Meet Miss Jones

At 11 months, Charlie…

:: Is a ridiculously fast crawler. Especially when the toilet seat is up or the fridge door is open — he’s like lightning!

:: Decided that he really isn’t a fan of staying still long enough to take his weekly photo. We’re still managing to get them, but it takes me and Caleb and quite a bit of effort.

:: Has just started looking at various things and saying, “Oh. Oh. Oh.” It’s pretty awesome.

:: Loves to “chase” me with his wooden walker wagon (while wearing a giant grin).

:: Doesn’t seem too interested in actually walking. There’s lots of cruising, but he’s loving how fast he is at crawling. I’ve been hoping he’d walk by the time we fly to the USA (since crawling on a plane is a bit more of an ordeal than walking up and down the aisles), but I’m not counting on it.

:: Has quite a bit more hair. It’s lighter than I thought it would be, and is thin and wispy (like his mamas) but still seems to have a bit of a curl to it.

:: Currently loves to eat: plums, sauteed mushrooms, chicken, “eggy bread” (french toast), and of course, bananas.

:: Still hasn’t quite figured out how much water to drink. He LOVES to drink it…and then spit it right back out.

:: Can stand on his own but doesn’t quite realize it yet. He does it every now and again when he’s distracted.

:: Crawls both up and down the stairs. He still needs help going down, but with three (half) flights of stairs in our new house, we’re glad he’s catching on quickly.

:: Is still teething but tooth number five has yet to crack the surface. I think we are going to try out one of the amber teething necklaces soon — some days he seems more bothered than others, and even if it helps a little, it’s worth it.

:: Waves and says “Bye bye” (except for when we are trying to show someone, in which case he will wait until they are gone, and then do it).

:: Has definitely associated “ma ma” and “da da” with me and Caleb. The best is when one of us comes home after running an errand and he comes crawling over saying “Ma ma ma ma” or “da da da da!”

:: Still has the best laugh in the entire world. There is usually a squeal or two mixed in for good measure as well.

:: Is heading to the USA next week! I’m glad Caleb will be with us for the flight this time, but it’s definitely going to be a long one. He loves to get into everything now and so eight and a half hours in a confined space will be interesting, to say the least. But I know he is going to have so much fun seeing all of his relatives.

:: Will be turning one in less than a month! It’s so surreal and I can hardly believe it’s almost been a year that he’s been part of our lives. I’m hoping to (finally) get his birth story up before his birthday.

At ten months, Charlie…

:: Pulls up on everything. I mean, e-ve-ry-thing. My legs, the window ledge, chairs, stools — he’s even begun climbing up steps and trying to crawl out of the bathtub. The kid is ready to go.

:: Is a pro at our wooden walker. He smiles so big when he pushes it across the room, then waits for one of us to turn it around so he can go back again.

:: Just started “properly” crawling. He rocked the army crawl for quite a while (until it turned into the modified pirate crawl), but just two days ago he broke out the classic hands and knees crawl. I know I was impressed.

:: Loves our hair dryer. This isn’t a new thing, but I don’t know that I’ve mentioned it before. Every morning, when I blow dry my hair, I count to three before turning it on. The second the noise starts, he grins like crazy, and starts to say, “Ahhhhhhhh,” imitating the noise of the hair dryer. I love how fascinated he is by it!

:: Enjoys drinking out of a cup but has also learned how to use a sippy cup, which is a bit less messy when we are out and about. I’d like to transition him to a simple free-flow one soon, but hate to keep buying different kinds of sippy cups when he enjoys drinking out of a glass so much when we are at home.

:: Has recently started saying “Ba Ba” when we get to the page with the sheep in “The Very Busy Spider.” He says “Ba” a lot anyway, but I can definitely tell that he’s imitating me when I say “Ba” on that page. I have a feeling more animal noises are soon to follow.

:: Has four teeth — two on the top, two on the bottom. The top two aren’t completely finished coming in, but they are nearly there.

:: Got to see his Grandad and Uncle Josh! They had a layover at Heathrow on their way to Egypt to help at an orphanage. We only had a few hours, but he really enjoyed seeing them and getting lots of love. We’ll be with them again for a visit in less than a month and a half!

