"Mama! *Oooo-weee-oooo* Didn't Mean to Make You Cry!"

Lily can scoot and roll in any direction that she wants to now, but can't quite get up on all fours to crawl yet. It's been so exciting to watch her progress, and fun to crawl around on the floor to "help" her see how to do it! Lynsey asked me recently what it feels like to watch Lily learning and growing; do I feel proud that she's rolling or trying to crawl? I had to answer her question with two answers: I feel sad because my little baby isn't a little baby anymore (I know mom's with toddlers or teenagers would argue that she still *is* a baby, but she's not to me) and I feel so happy for her because she is fulfilling her purpose by learning and growing and experiencing everything that having a body allows her.
Speaking of "experiencing a body", Lily threw her first tantrum. Mike had just come home from work, kissed her and riled her up, tossing her in the air like she loves, and then left to take a shower. The moment he was out of her sight, she had a meltdown! Kicking, blubbering, snotting all over her face and even crying real tears! Being the awesome mama that I am, I took a photo. Actually, I took 4 photos, and then decided that any more would be child abuse :)
The Loussac Library has a summer concert series that runs every Tuesday at noon. We've gone to every concert and it's been so wonderful to get outside and enjoy the music! The bands are usually "Armed Services" oriented (Elmendorf Base is crawling with talent!) but there have been a few different sounds, like today featured an accordian band - yes, a *band* of 12 accordians! Lily's not big into the music, but she sure loves feeling the grass. She's really enjoyed exploring the world with her tongue. Everything goes into her mouth for a thorough examination.
Conoco Phillips held it's company barbeque in the middle of the week, so we got to traipse Downtown to meet Mike for an afternoon of all the smoked turkey legs (the ham of the poultry world), beer-battered halibut, gold-panning and beer (bwah-haha!) we could handle. AND they had a cupcake mountain and a petting zoo, complete with a caribou! Lily cried when she got too close to the caribou. After I ate a few cupcakes off the mountain, I gave Lily my cupcake wrapper. She was in HEAVEN. It was then we learned food is a big motivator for her. Mike volunteered for part of the BBQ and got an awesome hat for his efforts. Lily also got her first open mouth kiss from a dog, our friend Jessie Kolesar's.
Lily's always been a great sleeper. At birth, she went between 5 and 8 hours at night before waking up to nurse. By about 6 months she was consistently sleeping 12 hours with no feeding (unless she was experiencing a growth spurt or felt sick). That changed around the beginning of 7 months. She started waking up wanting to be cuddled. I'm ok with getting up to nurse her, if she's hungry, but I really need my sleep (just as much as she needs hers) so after a few days of questioning some parents "in the know", I decided to introduce Lily to a bottle for her middle of the night feedings. That way, if she woke up and was hungry, she would be fed (expressed breast milk once we're back in Montana where my stash is, or formula here in Anchorage), but she would learn not to expect to be rocked back to sleep 3 and 4 times a night. I prepared myself for a hard week. I was counseled to expect Lily to refuse to eat for up to 3 days, that she may decide to bottlefeed from Mike but not from me, and that I may have to "sweeten" the deal (by adding agave syrup to her formula). I started on a Friday morning - I nursed her so I wouldn't be engorged (I only had a crappy hand pump that would get 2 oz from my 8 oz boobies) and so she would have a full belly for the trial ahead. The tantrum she had thrown over Mike leaving the room was a giggle compared to the carnage that followed. Over the next 10 hours I got her to choke down (literally) half an ounce to an ounce of hand expressed milk. Seriously, she'd be screaming and the bottle would be in her mouth dripping milk down her throat until she'd sputter and swallow and get angrier. It's funny now, but it wasn't then. The moment Mike walked through the door at the end of the day, she was his. In less than 10 minutes, she'd taken the bottle from him and had her fill of 10 oz without a fuss! I could've spit nails.

That night was even harder because she wanted to take the bottle from Mike but not from me, the Milk Machine. I can't really blame her - I'd take a crappy ice cream cone from Mickey D's, but if Cold Stone tried to hand me that same cone I'd throw a fit. I started out trying to feed her while holding her, but that was too much. I was so mentally exhausted from worrying that it would take days of standoffs before she would bottlefeed for me. I finally figured out that if I kept her in her crib while I held the bottle for her, she'd take it! I was elated! The whole next day she took a bottle from me with no problems. Once more through the night and I was convinced she'd be fine switching back and forth from breast to bottle, and we started our daytime nursing again. Since then, she's slept through the night all but a handful of times, and then she's only woken up when she's actually hungry. I am so blessed with such a complacent baby - she'll take formula or breast milk without caring which it is, whether it comes from an orthodontic nipple or the crappy one that came with my hand pump! Only one thing has made up for the sadness that was that weekend - Lily said her first word! MAMA! Actually, she "cried" it, but now she says it constantly "Mamamamamamamama". Music to my ears!

