to nap.  We can fix that with a bit of time on a boob or a trip in the car.

Week 18:

  She has a bad case of the FOMOs (fear of missing out).  She has to be able to see everyone when we are eating and doesn't like laying in her wagon unless she can see someone.

  I attached a towel and a piece of a highchair belt to see how she would like getting pulled around on it.  She kept grunting with frustration when she can't get herself to move on her own, so I figured I could help.  She liked that a few times but then got grumpy.  It's possibly because I wasn't taking her in the directions she wanted to go in.

  One of the nights we all stayed up late playing a game.  Mary helped to get her to sleep but then she woke up when we were finally done and I went to put her in her bassinet.  She somehow stayed asleep going out in the cold.  It didn't take too long before she was out again.

  On New Year's Eve she really liked trying to stand "on her own."  She is getting good at keeping her feet flat and her legs straight.  Balance is nowhere near where it needs to be to hold herself up.  She also liked bracing her butt on the table while putting her feet on someone's legs and trying to stand that way.

  When we got home from the cabin and I laid her down on her playmat, she showed the "other baby" how to blow raspberries.

  She has become more interested in her hands and feet.  She will hold her left hand perpendicular to her face and cross her eyes to look at it.  She has also started wiggling her toes when looking at them and grabbing at her toes to feel them.

  After her 4 month appointment on the 3rd we were in the basement when she wanted to be held against me on her tummy.  She then leaned over, put her mouth on my arm and blew raspberries against my arm.  I know Bill has tried to do that on her tummy a few times.  She smiled really big when I laughed at her and she did it a few more times.

Week 19:

  She is making use of the knowledge that if she holds both of her hands together when she rolls onto her tummy that she won't have one trapped under her.  She will also sometimes fling an arm to the side if she wants to roll back onto her back.  A few times I've seen her roll onto her stomach, reach for a toy, and drag it back towards herself.

  I saw her trying to use blowing raspberries to self sooth.  It was pretty funny to watch her go "Ahh *pbbt* aaahhh *pbbt* aah".

  We took her to Bourbon Boulevard to meet Karin.  I'm glad she was awake for that.  She was a big hit with all the employees we saw.  She helped me pick out what to eat by grabbing at and hitting the menu.  It was hard to tell if she picked the duck or the steak with lobster tail.  I went with the duck breast.

  She is very regularly grabbing and holding onto her own toes.  She is also getting better at sitting but still can't support herself.  She will lean forward and will sometimes hold herself up with one hand, but will lean too far forward when she wants to use that hand and will complain.  She is really good at using her legs to stand.  She has no balance, but is strong enough to hold herself up.

  Her poop is starting to become thicker.  Her doctor told us that we should be seeing her poops condense and happen less frequently.

  On Tuesday she started to figure out that she can roll places.  I put her on her play mat with her legs facing the center of the room.  I went and made a bottle for her and started my lunch.  While mine cooked I took her bottle upstairs to see if she was still hungry.  She had rotated 90° and was on her stomach.  That's fairly normal now.  While putting my drink and her bottle down on the side table she proceeded to roll a few more times in the same direction and was over 2 feet from where she started.  I heard her crinkling the bag to my pretzels.

  She still hasn't figured out crawling, but she is getting better at getting around on her own.  She will roll and rotate to get to a toy, or most of the time roll and rotate until she stumbles upon a toy.

  She will sometimes give us a shy smile.  She will smile and then look away while still smiling.  Starting to practice early to break all those hearts in the future.

  Her raspberries have been getting juicy.  She sometimes has a mouth full of spit and it just all comes out when she blows her raspberries.  She is also trying to combine them with her pterodactyl squeals.

Week 20:

  She has decided that to fall asleep while nursing at night, it has to be on the left side.  During the day it can be either side, but she gets fussy and refuses to eat before her last feeding of the night unless it's from the left side.

  On Bill's birthday we all went to go watch Moana 2 in the theater.  She was mesmerized by it at first, then she enjoyed watching us eat popcorn.  After a bit she also got hungry so I mixed up a bottle.  When it got to the really exciting part of the movie she pooped.  That was fine until she used her diaper again and I felt a warm and wet spot.  The theater doesn't have a place to change her, so I took her out into the hallway.  After a quick diaper and outfit change she was hyper but then fell asleep once Bill was holding her again.

  She is getting closer and closer to being able to sit all on her own.  She is learning that if you put your hands on the ground and push back you won't just fold forward.  It does, however, making reaching for things more difficult.  She has sat on the floor by herself for several seconds multiple times now.

  She's started adding longer strings of sounds when "talking" to us.  She will tell us "a-hoo-who-hua-hoo" a few times a day.

  I thought she had pushed her soft spot in while eating.  She is now as tall as the chair is wide.  I sat her up and her soft spot was visible, I ran my hand over her head and it felt dented on.  I took her into our room to see what Bill thought, but by the time we got down the hallway her head had rounded itself out again.

Week 21:

  As per usual, she charmed everyone at Rocky Horror.  She slept through most of the movie, so she had plenty of energy to smile at everyone backstage and even talked with Mickey for a short while.

  She goes between having days where she is good at napping and days where she doesn't want to nap at all.  I try and give her at least one contact nap because I know she will be out for at least 45 minutes that way.

  Rotating is getting easier for her.  She is still unhappy that she can't crawl forward yet, but the rotating has been helping some.

  She is back to really enjoying bath time.  She has started kicking the water more and bracing herself with her feet on the end of the tub.  She was fascinated when I had the shower head spray onto her hand.

  She is getting more and more interested in food.  She was watching my hand and opening her mouth when she was laying on my lap and I was eating some peanuts.  She is also reaching for our plates and bowls more and trying to put them into her mouth.

  It might have been a coincidence, but after I came back upstairs from making her a bottle she kept fiddling with the area near her hip.  I've been trying to show her to tap her diaper when it needs to be changed.  She did indeed have a full diaper.

  She always gets a huge smile on her face when she sees Tank.  She will look at him and kick to get his attention and show how happy she is to see him.  He is unimpressed with her, but has sat on the arm of the chair when I've fed her and let her touch him a few times.  He will also climb onto the Boppy when she is asleep so he can also get some lap time.