Buddies,  Bug,  movies,  Newsbreaking Hair News

6 Month Movie (and why I’m in the dog house)

July 18, 2006 /

Phew! Where to start? I kinda got run over by my own social life these last few days. This is a good thing but it’s made keeping up the daily blogging nearly impossible and YET I have soooo much to blog about! Isn’t that how it always is?

First off: the hair cut. Yay! I like it. My good friend/fairy godmother came in from out of town and went with me so I could actually get my hair cut without the baby yanking on my hair and interfering with things. It was great. When the hair dresser was done cutting, she even let me hold the baby for a little bit (because you know I was going through withdrawals after the first 20 minutes).

I got my hair cut by a total stranger this time and she didn’t hack off all my hair and make me feel like a fuzz bomb. In fact, she was really really sweet and I think I’ll go back to her. This is big for me. I have a hard time making long term commitments to hair dressers for some reason. But I really like her. She’s only 21 and totally quiet and shy in spite of her extremely noticeable white jagged punk hair-do. At first I was bummed because my secret dream is to have a flamboyantly gay male hair stylist who will take me under his wing and make me “faaaaabulous”. But I don’t seem to have such luck. This girl was really quiet and listened intently to every word I said, even the rambling about being a mom and how I haven’t done anything with my hair other than wear it in a pony tails since the baby was born six months ago. She didn’t even flinch when she saw my crooked self inflicted bang job. She just smiled and said, “We’ve all done it.” I love her!

It turns out her quiet nature was not at all uninventive or shy in creativity because when she was done I had the sweetest wavy bob that was just perfectly long enough to still be pulled into the silly pig-tail buns that I’m so fond of wearing. I know. I’m probably embarrassingly stuck in some dated hair-do from the late 90’s but I like it and I don’t care to be cutting edge any more.

Getting my hair cut was really fun. But that was just the beginning. My friend and I (and her lovable step daughter) spent the rest of the day doing fun girly foo foo things like getting my ears pierced again so I can wear earrings again after not being able to since my holes healed up ten years ago. I feel so feminine now! I have a soft romantic hair cut, my ears are pierced AND I wore make up that day. (Cause, you don’t want to look like a frumpy soccer mom when you meet your hair stylist for the first time…and don’t even get me started on how hideous it is to stare at yourself in the mirror while your hair is slicked back and parted in the middle while they cut… at least a little eye liner made me feel a teensy bit better.)

Because we’re ladies and “we do lunch”, we stopped into my favorite mall-side cafe (that reminds me of Paris) and had Croque Monsieurs (fancy ham and cheese) and yummy gelato that melted all over the table. Speaking of messes, I attempted to feed Baby Bug rice cereal and mashed up bananas from my lap while lunching ever-so-lady-like. It was a total disaster and I ended up with mush all over my clothes and gelato drips all over the sling and Baby Bug’s hat. Oh well. What can you do? Stay home all day and never do anything fun?

Toby and I are currently having a running debate over whether or not my daily chaos is good for Baby Bug or not. I say, emphatically, yes. She needs to get used to my crazy life. The definition of intelligence is ability to adapt to your surroundings and I don’t want a baby that can’t roll with going to a restaurant or being around my friends and family. But Toby says she needs structure and not so many new faces and new places all at once. There’s a happy medium somewhere in there.

After the cafe we lolled around my friend’s air conditioned motel room and then went to another delicious dinner at Macaroni Grill. I always gain about ten pounds when my friend comes to visit because she insists on taking me out to lunch and dinner and room service breakfast and all the sweets and deserts you could ever want in between. Now that she’s gone, it’s diet city for me.

But back to my rambling record of the latest happenings….

Things always get a little more complicated with me. This is why Toby and I are in a bit of an argument over whether or not Baby Bug might be over-stimulated. After spending the whole day tripping through the mall with my girlfriend and her step daughter and then a fancy dinner out that night (Baby Bug spending most of that time securely strapped onto me in the sling) we went home to sleep. The next morning I was going to meet up with my friend again and spend yet another day doing fun girly foo foo things. Except because of some miscommunication, I double booked my day with yet another friend. She and her three kids called me from the road to say they were on their way to meet me and go to the beach!

