Dear Harper — Month Seven

This has been the month where I'd do something totally mundane, like go to the can, and come back and be all like, "Who is this giant baby, and did she eat Harper?" You are huge, kid. I'd wager that you've probably broken the 20-pound mark; just ask my back. And you can do all these things that I couldn't even imagine you doing a few months ago: sitting up all by yourself, getting to toys that are out of your reach, falling off of our bed into Lilly's, just to name a few.

The biggest event of the month was your first foray into the wide world of solid foods. Since we're doing baby-led weaning with you, your very first food was a very handsome rice cake:


We've since moved up in the world of solids, with oven-roasted zucchini, avocados, bananas and apples being on the top of your list. But since we do live in Germany, and the Germans are known for their exactness, I did start to worry if you would end up being malnourished if I didn't make you eat some sort of mashed up stuff. So sometimes you get to feed yourself bananas mashed up with almond paste, but you usually are not up for that sort of stuff. You want the good stuff, and you want it NOW, dammit. That usually means tricking you into thinking you are eating the same stuff as we are. Though, the other night, after you refused to eat plain lentils, we gave you some of ours with tomato and curry, and that was much, much better. By the way, your newest trick is to grab on to my shirt when I lift you out of your Bumbo and wipe your face on it. I can't wait until revenge isn't considered taboo.


Although you do appreciate being able to sit at the table with us at every meal, it does not come close to your appreciation for the boob. In fact, since you've started solids, you've been drinking more than ever, especially at night. And this is despite all of the water you also drink. You are known to fling yourself onto my chest and pull on my bra. Once you get your booby, you like to squeeze it with both hands, as if you were drinking a Capri Sun. I guess as long you don't ram a plastic straw into my nipple, I can live with the squuezing. Or you also like to plant your face between my boobs and make noises like "nam nam nam", much like your stereotypical sleazy "uncle" who's had too much to drink at the family gathering. Again. You're going through a mama phase, which means I cannot leave the room without you taking to the streets to protest. This is kind of frustrating for all involved, but we are sure it will pass. Right....? Anyway. I think I probably say this every month, but I really have no idea how we are going to wean you off the boob. It's funny how you have all these ideas about things before you have kids ("I'm sure as hell not going to be breastfeeding a kid once they can ask for it!"), and then they all get shot to shit. Sometimes literally.


In non-boob news, you're also turning into a little diva, but maybe you were that all along and now it's just showing. If you get frustrated with something, you'll howl and cry and fling your entire body backwards, a move that will probably serve you well during what is sure to be many tantrums to come. And when something displeases you, you've started to say, "Nay nay nay nay," which makes us fear that your first real spoken word will be "No/nein." However, you do still say "mama" and we know that you do mean me, not the boobs or its contents. We also thought we heard you say something close to "Lilly" the other day. One thing we are sure of is that once you do start talking, you are never going to shut up. You get funnier by the day, with your squeals of joy and strange and hilarious noises.

By this time next month, I will surely be reporting on all of your hijinks as a crawler. Over the last few days, you've been making it up onto all fours and moving back and forth. This is very unsatisfying for you after a while, since you've been expending all of this energy to go absolutely nowhere. Apart from the signs for "milk" and "more," the one for frustration will also be one that you will learn to know all too well.

This has been the month of leaps and bounds, and we are all very much in awe.


Love,
Mama

This month's nicknames: Nay Nay, Harper Bear, Baby Bear, Turkey Bear
This month's song: Island in the Sun by Weezer