Terah update, featuring food!

So probably the biggest thing to report on with Terah is that she is up to having tried about 25 foods. Her older sisters think we need two food lists for Terah: those we tried to feed to her and those she swiped.  The list includes some of the normal baby firsts: squash, applesauce, green beans. And then it also has things like: a stick, clover, mint tea, french bread filled with cheese and beans (that one she swiped and inserted in her mouth in one motion before I could bat an eye).  Berries are one of the newest things and, while she makes crazy faces when the cold tartness first enters her mouth, she is eager for more.  Most of those have been frozen (blueberries, wineberries and raspberries), but as of yesterday she got to try one of the first ripening strawberries.  You can see for yourself what she thought of it:



While she is highly interested in food, much of it goes in, gets mulled around, and then comes back out.  But, let's just say that watching what is coming out the other end, it is clear she is getting some down!  She likes to look at it first, explore it with her own hands (we are going to have another "me do myself" kid, I'm quite certain) and then put it in her mouth.  And things with texture are particularly entertaining to watch her work with.  Here's one of her first rice experiences:



Terah is definitely the child changing the fastest around her.  If she has a "normal" day, her schedule most days currently consists of waking in the 6-7 a.m. range and lasting normally long enough for me to get the house picked up, dishes away, breakfast made, maybe laundry started, breakfast put away and dishes done before she is ready to crash. On days I'm with her she normally naps in my arms for 2-3 hours in the morning in the 9-12 range, and I've been using that time to do office work from home.  Then on to lunch prep/cleanup and possibly a few household/farm projects that I can do lugging a squirmy 25lbs around with me, before she is due some more shut eye!  She'll taken another 2 or so hour nap (she's in that one right now) on me, while I do another stint of work time (or today I'm devoting this nap to the blog).  If those are good naps, she can normally hold herself together until bedtime (anywhere in the 8:30-10 p.m. range depending on our evening).

She's at such a distractable age - that has its advantages (we can hold her off for a bit when she wants/needs something by singing or dancing or giving her something to chew on) but also makes it impossible to nurse her if anyone is where she can see or hear them. And she doesn't want anyone to leave. Even if I'm holding her and Kali, Alida or Jason come in the room, she is almost certain to cry for them when they leave. It's very sweet - her desire to have all "her people" preferably within hair-grabbing range.

This fourth daughter of ours is not a gentle or quiet one. She is making sure her voice is heard and that her grasp is felt!  I wonder if that might be why I've had a headache for the better part of this past week - if she can reach any of our heads, we are going to lose a few little handfuls of hair.  She is also particularly fond of trying to remove Jason's beard!  I know this stage won't last forever but I really don't think it is one I'll miss (but who knows, maybe I'll even be nostalgic about my hair-pulling baby!).

She is so busy and wants to be part of whatever is going on. She will try to squirm from your arms. She never stays where we put her down, rolling to and fro and started to pull her belly up off the floor. We are in trouble when this kiddo learns to crawl! She loves to play with her big sisters. And they are so amazing with her.  Alida is the prime entertainer and can still make her laugh more easily than anyone else.  Kali is so nurturing and must be working on some serious arm muscles carting her around!  The other day at work I got a text from Jason that read, "While I finished chores in the pouring rain, Kali danced Terah to sleep." Another nice segway to an update on our oldest...