:: Isn’t a huge fan of sleep right now. Between learning how to properly crawl, two teeth coming in at the same time, a cold, and the standard 10 month sleep regression, it’s taken a lot more to get him down to sleep. There have been a number of nights when he’s up at three, ready to party — whew! It’s honestly been more exhausting than when he was a newborn, and this past week is the first time we’ve actually felt like “new parent zombies.” I know that it’s a phase, though, and even last night he slept a bit more solidly than before, so hopefully we’re on the downward curve towards easier settling (I don’t expect sleep to be a simple, thru-the-night thing until he’s much older, because it’s actually super normal for babies to wake in the night until they are nearly past toddlerhood).

:: Current favorite playthings — his walker wagon, crocheted balls, homemade noise shakers, books.

:: Is still called by lots of nicknames — Dr. McHappy, Nugget, Goober, Bug, Goof, Mr. Crazy.

:: Has started getting really sweet and snuggly (or “cwtchy” as the Welsh would say) when he’s sleepy. He’s never been a huge cuddler, so I’m really enjoying it.

A bit belated, but at nine months, Charlie…

:: Figured out how to pull himself up to stand in his crib. We are excited and proud and love to walk in his room when he wakes up from a nap to see him standing at the end of the crib, grinning. It does, however, make going to sleep seem slightly boring to him, which means our nap/night routine has taken a bit of shifting around. Eventually the novelty will wear off…right?

:: Crawls all over the place. We are pretty babyproofed (at least in the rooms where he is the most), and now have a stair gate and a doorway gate. Thankfully they are fairly easy to open, and they also give him something else fun to pull up on.

:: Still thinks bath time is the BEST. THING. EVER. He loves to splash from one end to the other, pull himself up on the sides of the tub, play with the faucets, splash some more–he has a blast. When I carry him up to the bathroom after dinner he starts kicking and wiggling with excitement because he knows bath time is on its way!

:: Speaking of dinner time, we’ve gotten messy again. He’s enjoyed bacon, figs, salmon, cauliflower, pieces of chicken, curry, courgettes…pretty much whatever we are eating, with lots of sliced fruit/veg when we have things that are too soupy.

:: Says “mama”, “dada”, and “bop bop bop,” along with a bunch of other great little nonsense words. I don’t think he relates them to us yet, but he says them all the time.

:: Passed his 9 month review with flying colors! The Health Visitor (a community nurse with a focus on children/family who does home visits) came and checked him over, asking lots of questions about things he does and observing him playing. He scored above his age in every cognitive area (he was pretty much up with the 11-12 month olds)! Yes, I am a proud mama.

:: Has two bottom teeth, and the top two finally cut through two nights ago (okay, technically I should save that for the ten month update)!

:: Visited Pennard Castle & Three Cliffs Bay, Sheffield, a weightlifting competition, celebrated his dad’s birthday, chased ducks at the Baddesley Clinton Gardens…it was a busy (and fun) month.

(This is a recap of what was going on between August 12th and September 12th…his ten month update will be in just a week, so yes, there’s even more happening with this busy baby!)

It’s been a quiet day. I love the way our weekly rhythm balances out — a busy day with errands and mom group, then a slow day at home. I definitely believe in the importance of balancing busy days, especially with little ones. A chill day at home makes going out much easier and is a nice recovery from all the outside sights and sounds.

I also really enjoyed doing a lot of observing today. Sitting on the floor, drinking a cup of tea, just watching Charlie play with blocks and dig through his treasure basket. Kylie over at How We Montessori wrote a wonderful post on observing your children that I love. It’s so easy to do a chore here and there, check the internet, etc while happy play is going on, and before you know it you’ve missed some great chances to enjoy new discoveries and see through little eyes.

Oh, and yes, in case you are wondering, lately I’ve been diving headfirst into learning more about Montessori. So many of the principles align with things I love and think are important, and the more I read the more I see how well it fits our family. I’ve been enjoying reading about Waldorf methods as well, especially for younger ages. My favorite parenting book, Simplicity Parenting, draws from both methods and is a great resource for minimizing a lot of the stress that can go along with parenting in a culture of noise and “more, more more.”

It’s funny how you don’t think much about the rhythm of your days or the little philosophies in the things you do before you have a baby, but as they grow you start to slowly chip away and discover the kind of parent you are. And as in life, every season is different; every child is different. What works now may not work in the future, or for every family. But I am thoroughly enjoying discovering the kind of mama I am, and the kind of child that we have right now.

At eight months, Charlie…

:: Is all about standing! He still needs to hold on to the couch, coffee table, or our hands, but he’s slowly starting to let go every now and again to test the waters. He can pull himself up quite well and still grins like a nut once he’s in standing position. He’s also a fan of taking steps when we’re holding both his hands…walking may not be far away (yikes)!

