Little Baby Teeth vs. Marin Mama

I haven't thought about baby teeth in years. Not until my daughter was born. See, right around 5 months a mother starts looking for some pearly whites to make an appearance in a gummy little mouth. A mother expects to see these teeth because that would be the answer to why the little one is upset, crying, or otherwise dissatisfied.Well I kept looking and looking until one day, oh, what is that?? Four teeth coming in all at once? Well! When this kid does things, she does it in a big way, or so it seems.  She is still drooling constantly, puts everything and anything in her mouth, rubs her little ears. It's got to hurt, teething, can you imagine?? A constant pain, just annoying enough to disrupt sleep and cause irritation. Enough throbbing to make a person want to try and get those teeth through themselves, in hopes of stopping the ache. Here, in my opinion, are some pluses ( or minuses, depending on your sense of humor) to having your child sprout chompers:

1.Now the baby can eat chunkier foods, only to stress mom out to no end ( fear of the baby choking is serious)

2. The little munchkin can really rip into any/all items that may find their way to the floor, including bits of paper, carpet, socks, etc.

3. When dear mother attempts to slowly get a finger in sweet baby's mouth, mom is treated to a razor sharp poke, no joke, razor sharp!

4. The adorable baby will take on annoying habit of grinding teeth, and yes, it is loud enough to give you chills.

5. When little baby smiles, her face takes on a whole new look and mom is left wondering if time has sped up in the short months since she met her little spark plug.

It's actually a good thing to see some little teeth in my daughter's mouth, but it's also hilarious to see what's going to be thrown at this Marin Mama, believe me, I'm always surprised.

It's A Whole New World....

I can't get the theme song from the animated feature Aladdin out of my head. "It's a Whole New World, a magic place I never knew....." because my little munch started crawling a few days ago. No more rocking back and forth, I'm talking crawling, full motion. She's discovering nooks and crannies she never knew existed. She's finding awesome pieces of string from the carpet and checking to see if they taste good. Um, yeah, a whole new world indeed. This Marin Mama now realizes that her level of clean isn't as good as it could be. I could vacuum more often, mop more too. I notice feathers, leaves, dirt, anything that finds it's way to my floor and into my kids mouth. Her little head has bumped the side of the coffee table more than once, (need to baby proof!)She is having an amazing first few days, the looks she gives me are priceless.  This is a whole different lesson altogether, for both of us. Even though I try to make light of some of our trials and tribulations, each day I am astounded at the rate of growth, not only physically but emotionally. It is a wonderful experience to behold.

Notes to Self

Note #1: Never move a sleeping baby from a car seat to a crib unless confident transfer will be successful.

Note #2:  Change baby into fresh outfit after finishing breakfast, not prior. If not, will find self changing said baby again 1/2 hour later.

Note #3:  Have everything by the door and ready when attempting to leave house. Any delay over two minutes will ensure miniature fret fest by miniature traveler.

Note #4:  Attempt to get from living room to kitchen without spilling what has become like liquid gold: breast milk.

Note #5:  Planning a wedding while caring for 7 month old munchkin will make life very stressful but allows for the realization that said stressing over things like invitations and wedding cake is so not worth your time.

Goldilocks and the Three Bowls of Rice Cereal

Just when you think you've got this mommy thing down, whoops! here comes another challenge thrown at you, full speed ahead. Introducing our baby girl to solid foods has been a trying, messy but exhilarating experience and I expect it to only get better and....messier. It's like Goldilocks and the three bears when teaching your kids about new foods, textures and tastes. Mommy, this bowl of cereal is too hot, this bowl of cereal is too cold but mmmmmm, this bowl of cereal is just right! Carrots are delicious but that boiled sweet potato mess is awful, GACK, ICK!!! I love love love banana but don't think I'm ready for strawberry. I get a kick out of watching her tastes something for the first time, I can see her taste buds working, sending little messages to her brain, firing up for the first time!

She's getting most of her meals down the chute now and we are committed to three solid meals a day. It is a different kind of routine, a different kind of schedule. Another curve in the road of parenthood that brings laughter and memories. On to the cheerios and sippy cups!

Oh My! There's a Real Live Baby in the Other Room!

My sweet baby girl has been surprising me since the day I found out she existed. Don't get me wrong, she is the VERY best surprise anyone could hope for; strong, healthy, gorgeous, smart and sassy, just the way I like em'. All of a sudden, though, there is little being, a little spitfire, a little girl in my life smiling and grinning and crying and eating and discovering the big world. In the recent mornings when she's having her morning munch if I drift off back to sleep I feel the softest touch to my face and when I look down, find the tiniest little person-face looking me dead in the eye. It's like the Velveteen Rabbit, she is REAL baby, a wonderful little soul just itching to make her mark on the world. She's just started making REAL little girl noises so when she fusses now I stop and think, holy s$%t, I've got a real baby! I sense that I'm going to be feeling that way for quite a while, as all first mothers do. Every time she makes a new motion or makes a new expression, I'm going to be thinking, holy s$%t! What a ride, what a trip, no one, not even your own mother, can explain how it feels. It just is what it is, amazing.........

Godzelly Attacks! Or...Don't Wake The Zelly Monster

Babies make weird noises as they discover the vocal cords their parents will come to know intrinsically. In the midst of 15 young things I am able to identify the cries of my daughter. She grunts, laughs, squeals, coos and growls. Yes, she growls. She sounds like a little monster ( a cute one) and it separates her (for me) out of a group of sweet babies. She also likes to thump her little feet as hard as she can, either upon waking or when she hasn't quite found  her way to dreamland. She thumps so hard, just the other day while in the shower I actually heard and felt the vibrations of her thumping through the wall and through the shower pressure. Thump, thump, thump, goes the Godzelly, grrr, grr, grrr, goes the Zelly Monster. Monster she really isn't, but it's so damn cute, and Godzelly just has a ring to it. It's her way of letting Mommy and Daddy know she is NOT ready to sleep or she is READY to get up and party!

Rainy Day Dreams....Outdoor Fun in and around Marin County

It has been an extremely wet winter here in Marin County, Northern CA. While I am thrilled that the golden state is no longer considered to be in a drought, I can't help but admit that my soul, not to mention my house, car and yard are all slightly dampened. Oh, we've gotten a few sunny gorgeous days that only Marin can offer, just enough to keep one looking to the future of warmth and beauty. On those particular days I've been fortunate to get out and around with the little one. I'm often joined by another rockin' Marin Mama, but sometimes it's just me and the munchkin. We've discovered some fantastic running paths and a few hikes that bring life into perspective. Check out these sources for outdoor fun for you and your family.

Weekend Sherpa , which offers weekly outdoor activities and outing in and around the Bay Area.

Bay Trail - running from Novato to Sausalito - I like to start off of East Blythedale in Mill Valley and head for Sausalito, the view of Mount Tamalpais is unmatched.

7 Waterfall Hikes in Marin - Top 7 waterfall hikes in Marin County - best hiking time Feb-April, give and take a month or two.

Tennessee Valley Trails - a trailhead that will take hikers to a small beach cove, or up and over to Muir Beach, part of the Golden Gate National Park lands