What to do! I had invited them for the following Tuesday but you know how it goes. Tuesdays can get mixed up sometimes. This is all great because I love having friends around and my motto usually is “the more the merrier” but that isn’t exactly what Toby and I agreed upon the night before. But what could I do? Send them back home? Oh no! So I got on the phone and organized a meet up with both sets of friends and everything was hunky dory (sort of).

I forgot to tell Toby they were coming. Toby woke up as one of the boys (who had blue hair) wandered noisily into Toby’s office to exclaim wildly about his wide screen computer monitor. Oh dear. Strangers in the danger zone. My friend’s kids are very well behaved but it was early in the morning for Toby and he was a bit of a grouch. Especially since the night before he had expressed that maybe I ought to slow it down a little so Baby Bug could have some time to rest with all these new faces coming at her making goo goo sounds.

So lets just say I’m in the dog house for not checking with my husband before I fill up my social schedule and invite friends into our home that is also his place of work.

Thankfully, Toby has really good manners and my friends are very nice and everything worked out in the end. Did I mention that yet a third set of friends dropped by for coffee in the afternoon? Ooops. I don’t know what my problem is. I think I’m overcompensating for not being popular in high school.

And now my tale is done AND that means it’s time for the SIX MONTH MOVIE!!!!! Yay! It was tough picking which footage to include this time. She’s doing so many amazing new things. But I think the most memorable new trick she loves lately is singing. She sings up a storm these days… even in her sleep!

Enjoy! (1.79 MB Quicktime)

Here is a non-music version for those of you who don’t like getting songs stuck in your head.

30 Comments

  • Ninotchka

    July 19, 2006 at 2:31 am

    I find that it goes in spurts. Sometimes it’s lunch everyday and sometimes you can’t find a friend (or the time) for a simple cup of coffee. But I agree that in life you have to learn to roll with the punches and I think its really good for Baby Bug to be out and about. Life is fun! You shouldn’t spend it stuck in the house all the time. Moms and babies alike need “out” time. Otherwise, it gets to be so blah.

    Anyway, love the haircut. You’re both adorable! ;)

  • deb

    July 19, 2006 at 4:15 am

    I think trendy haircuts are bunk – all you need is what looks good on you, and that you have. And earrings! (I went to a new hairdresser yesterday that wouldn’t listen to me and didn’t want to cut more than a 1/4″ off my hair! Back to the flamboyant gay guy!)

    Baby Bug is a total delight.

  • josephine

    July 19, 2006 at 5:03 am

    I stayed up til midnight doing this and you can tell I was tired. My punctuation is atrocious! (and maybe my spelling too?) I should have run it by my Aund Jailg first. She would have been up (playing Sims).

  • Tara

    July 19, 2006 at 5:21 am

    This is my first blog comment ever! I’ve read your blog for a long time and finally felt I had something to share. Hope you don’t mind! — Toby is well-meaning. Children need the stability of loving parents not the structure of naps and meals at precisely the same time every day. We were very aware of these things when my daughter was a baby and were able to read the signs of when she was tired or hungry or overstimulated and responded accordingly. I took her on outings, playgroups, shopping, restaurant meals, trips, etc. regularly and to compare her to the children around us who had very structured lifestyles was pretty amazing. She is 6-1/2 now and was an easy-going baby and fantastic toddler, open to new experiences and ready to brave school as she got older. The children we were around who were sheltered and rushed home from events for naptime and given an unwavering schedule were toddlers who threw the most tantrums, were clingy and frightened with new situations, still behave terribly in restaurants and stores, and did not adjust as well starting school. I have to say that there is something to be said for spontaneity!! (Life is not structured no matter how hard you try.) I think it’s wonderful that you and Baby Bug are able to have so many fun experiences together. The fact that you are there guiding her through this giant new world IS the structured force in her life! You may be a new mom, but you are a mom nonetheless — trust your instincts!

  • Jamie

    July 19, 2006 at 6:29 am

    I loved your movie as always! In particular I could relate to the clip of her playing with the tag.. my baby (7 months) gets so focused on tags and plays with them so carefully just like your bug does. I love it!