:: Loves crawling nearly as much as standing. He does a really fast army crawl that gets him pretty much any where he wants to go. Usually he’ll pause for a moment and then breathe excitedly as he elbows his way towards his destination. We’ve begun the babyproofing and have a free “home safety visit” on Wednesday, where I’m sure we’ll be told that every room is packed with danger.

:: Sits up like a pro. He can even go from sitting to crawling forward, especially if he’s in the bathtub (the kid’s a huge fan of pulling the drain plug out).

:: Thinks bathtime is the best. We put a couple of inches of water in the tub and then he wiggles around on his belly, splashing like crazy.

:: Has gotten a lot more hair, although it’s super fine and thin like his mama’s. It still has a bit of curl to it, but nothing like his dad’s. We aren’t totally sure what color it will be once it thickens up, but probably a light brown with a little auburn.

:: Makes a much wider variety of sounds, but still lots of pterodactyl screeches and puppy dog squeaks. He yells really loudly whenever I blowdry my hair or use the vacuum and seems to get quite a kick out of it.

:: Other favorite pastimes – strumming the doorstops, digging through his treasure basket, rolling various crochet/felt balls, laughing at mom and dad when they make silly faces.

:: Still loves smiling at everyone and doesn’t mind when people stop to say hello. We haven’t had much separation anxiety or “stranger danger” which has been really nice.

:: Has one tooth and another one (hopefully quickly) on its way. Teething…not fun. He tends to get pretty grumpy and moody when his teeth are bugging him, which is rough simply because he’s normally so happy! He also doesn’t like to chew on any of the “teething” toys or standard remedies (cold cloth, etc), preferring hands instead (his, mine, dad’s).

:: Decided to forget that he can roll over if he’s not happy on his back — instead, he grunts loudly and slams his legs on the floor. This typically happens during diaper-changing time, which can sometimes make the process a bit cumbersome.

:: Is totally fine with loud gunfire. Haha. We stopped at a WWII reenactment last Saturday and saw an incredible battle scene, complete with lots of loud shooting. Charlie just watched, no big deal. Dyson air blade hand dryers, however…are apparently the most frightening thing ever.

:: Likes peaches, apples, and parsnips…probably because I have them in the fridge more often than not, so this is what he tastes the most. I’ve been giving him a variety of things from our meals, but tend to go with the “less messy” foods for right now.

:: Loves being read to, especially his alphabet book, a crab finger-puppet book, or the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

:: Has the absolute best, squealy, shrieky laugh.

So I’ve gotten a bit behind — there are at least three entries in my to do list that start with “Blog post: ….” But we’ve been pretty busy, and a three week trip to the States got everything a bit backed up (more on that in the next entry). For now, however, I wanted to share some of the fun we had for my birthday (which, yes, was May 29th…quite a while ago).

In traditional Jones fashion, we did things “Indiana Jones” style (adventure in the country, then adventure in the city). Caleb had initially planned on a two day adventure with a one-night stay in the middle, but due to a tight budget (and the fact that staying overnight with a baby is typically a bit more planning than a normal night at home), we just broke things up into two days.

Day One: City

Hay-on-Wye is an amazingly adorable little town known for being full of bookshops. I’ve wanted to visit since before we moved here but hadn’t had the chance until Mr. Jones planned a lovely day for us — made even cooler by the fact that the Hay Festival (a celebration of creativity and thought) was happening that week. If you’ve ever watched Gilmore Girls, all you really need to know is that this place is basically a Welsh Stars Hallow. For real. It’s quirky, village-y, and chock full of eccentric shops and vintage bookstores. So yes, I was in love.

Day Two: Country

For our second day, Mr. Jones found an amazing hiking trail to one of my favorite country things: waterfalls! We packed a picnic lunch and thanks to the Ergo (so handy), the three of us hiked nearly three miles and saw a load of waterfalls, both big and small. There were multiple trails and loops, so we definitely plan to go back (especially hike by the old gunpowder factory).

So yeah…my birthday was a blast. I can’t think of a better way to spend my first birthday in a new place than exploring even more new places!

At seven months, Charlie…

:: Is more wiggly than ever, constantly trying to examine and figure out everything that he comes into contact with.

