The Richter Family

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Head Shake

She's been bothered for months that those butterflies don't move. Now she's strong enough to reach up and grab them, or just shake her head to make the whole swing move and make those butterflies flutter.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Nana & Pap-Pap's Visit

A couple weeks ago Nana and Pap-Pap came all the way from Pennsylvania to visit us for a week. We were all glad to have them here, but Ben was super thrilled. He made them play in the backyard. A lot.

Nana didn't let Madeline's stranger anxiety keep her from holding her grandbaby. Each day Maddy cried a little less and let Nana hold her a little longer.

We went to The Wooden Spoon, a great German restaurant that caters to Americans.

Nana and Pap-Pap sharing dessert.

Maddy was all smiles as long as she wasn't being held.

Since I couldn't find any infant spoons in the stores on base, Nana brought some from the states and got to witness Maddy "eating" rice cereal.

Slowly warming up to being held. She smiled long enough for me to snap a picture.

We all went to the Gartenschau in Kaiserslautern to see the flower displays, dinosaur sculptures, and playgrounds for Ben. Ben was pretty much glued to Pap-Pap for much of their visit.

Ben loved yelling into these huge clay pots.

We went out for lunch at the Flammkuchen Hutte in a nearby village. (Flammkucken is kind of like a pizza with a very thin crust). It was a gorgeous day and we sat outside on the patio. Ben kept busy by taking apart Pap-Pap's camera.

Festival

The day before my folks went back to the states we strolled down into our village. It's downhill the whole way: great walking down, exhausting walking back up.

An after-lunch treat at the Eis Cafe.

Ben's getting so much better at eating ice cream without it dripping all over the place!

Nana didn't want ice cream so I had to take a picture of her and her coffee. You're welcome, Nana.

There was a festival that got going in the evening. Ben made a beeline for the kiddie car rides. He picked the fire truck first. He ended up going in five different cars. FIVE.

This was Car #2.

This was his first time on a kiddie ride. Pap-Pap was just a little happy to be present for such a milestone. Ben was excited to pay his token. This was Car #3.

Car #4.

Car #5.

When Ben was finally done with the ride, we found a food stand and got brats, fries, and beer for dinner. Ben ate a waffle. We were lucky to be sitting at a bench in a tent because it started to rain pretty hard. Nana occupied Ben by teaching him her version of "Row, row, row your boat." It involves screaming at the end. Now Ben likes to sing it at bedtime. Thanks a lot, Nana.

Madeline letting Nana hold her without crying. Nana is very persistent. Must be where Ben gets it.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Seven Months Old

Miss Maddy is seven months old today.

She still eats small amounts frequently during the day (and if I'm unlucky, many times during the night). She's up to 4-ounce bottles each feeding. And it's easier for her to hold these little 2-oz bottles. She still likes to nurse but I have to rely mostly on formula. As for solids...it took her a couple days to realize she could push the stage 1 veggies out of her mouth with her tongue. She resisted them for two weeks, so I tried rice cereal with much more success. I vow to avoid trends and rely on conventional wisdom and our nutritionist from now on.

She's still all smiles at home. But stranger anxiety is upon us. Taking her out or having visitors to the house always brings the fear that she will burst into tears when someone who is not Momma, Daddy or Brother so much as looks at her.

She has so much more head control now. Her upper body strength is getting better, too. She doesn't hate being on her tummy anymore, and she can roll over without konking her head on the floor. She's getting a little too good at rolling - I turn my head for a few seconds and she's across the room.

She's getting more excited about the few board books I've been reading to her. Yummm, Babies.

Sleep...well, I'm hoping we're getting out of the stage where she wakes up five times each night...or worse, every hour. For a few nights she's slept for 3-4 hours at a stretch. It's a relief, but I'm still REALLY tired, and scared I'm gonna jinx it. Her favorite way to sleep is on her tummy. If only she could get her pacifier back in her mouth by herself...