From the mouths of babes

So, we have a friend whose 7 month old son just said "Mama ma ma" and they have this super cute video of it. This got me thinking... I have video of E talking too, but I never posted it. I think this was taken somewhere between 10-11 months.



What did she say? She said "All done."

On top of that, this week E clearly said "banana" while I was showing her how to sign the word "banana" out of a book we have (if you're wondering, she doesn't sign at all... probably too busy blabbing away). I then mentioned this to some other moms, saying I don't think it counts as she's mimicking us and not freely saying it on her own, as in saying to us "Banana" and pointing in wanting it eat one. These experienced moms promptly said that "Banana" counts as her saying a word (especially since she does know what a banana is). But if that's the case, E has been talking for months! So, did we miss her first word then?? If everything the other moms were telling me is true, then E's first word was either "dada" (for Ian) or "oh uh" (thought by me.. hehehe). First whole words (or actually phrases) could be "All done" or "Thank You".

What's your opinion on what the criteria for an official first word should be?

(p.s. Sorry for the incorrect uses of the " mark. It's too late for me to figure this out in my head. I'll have Ian fix them all later)

The new Ergo Baby Carrier

We just got this great new carrier and we're super excited about it. Here's a little into our thoughts on the new Ergo Baby Carrier.

The Reason why we "needed" it: To be able to carry E on our back when she gets older and we want to go hiking or something.

Why not a frame backpack? Well, we actually tried one in at the used baby gear store in downtown Davis, but it was so hard to get on and I felt like I would fall backwards. It was definitely not a back carrier that I could use by myself. Maybe if I was already used to using framed backpacks, it might have been alright. But I couldn't imagine myself wanting to use it very much. So, through a friend (who also has two ergos), we found out about this new carrier.

What's the difference? It looks just like a bjorn/snuggli/soft carrier. And don't you have a bjorn already? Yes, we do have a bjorn and E loved it. But the problem is that she's getting to heavy for us to carry her in it. So, we wanted to get a back carrier. The big difference between this ergo and the bjorn is that the ergo sits almost all the weight on your hips (versus shoulders and a bit on the back) and it has a "butt pouch" so E actually is sitting in the Ergo (with her legs to the side, just like when we hold her with our arms). So now we can hold her in front (and she goes to sleep in it!!), on our hip (so she can look around and feel like she's being carried without too much work on our part) or on the back. This will come in handy when we have more kids too... because we can "double" up on our carrier/sling contraptions.

So let's see this Ergo thing you keep mentioning. Here is is:


And the best part is the napping part; E (and Ian too fell asleep) just took an hour and 20 minute nap in the ergo. :)

IT Takeover

Yesterday, we did essential only two things.
(1) We got a new carrier (see next post),
and (2) Transfered all our files and settings to a new desktop.

This was a week long process of installing software, trying and failing to hook up two computers, finding out we were doing it wrong, getting the help (and some equipment on loan) we needed, and finally finishing the transfer. Now we just have to pull out our wireless card and move it from old to new desktop, and voila, we're done. (sarcastically) It's only taking a week plus.

Socks and Shoes

E has really warmed up to wearing socks and shoes. Maybe that's because she knows they mean she's going to go outside. Now, she if she finds her socks and shoes lying around, she tries to put them on herself. Everyday a new discovery!

First some socks.

Then the shoes.

Second try with the shoes. Almost....

Here's to giving up and imploring Mommy to help.

Halloween Happenings

Halloween was a mild event here in the Spencer household. We only went to visit a few neighbors. But we did get some pictures.


Here's E ... can you guess who she is? Here's a hint (the cycloptic bear). Can you tell she's also wondering what this candy-thingy is and what it's doing in the bag.


And here's E with her friend Michelle (and Mommy Jen, who lives in the building next door). She's a pumpkin!


Oh, and Michelle enjoyed E's Baby Grand Piano too. They play well together.


Lastly, here's another one of E when she went trick or treating (too bad the first people we visited were not home... can that person guess this is in front of their apartment??). Of course out of everything during Halloween, E was much more interested in walking and grabbing out the (few pieces of) candy. Maybe next year she'll understand what's going on and get excited!