:: Travelled from London to New York, then to Pennsylvania, drove to Michigan, flew to Florida, then flew home to London. Whew! We had a busy month. He did really well on all of the flights (the flight attendants loved him) and didn’t cry, but I was exhausted after 8 1/2 wiggly hours of baby-wrangling. The grandparents had a great time spoiling him, and he had a blast playing with so many new friends.

:: Took his first real dip in the ocean. We went to the beach on the Fourth of July with Mr. Jones’ family and ventured into the waves. He was very intense and took everything in with big eyes, but he definitely had fun.

:: Has graduated from scooting to what I like to call “the snowplow” — putting his head down, sticking his bottom up in the air and using his feet to propel his body forward. He doesn’t get very far on it but it’s enough to navigate him around our living room, one snowplow move at a time.

:: Loves to grab onto my hands and pull himself into a sitting, then standing position. He gets the biggest grin and is very proud of his pulling-up ability.

:: Sits all by himself and only tips over every now and then (usually when he tries to reach really far for a toy).

:: Likes to sing to his food. We didn’t get very far with Baby Led Weaning (Feeding)  before we travelled to the States, where it was a bit hectic to do many messy meals. He’s getting back into the swing of things and still mostly enjoys just playing with his food, but man, does he enjoy holding it out and singing to it. Mr. Jones and I like to make up lyrics about whatever it is he’s got on his tray.

:: Loves drinking water out of a cup. He doesn’t actually swallow much, but will immediately reach out with both hands and try to grab any glass I’m drinking out of.

:: Babbles and yells and blows raspberries like crazy, especially when he first wakes up in the morning.

:: Gets called by the following nicknames: Bug, Wigs McGiggs (short for Wiggles McGiggles), Grump Nugget, Goober, Scooter.

A couple of weeks ago, I thought it would be fun to do a “day in the life” post. Now, by no means do we have a typical schedule, but there are certain rhythms that stay pretty consistent, and particular days that usually follow the same general events. So I picked a day, took lots of photos, and here we are!

7:00am — Good morning! I love my happy morning Charlie, who is usually up and babbling around 7am. He is such a goof at this point and it’s a great way to start the day.

While he’s still enjoying being silly, I spread out a blanket on our bathroom floor and let him play while I take a shower. My days for this are numbered, however, because he’s recently started rolling both ways and it’s only a matter of time before he decides to investigate things like, say, the bottom of the toilet (ick).

Sure enough, I emerge from the shower to be greeted by this guy on his tummy, in a totally different place than where I left him.

Time for a morning nap! After I’ve finished getting ready for the day, he’s usually ready to take his first nap. He doesn’t last very long first thing in the morning, so off to sleep he goes…

While the little guy sleeps, I finish making the baked oatmeal that I prepped the night before. Mr. Jones and I enjoy a bowlful of deliciousness and talk about what’s going on that day.

9:00am — Aaand he’s up. The first nap is usually a short nap, but he’s also super happy when he wakes up. I usually hear him singing away and go into the room to find him grinning from ear to ear.

Time to get dressed!

Since Caleb has a meeting this morning and we only have one car, he drops Charlie and I off at the library. Charlie chills in the stroller (er, “pushchair”) and I browse through a few cooking magazines.

9:45am — We walk through the park to the Leisure Centre, where my mum’s group meets. Charlie snoozes a bit and I enjoy the lovely weather.

10:00am — Mum’s group! I always love this time. We’re here for two hours and it’s a great time for Charlie to play with the other babies and some new toys; I get a snack (and good conversation with other moms), and sometimes there’s even a special bit of instruction on infant safety, baby massage, etc.

12:00pm — Mr. Jones comes to pick us up and someone is plenty happy to be in the car seat with Sophie.

Playtime at home on his blanket. This is his favorite place to practice rolling around and pseudo-crawling (it’s coming, I know).

I fold some cloth diaper laundry while he’s playing and get it put away in his nursery.

Grunting begins, which means he’s ready for another nap. First, a pre-nap #selfie in our upstairs bathroom. Even when he’s sleepy, it doesn’t take much to get a good smile.

Aaaaand he’s out. Minus one sock, apparently.

1:15pm — While he naps, I do some knitting…

…and planning for the rest of the week.

2:30pm — Awake and ready to go! We have a late lunch, but that’s just how it happens. People in the UK tend to eat lunch a bit later than we do in the States anyway, so I’d say we’re adjusting pretty well.

Time for a book! He really just loves to smack the pages, but I think he’s starting to appreciate the pictures a little more now.

