11/12/05 - Tootsies and Chi-Chi's

Eva is now able to sit up "tripod style", supporting herself with her hands, which she thinks is the greatest. Every time I prop her up in this pose, she giggles like a madman. She's also found a new toy: her feet!  Eva loves to grab her tiny toes at every opportunity, like when I change her diaper. As a bonus, she's picked up an irritating new habit of blowing spit bubbles, which is a real riot when I'm feeding her baby food. Yesterday she sprayed green beans all over me. As fun as introducing new foods has been, there's a rotten trade off. Her diapers have gone from smelling like sweet nothings to genuine stink bombs.

The funny thing is, she started all of these skills not five seconds after I read about them in Dr. Sear's "The Baby Book." Right on cue. Teething has been rough on both of us. Her attempts to soothe sore gums are giving me sore nipples. Share the love, right? At first she kept trying to bite me, and I’d pop her off and yell “no!” into her surprised little face. This happened once at my friend Rachel’s house, and her three-year old son Kainoa walked up to Eva and scolded “no bite chi-chi’s!”, his baby name for breasts. It was hilarious. Eva’s never had a problem latching on properly, but I think she’s starting to do more chewing motions than sucking, and it hurts after awhile. She also has a habit of breaking away for a minute and then wanting back on, even in her sleep, which can be wearing.