Eight Months

Eight Months Old.

This has been sick central since Thanksgiving, and the Christmas holidays aren't looking much better. There are lots of stomach bugs and pinkeye going around daycare, and Emma's been kind enough to bring it all home. Our girl's very good at sharing.

Between the illnesses & teething, I haven't been taking regular photos, and the few I have taken have been either pre- or post-puking - so, yeah, those will remain in my personal collection.

Likes: Pulling up on furniture to dance and cruise around (!!!); eating (current favorite is yogurt, but have also enjoyed spinach, pumpkin, and white potatoes); and playing in the kitchen, which you've just recently discovered (sliding things across the smooth floor, banging on the dishwasher, and trying to sneak into the pantry to play with the recyclables).

Dislikes: TEETHING. BEING SICK. (OK, maybe those are Mama's dislikes, but I'm sure you feel the same way!)

We've introduced Emma to Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, and Fraggle Rock (an oldy, but goody), and have really enjoyed watching her bounce-dance to the music. She loves dancing. And when she gets really excited, she lets out this loud gasping sound. Scares the snot outta Mama & Dada, especially when she does it from the backseat of the car. Not cool.

We also have our first recognized word, I think. When we ask where her ball is, Emma will crawl around saying bah, bah? And when she wants it, she'll repeat bah bah bah until we bring one of her balls over.

Ah, communication - it's a beautiful thing.

Book Review: Rebecca

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
(Last read December 4, 2003)

This is one of only two books my mother recommended to me in my youth that I actually enjoyed — so much that it’s become my favorite story.

Daphne du Maurier’s characters got my attention, and her beautiful imagery kept me rapt. And it’s not just that famous opening line, either; the ending is just as beautifully written, but receives much less attention. Her subtle hinting throughout the book is well done (especially in that last chapter), though you can’t really appreciate its significance until you’ve finished reading (all the more reason to start it over again!).

Our unnamed heroine, the second Mrs. de Winter, was always hard for me to like. I didn’t not like her, as was the case with Rebecca, but I’m shocked at just how shy and spineless this girl is. I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s fought off irrational bouts of paranoia or fantasy, but hers are so extreme! But I guess that’s typical of the character.

Our leading lady is the opposite of Rebecca in most respects — shy, quiet, scared — but I’ve often played out one particular scene, which is more temper-tantrum than timidity, in my head: I envision her throwing a Cindy Brady-like fit (“It’s always Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca!” she tells Frank Crawley) while walking up the drive to Manderley (something I certainly couldn’t imagine Rebecca doing). And, now that I know the BBC2 has made a movie of it, I’ll have to search the library and local video stores to see if Joanna David does as good a job at this scene as the actress in my imagination!



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It's a Tooth!

Teething babies are drooling machines - even more so than normal babies. Emma has been covering everything in sight with a nice layer of slime, so it wasn't much of a surprise when I noticed this pearly white nub sprouting from her gums during lunch today.

As exciting as this new milestone is (and no one is excited by milestones like new mamas are excited by milestones), I have to say, I'm going to miss that gummy little smile.

Seasonal Baby Food

I'm not a big squash fan. I can eat it -- it just doesn't get my mouth waterin'. But they're healthy and cheap and who am I to pass on my palette prejudices to my daughter?

So at market this morning, we picked up a few gourds -- a ginormous butternut squash and a mini pumpkin.

SQUASH

Split in two length-wise, scooped out the insides, and placed cut side up in a casserole pan with less than an inch of water. Roasted at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, scooped out the insides, and pureed in the blender. Separated into individual helpings and frozen most in an ice cube tray for easy thawing.


 
PUMPKIN
Cut off the top, split in two, and scooped out the insides, setting the pumpkin seeds aside. Placed cut side up in a casserole pan with almost an inch of water. Roasted at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, scooped out the insides, and pureed in the blender. 

Emma especially liked these purees mixed with pears or applesauce, on the sweet side of the spectrum, and with chicken or rice on the savory side. I tried adding a little cinnamon, but she was not a fan.

As a bonus for the grown ups, I rinsed the pumpkin seeds; tossed them in butter, sugar, and cinnamon; and placed them on a baking sheet in the oven at 300 degrees for about an hour. I'd never tried roasted pumpkin seeds before, but I'm a big huge sunflower seed fan, so I figured why not, right?

Yeah, they were gone in an hour. I might've shared with Carl.