  • carrien

    July 19, 2006 at 7:45 am

    I agree with tara. At this age all of the structure she needs is to be close to you, she can still nap in the sling, she still gets nursed when she’s hungry, being new places is fine because all she really needs is you, and she’ll let you know when she’s had too much for the day. I noticed with my first around 6 to 8 months that he was really happier and had a better sleep if I put him to bed by 9pm, he had stopped being able to sleep through anything I would drag him to, and little by little baby bug may give you clues as to what she prefers, but you should follow her lead and not just impose a schedule because you think she ought to have one.

    When she’s 2, 4, etc, it helps to have a predictable routine, but even those get inerruppted for fun days, they help kids to organize, but also to embrace and enjoy adventures and special outings.
    Anyway, long ramble, but I think you’ll be fine.

  • Kikki's Mama

    July 19, 2006 at 7:51 am

    I just got one of those “your baby is 5-month” articles e-mailed to me and it says

    “For your child to learn about people, places, and things, he needs to be exposed to them. Studies show that children who grow up in an enriched environment — where they are presented with new experiences that engage their senses — have larger, more active brains than those who grow up without adequate sensory stimulation.” (Babycenter.com)

    Of course they can get overstimulated. And Toby could be mad at you if you didn’t allow BabyBug naps or took care of her needs properly/on time because you were too busy socializing (which of course you don’t!). Otherwise, having friends over all the time, even that many, is all ok, even benefitial for her. All you have to do is watch BabyBug for signs of growing tired or overstimulated and then let her relax. Think about this, some families have 6 kids or less or mroe. So babies are around a lot of people all the time. IT’s good for them. That’s why BabyBug watches her cousins so intently. She is making up for being the only child. She should be able to observe more people then just you and Toby. Plus like you said, she is half you, so she is a social girl too!!!!

  • Wendy

    July 19, 2006 at 8:37 am

    I agree with the others. Each baby is different and it’s important to try and recognize the cues (although you and Toby may still disagree on how to interpret those cues! :) It’s pretty easy at Baby Bug’s age to cart them everywhere, so why not! It does get more difficult as they get older because they won’t sleep through everything or just anywhere. I have an almost 1-year-old and a 3-year-old. I still try to get out at least 3 days a week (as a full-time SAHM I just HAVE too!) But, I try to make sure that the baby gets at least one good nap a day. We still do lots of fun things including doing lunch at restaurants, picnics at the park, lots of playdates, etc. I just try to plan them around one good nap for the baby. I also hate the idea of a schedule. I prefer to think of it as a routine. Mealtimes and naps generally follow a certain order, but not necessarily at specific times during the day. Free/Play times are generally unstructured, so we do what we feel like. Sometimes it’s a big outing, sometimes just a walk in the neighborhood, but sometimes it’s running errands or a trip to the grocery store (which actually seems to be fun for my kids, probably because I’ve been dragging them with me since they were babies!)

  • ginger incognito

    July 19, 2006 at 12:26 pm

    You overstimulate Baby Bug? Hardly! The Doodle was exposed to all kinds of faces and places, starting at, like, 2 weeks old. There were a few occasions when she got a bit too stimulated, but the signs were easy enough to spot, and we modified our plans accordingly. The Doodle has no problem rolling with the normal chaos of our lives. She can be a bit shy still, but she mostly warms up to new people. You and Toby are all the “structure” Baby Bug needs! (Of course, the Husband fully supported the Doodle’s active social life, but that’s probably because he enjoys it, too. He actually encourages it!)

  • Marilyn

    July 19, 2006 at 12:44 pm

    I can’t believe how long your hair was! LOVE the new cut! And you got your ears re-pierced…woohoo! The movie is adorable…so adorable that I didn’t even grind my teeth on hearing that annoying Archies song. ;)

  • Jennifer

    July 19, 2006 at 2:25 pm

    Loved the movie. She still looks itsy bitsy but growing bigger at the same time. Does that make sense?

    As far as overstimulating babe with outings and such. I really think it depends on the baby. My 4 year old was miserable when we were out and about. She has/had sensory issues, so activity and people were very scary for her. She was the screaming child everywhere we went. I still took her out on a regular basis because I thought it was important for her to know more than just the inside of her home. She’s a lot of fun to take out now though :)

    My 6 month old is sooo much fun to take out. She loves running errands. She just sits back in her infant carrier and takes it all in. I can run errands from morning to night and she’s good to go.