We play some more and there’s another short nap (he’s currently consolidating his many tiny naps into a few longer naps), so I work on a blog post and enjoy a cup of tea. After a while, Mr. Jones comes home and we hang out a bit, then he plays with Charlie while I make dinner.

6:00pm — Dinner time! This was the week before we began letting him experiment with food, so he had started joining us at the table in his high chair. He got very good at knocking toys off the tray on to the floor (and so it begins).

6:30pm — A quick trip to the Cwmbran Boating Lake with some friends of ours! It was beautiful out and we loved having a nice little walk around the water.

(And no, Charlie is not big enough for the swing — Mr. Jones pretty much just held him in place and did a little pseudo-swinging. He really enjoyed it though!)

8:00pm — Time to put on a new diaper and get PJs ready!

8:15pm — No bath tonight (it’s getting late), so just a quick book and then off to bed! Caleb and I do a bit of reading and watch part of a movie, then it’s bedtime for us as well! Thanks for sharing our day with us. :)

At six months, Charlie…

:: wants to be on his belly all. the. time. Especially, it seems, when he needs his diaper changed. The second I set him down, he does a ninja flip and tries to catapult off the changing pad. I’ve had to resort to the method of changing him on the floor with a leg on either side of him.

:: can also roll from his front to his back. Which means I have to be very careful about where exactly I set him on the floor, and calculate to make sure he’ll be safe rolling over multiple times, without bonking his head on the coffee table/dresser/chair/bed.

:: has decided that when I work out (especially doing lunges or squats), it’s the most hilarious thing in the world. Having a baby cackling at you while you’re working out does not necessarily inspire confidence, but it does make me smile the entire time.

:: is starting to scoot a bit when he’s on his belly and a toy is juuuust out of his reach. He doesn’t usually progress more than an inch or so, but it’s coming. Oh man is it coming.

:: has sampled (and by sampled, I mean squeezed and mushed and licked and dropped) banana, sweet potato, carrots, parsnips, and peaches. We’re only a few days in and I don’t think he’s actually swallowed anything, but he’s had a blast playing and learning about food. Baby led weaning is fun stuff.

:: enjoys his bedtime routine — bath, nurse, book, prayers, lullaby and bed. He’s been sleeping for longer stretches now that we’ve gotten past a little growth spurt, and I’m hoping the consistency of his nighttime rhythm will keep him snoozing happily.

:: really loves his little wooden toys. We have a rattle, a cat, a sailboat and a smooth ring covered in yarn, and they are his favorite. I’m continuing to try and only buy toys that will last and leave lots of room for imagination, especially quality wooden and cloth ones.

:: loves bath time but hates getting out of the tub. I’m not sure if it’s the cool breeze hitting his skin, or just having to stop playing, but the first few minutes out of the tub are usually grumpy ones.

:: is about to make his second international trip…and his first with just mom. Due to a number of people in my family being in declining health, we decided to make a trip back to the States so that Charlie could see some relatives who haven’t met him yet. It’s a bit last minute, as my uncle is fighting brain cancer and is not doing very well, but we are looking forward to seeing family and being an encouragement to them. It will be a cross-country trip, PA to MI to FL, and will be the longest that Mr. Jones has been apart from me or Charlie, but we both know it was the right decision. I’m a bit nervous about doing the long haul flight with a much more mobile baby, but we are preparing as best we can and are grateful for the many prayers being said for our travels. I’ll definitely be keeping everyone updated on how things go!

I’ve been reading back through older posts from Soule Mama, and came upon this recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb muffins. A few of my friends have rhubarb in their gardens, and when one had more than she could handle (it was literally covering her kitchen counter), I knew just what to do with it.

Shhh, don’t tell, but it’s actually the first time I’ve tried rhubarb! I think the name (and the fact that it looks like celery) scared me away, but it’s delicious. Just the right amount of sour and sweet, especially when it’s combined with other fruits. I froze the extra chopped rhubarb, so we’ll be enjoying these muffins for quite a while. They’re perfect for breakfast, or as a snack (especially if you cut them in half and warm them on a skillet with a little bit of butter.

Soule Mama’s Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

1.5 cups unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking soda

1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 stick melted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated orange rind (optional, but oh-so-good)

1 cup chopped rhubarb
1 cup sliced strawberries

Mix dry in a large bowl. Mix wet separately. Add wet to dry. Stir in berries and rhubarb. Spoon into greased muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Devour.