First Cold

Well, it's been almost 9 months since Paprika was born and so far we've escaped without so much as a sniffle. But after hanging out with our neighbor's child a few days ago, Paprika has come down with her very first cold. She's been stuffy and coughy and has been rubbing her eyes a lot. I took her temperature yesterday and it was only 99.1, so nothing to be concerned about fever-wise. I feel really lucky because I know of so many babies who are constantly sick their first year of life. Here we are 3/4 of the way through Paprika's first year, and this is her first bout with anything. Mr. Mustard and I have also been battling sore throats for the past few days, so I hope that we don't get sick, too.

I have to say, it's not the most fun thing in the world taking care of a sick baby! She really hasn't seemed herself since this cold started. But, I think she's mostly through it and will be feeling better by tomorrow. She has her 9 month checkup on Wednesday with her new pediatrician, so I'll see what he has to say when he sees her. I'm betting she'll be long past this cold by then.

I'm not sure what we have planned for this weekend. It is Mother's Day, after all! I hope we spend some time outdoors, maybe going for a hike in the mountains near our house. That would be fun! Whatever we do, it will be great because we'll all be together!

Hot Summer!

The weather here is hot already! We've been keeping cool in the airconditioning. On Monday we walked up to the library in the mid-day heat. Big mistake! I plopped Paprika in a cool bath when we got home, which she really enjoyed. Yesterday we stayed indoors mostly- did a few returns at Target and then went to the fabric store to get some supplies for a sewing project I'm starting. Then, yesterday evening I went for a walk with my neighbor, who has an 11 month old son. It's always great talking to her about our babies, since they're so close in age. We were "scheduled" to go for our walk today, but I happened to see her out and about while I was walking Hauser yesterday. Today we're going for another walk once it cools down.

I recently bought Paprika some new toys, since she's almost at the 9 month milestone. She has a new activity table that I just put the batteries in- she's loving that. She really is very happy with simple toys, though. I borrowed some books for her from the library. She can sit and look at books all day practically, she loves the pretty pictures. I bought her a balloon today when we were out grocery shopping. She saw the balloons at the store and started saying "Ba! Ba! Ba!", so I had to get one. I am a sucker for her every whim. She's really enjoying the balloon, and is playing with it right now! I like it, too, because it says "Happy Mother's Day!" :-)

Swimming Lessons and Car Shopping!

We had a really fun weekend! Paprika had her second swim lesson on Saturday morning. Mr. Mustard videotaped part of it. Paprika loves being in the water, splashing, and kicking with her feet. She wants to put her face in the water and drink it all up! She tried to drink the water a few times, and surprised us with a few big gulps! After seeing the look on her face, I don't think she'll be trying that again anytime soon.

We also went to look at a new car for Mr. Mustard. He is driving our Saturn right now, which works great, except that it's not big enough for Hauser and won't fit Paprika's car seat. So, we're trying to find something that will fit all of us comfortably, since the BMW is not big enough for Hauser to ride in. We looked at a Subaru WRX wagon that was for sale on Craigslist. It wasn't what we were looking for- a lot more "used" than had been advertised. So, the search continues.

On Saturday night we went out for Mexican food to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. The food was delicious, and Paprika had fun listening to the music and playing at the table. She is so good in restaurants- we are so lucky that she is such an easygoing baby. We were out late, and she did just fine. Even when she is very tired, she is easy to be around. She just wants to check out the scenery, make friends, and take it all in.

On Sunday we went to a birthday party for Don, one of Mr. Mustard's friends from film school. It was a backyard barbeque, and we had a great time! Everyone was really nice and of course, loved being around Paprika. Paprika got to crawl in the grass- she really liked that a lot!

Beautiful Day!

Today is my dad's birthday! We called him this morning to wish him a very Happy Birthday! It was great talking to him and catching up with everything that's going on with him! After we talked to my dad, Paprika and I went for a beautiful walk up to the park. The weather here is so gorgeous today! We met three other moms with their babies. One of the babies was born just 5 days before Paprika. It was great talking to them, and we may meet up in the future. Paprika had a great time swinging on the baby swing. She was so happy to be outdoors and was laughing and giggling at everyone in the park.

After that we went to the library (also within walking distance), and the librarian was so helpful. He's going to order me a book I've been wanting that's at another branch. He said the book should be there by tomorrow! So nice and convenient!

Paprika is starting to pull up on the furniture. She is very determined to explore every inch of our house. I guess I need to invest in some baby-proofing locks for our cabinets, since she's determined to get into them. She has also started going into the bathrooms and shutting the door. Then when I try to get in, her body is up against the door, so I can't push the door open. She's very trixy, this one!

Yesterday she opened up the bathroom cabinets for the first time and took everything out of them! Luckily, everything is still sealed in ziplock baggies from the move, so she couldn't make too much of a mess. Her favorite thing to find in the bathroom is the plunger. I had hidden two plungers underneath the bathroom sink, and when I turned around, she had taken both plungers out of the cabinet, and was playing with them on the floor!

Her other new favorite trick is to take off her diaper while she's in her crib. Apparently, this is also something I did when I was her age. To remedy this problem, I started putting her in onesies when she naps. But, she's now figured out how to unsnap the onesies- she just pulls really hard! Now when I hear her wake up from her nap, I run right in there, since if I wait a few minutes, I might be met with a very unfortunate surprise! Yesterday when I was met with such a suprise, I had my camera handy and got a few snapshots for posterity. ;-)

Wrap Party!

Mr. Mustard and I had a night out on the town on Sunday while Mr. Mustard's mom babysat Paprika. We went to dinner at Sushi Roku- the first dinner we've had out just the two of us since my birthday back in September (when my mom was in town and babysat Paprika). It was so relaxing! Then we went to the wrap party of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. It was really great seeing Mr. Mustard's friends from the show and catching up with them- such nice people. We also spent some time talking with the cast of the show, who were also really nice and down-to-earth people. It was refreshing!