    I do think that sleep is important for development but she seems to catch up on her own on days that we aren’t as busy. Hard to stay unbusy when you have an older child who has a lot of places to be. I guess this is my long winded way of saying you should enjoy your portable baby. I think exposure to people in places is a great gift.

    Sorry that you had the Tuesday mix up. DH used to work from home and dreaded days that I planned for lots of visitors, especially since his “office” was in our livingroom.

  • Jennifer

    July 19, 2006 at 2:26 pm

    I forgot to say I love the new haircut. Must be something that happens when babe is around 6 months? I went from ponytail (that looks HIDEOUS on me) to shoulder length “do” a few weeks ago.

  • Mrs. Why

    July 19, 2006 at 4:55 pm

    I just love her, she’s so sweet and reminds me of my 7-moth-old daughter. I love the “yelling” it’s awesome.

    Toby night also be projecting a bit, you think? Toby might think that because he would be overwhelmed by lots of socializing, she will be too. I agree with everyone else who said as long as you are sensitive to her signals, Baby Bug will actually benefit from your adventures.

  • Kedge

    July 19, 2006 at 9:13 pm

    Do I ever remember that that was your favorite oldie!! You put it on a tape for me, a long time ago. I still have them all except the one with the Little Mermaid songs. Kelsy wanted it.

  • BeachMama

    July 20, 2006 at 2:25 am

    Love your haircut and am envious of your froo froo day, I am so in need of one of those.

    You seem to be doing the right things with Baby Bug. I find that either we have days filled to the brim or days that are empty. When J was a baby we were out and about all the time, and I never rushed home to put him to bed. He slept anywhere for his naps from my arms to his stroller to his carseat. And I was able to transition him to his crib with no problems at all. He still falls asleep when he is tired no matter where he is.

    Overstimualation would probobly show itself more with agression instead of a happy baby. I wouldn’t worry to much, unless of course Baby Bug starts yelling “I want to go home Mommy”.

  • Nila

    July 20, 2006 at 2:29 am

    Your hair looks great. Socializing is good for both of you. Especially for stay at home moms, It’s too easy to feel alone and isolated. Toby should realize that the socializing makes you happy and when mamma’s happy, everyone’s happy. My kids always had a good, steady bedtime routine. As infants they were in bed by 7:30 every night, and that helped to off set the crazy things we did during the day.

  • Tamara

    July 20, 2006 at 6:57 am

    Thanks for a great time! I do love getting together! BTW your friends have great advice, stimulation is good! My kids are far enough apart that I have been able to watch the baby toys change from pastels to bright and amazing colors and patterns. Some I have to admit I think are scarey. You can’t begin to read all the literature that supports stimulation and documents dev. delays to the lack thereof. But, this all comes from a mom who took the first one to the airport the day after he was born!

    Here’s my motto…. ” Every child has the right to grow up and write a book about their life, I’m gong to be sure that my child’s is a BEST SELLER!”

    Who doesn’t want the best for their kids!

    Smiles!!!!

  • Sara

    July 20, 2006 at 10:35 am

    My daughter also loved to sit in her giant plastic thing and bounce away! It was great for both of us. Bug’s noises are so sweet; she seems like such a happy baby. Your hair looks great, too! I don’t necessarily think all babies get overstimulated (I think the different people and scenery are great), but we found that even a loose schedule helped our whole day go better.

  • Sarcastic Journalist

    July 20, 2006 at 12:57 pm

    The hair and tan look, as usual, beautiful. In regards to kiddos and schedules, I think it is really dependent on the child. My daughter doesn’t do too well with many things planned for her day. Some kids are more “schedule” oriented. My son, well, he does pretty good without.

    I think what worked for me is really making an effort to be home at naptime but still getting out and having fun.

  • Carly

    July 21, 2006 at 9:14 am

    I worry about being over scheduled with a 5 month-old, too. We’re out almost every day of the week either shopping or visiting friends and mamas or running errands.

    It can be exhausting. And sometimes I feel I’m robbing Lucy of quality mom time when she spends so long strapped in the car seat by herself.

    Plus it’s starting to exhaust me!

    So we’re trying to cut back and only be out of the house 2 times a week.

    You and Bug look wonderful!

    Carly