Sunday, August 31, 2008

Happy 6 Month Birthiversary!

Our litle girl is 1/2! No we didn't miss her birthiversary. We are just a bit behind on our blogging as we've been busily gettting ready for the school year. Speaking of busy, Magnolia is BUSY! So many new developments just this week! Instead of the usual long birthiversary post, we will be posting a milestone or two over the next few days. Did you notice the one shown here? Magnolia is now sitting up unassisted!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

You know your child's clothes are too small when...

Her outfit looks pretty cute from the front...

Then you turn her around and see that she has a wedgie in spite of her diaper!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Home At Last

After 5 weeks, the Rushes are all back under one roof--their own roof. Our bags are unpacked and we are settling in. We're all pretty tired and trying to get rested before the back-to-school craziness begins. Hopefully, the much needed routine and being in her own room will help Magnolia sleep through the night -- a feat yet to be accomplished in her 5 1/2 months. *fingers crossed*

This morning I decided to try to use Magnolia to wake up Brian. I brought her in and he roused enough to take her, leaving me free to get some cleaning done. But when I went back to check on them about 10 minutes later this is what I found: only Magnolia's eyes were closed until I took the picture. Some help she is!


Friday, August 8, 2008

Rush Family Vacation

Every summer Brian's parents invite their kids and families to join them for a week at one of their Worldmark timeshares. This summer the destination was San Diego. The trip coincided with the end of Brian's month at Azusa so we joined them for a few days.

Day 1: San Diego Zoo

We all really enjoyed the Zoo. There was plenty of shade to escape to and the park is designed so you never feel like you are in a huge crowd of people. The animals were really active, especially the Bonobos or Pygmy Chimpanzees. We happened to witness two Bonobos engage in foreplay and then copulate, to which my 7-year old nephew exclaimed, "I do not want to be a Bonobo!"

Day 2: UC San Diego Sculpture Park

After attending church near UC San Diego, we decide to head over to view the sculptures Brian had heard about from a guest speaker this summer. I thought I got a picture of Brian by the massive teddy bear sculpture, but for some reason it's not on my camera. You will have to visit UC San Diego's website to see it.

Day 3: Sea World

Sea World was a little harder with a 5 month old. There is hardly any shade and they don't let you take strollers into the exhibits that are indoors. Also, in contrast with the zoo, it was very crowded! We did get to see a couple of fun shows and one soaking ride. I got really sun burned, but we managed to keep Magnolia safe by using the handy-dandy nursing cover as a light weight sun cover.

Day 4: Oceanside

The next day we packed our car again and drove up the coast to Oceanside, CA for part 2 of the family vacation. We would only be there for one night, but I'm glad we went. Brian, Magnolia and I played on the beautiful beach and walked the pier in the afternoon. Then in the evening, the cousins went swimming. It was a very relaxing day!


Day 5: Alaska Fiasco

Magnolia and I were scheduled to fly back to Seattle at 2:40 pm. We got there plenty early and were pre-boarded with all the other families with young children. I was dreading that part, because Magnolia doesn't like to sit still. Usually once we are in the air the drone of the engine lulls her to sleep, but the boarding process is not pleasant. An hour into this wiggly time, the captain announced "Our plane is broken and we are all scratching our heads trying to figure out what is wrong." Not comforting. Another 30 minutes passed before they decided to de-board and rebook everyone, starting with the people that needed to make a connecting flight in Seattle (i.e. not us). Another mom flying solo and I hooked up, taking turns watching each other's stuff and passing the time. Eventually we were rebooked on a very full 7pm flight. As we were boarding the airline personnel that took my ticket said, "Now you get to fly on a Disney plane!" like that was some consolation. Overtired Magnolia did not want to sit still for this second boarding process. The wiggling continued most of the flight, partially due to our neighbor that kept shaking and folding her newspaper. Finally Maggie fell asleep as the pilot turned on the seat belt light for our landing. Exhausted we both slept most of the next day!

Friday, August 1, 2008

California Dreaming

Magnolia and I have spent the last few days at Azusa Pacific University reconnecting with Brian and meeting his school friends. It has been great to meet the people I've heard about the last two summers. I purchased the umbrella stroller pictured after we got here (Thanks Natalie for the idea!). It has been great. Since there is not much to do for a 5 month old we've been going on lots of walks and playing on a blanket in the shade while Brian's been in class. Don't let the outfit fool you. It has been quite hot here. The leggings, jacket and hat are sun protection! The three of us are off to San Diego for the Rush Family Summer Vacation. I'm not sure what the internet situation will be like where we are staying. So there might not be any posts for a few days. 

Happy 5 Month Birthiversary!

We're a couple days late in posting (Brian's papers took computer precedence - sheesh!) but we did celebrate on time. I didn't want our stay in APU campus housing to stop us from our cupcake tradition. It took some creativity but we managed.  Let's just put it this way: I now know that there are 48 teaspoons in a cup. 

When I started these monthly birthiversary pictures, I didn't think about how I was going to photograph my mobile baby with an increasing number of cupcakes without her wanting them. This month she nearly got them. 

Magnolia's weight growth slowed down a little this month -- 17.75 pounds -- perhaps due to her increase in activity. If you have been visiting the blog this month you already know that she has been doing A LOT of jumping and swimming. Add in rolling and this girl gets a pretty good daily workout. You've also probably seen that Magnolia was in fact teething as I wrote last month's update. I think that the top teeth might be working their way down now. 

We had a lot of Mother-Daughter bonding this month while Brian was away - learning songs and games, reading stories, and nearly sleepless nights. Her snuggles are more rare as she doesn't want to slow down long enough, but that makes them all the more precious. Her favorite game is peekaboo. It can almost always cure the "crabby patties" even if just for a moment. She continues to be a very happy baby, laughing easily (though sometimes it sounds fake), in spite of the chaos and numerous changes. All of this time together has led us to a new phase of mama attachment.  

Magnolia did not comply with Brian's wish for her to not change this month while he was away. When Maggie and I arrived in California, one of the first things Brian noticed was how much control she now has over her body. She easily picks  up and manipulates "toys," transferring them from hand to hand, inspecting every inch. She really enjoys scratching everything to see what sound it will make -- her favorite is canvas. Fabrics are fascinating. One night, she spent a really long time petting her Grandma Pat's silky bathrobe. Maggie isn't crawling yet, but she sure is trying. For awhile she was doing a version of the break dance move called the Worm, only she was on her back. She does a lot of rocking back and forth on her tummy. 

While Magnolia was working on her motor control this month, it seemed like her vocal development slowed. She did not produce many new sounds this month, but she did seem to become more sophisticated in her use of her vocal chords. Crying for attention and yelling when she couldn't have what she wanted were two new developments. They both caused a bit of parenting anxiety as I anticipate she will be an independent (and strong-willed?) little girl.

As for parenting developments, I started using sign language with her this month. They say it takes a few weeks before there is recognition and could be months before she uses a sign back to you. Though in my mind I am confident in the power of signing with your baby after seeing its effectiveness with others, but I still can't help but wonder and feel a bit foolish at times. 

Coming Next Month: Crawling? Baby-proofing our house. Sitting up on her own? Eating solid food. And--please, please, please--Sleeping through the Night???