Why Does Alaska Feel Like Another Country?

We are so lucky that our friend from high school, Michelle (Thorne) Gadd, lives here in Anchorage. It's been such a blessing having her friendship and help. She has a sewing machine that I've been able to use to make slings and pacifier-holders. She's shown me the cheapest places to shop (Fred Meyer!) and the free places to hang with Lily during the week. I'm so glad she's here!
On Lily's 6 month "birthday" we went to the Anchorage Zoo. The zoo only has animals that are orphaned or injured and aren't able to survive in the wild. There were yaks, polar bears, camels, ox, and more, plus a petting zoo! Lily loved looking at the animals.
We went hiking Flat Top a few days later. It wasn't too hard of a hike, except there was snow on the trail. At one place, I didn't trust my feet to keep me stable, and I was holding Lily. We turned around there. I know that disappointed Mike. I try to do those things with him (and you'll see we do them often) because I know they mean a lot to him.
We've tried going to the Farmer's Markets (and there are F O U R) because we've heard how huge the fruits and veggies get, but I guess this early in the growing season there isn't much of a selection. We'll have to try and find good, local veggies later on. Mike went on an awesome salmon fishing trip in Cooper Landing. We drove him out in the early morning, and he was done in the afternoon. He caught two 10-pound blue back sockeye salmon! He's been eating it 3 or 4 times a week since. I stopped at a neat little quilting store and bought a pattern to make Lily a ring-stacking toy. I'll add a picture when I make it.
The next weekend we went on a wildlife adventure cruise. It was so neat! We went with Jessie Kolesar, another intern at Conoco (she also interned last summer in Farmington as well). We got pics and video of Dall porpoises, otters, puffins, humpback whales and sea lions. So cool! But Lily got SO seasick. It was cold and rainy, so we stayed below deck most of the time.
I didn't expect this much loneliness. I figured we've lived 6 hours away for four years, so I didn't think moving up to Alaska would really be different. I was so wrong. Our internet up here is touch and go so web chatting is sometimes impossible, and I underestimate how often I can just jump in the car for a weekend in Idaho or Utah. I'm really hoping that Mike gets an offer for somewhere in the Lower 48. I've got my fingers crossed for California or New Mexico!

Lily loves bath time and being outside. She really seems to love taking in the beauty of the world. We've been signing to her while we feed her, nurse her, change her dirty diapers and give her baths so she'll be able to communicate with us before she can talk, and it really seems to be working. We'll sign "bath time" and she'll wiggle her arms and kick her legs getting so excited to splash in the sink!
Speaking of signing, Lily has started signing "milk" when she's hungry. I'm trying to reinforce that "milk" and "hungry" are two different concepts, now that I've started Lily back up on her solids. She gets excited if we sign "milk" or "food" to her :) We tried apples right away but they gave her a horrendous diaper rash. She pooed during sacrament meeting, so I picked her up and changed her (total time sitting in the poo: under one minute). She got a blistery bum, all red and peeling. I felt so horrible. I've now learned that apples and carrots can be super acidic and cause problems, so we're avoiding those until she's a year old. That is why I really like making my own baby food - having you picked up a jar of baby food lately? 9 times out of 10 it has apples or carrots in it. I can't take that chance. I also like being able to add spices or seasonings that Mike and I are eating so she learns to love the food I make. We also just learned that mangoes don't sit well with her tummy. I fed her some for breakfast on Sunday and she threw up all over the Hymnal during Sacrament. I didn't realize it was the mangoes that caused it, so I fed her more at lunch. 10 minutes later she projectile vomited all over the floor and her walker. No more mangoes!
I love wearing Lily. I've done so much reading about how well-adjusted kids can turn out when their cries are responded to quickly and I love how quickly I can calm Lily when she's right there on me! My mom and Mike have even gotten into the act! I read a lot of blogs and websites about parenting while I was pregnant with Lily, but I didn't know what type of parent I wanted to be (other than loving and consistent) and I don't think anyone really knows how they will parent until they actually have kids. I've thought about how I'll react to our kids, how I'll discipline and teach and help them. Of course, with a baby there is very little disciplining and teaching, just a lot of helping and loving. So I went about parenting her in the way that felt most natural to me. Only recently did I find a label for my style of parenting: Attachment Parenting. I don't let Lily "cry it out", I respond as quickly and sensitively as I can to her cries, and I'd like to continue parenting her in respectful ways. Hmm, never thought I'd be this "granola" :)

Summer Days!

The weather has gotten really nice here in Anchorage, so Lily and Jessi have tried to make the best of it by going to the Loussak Library during their "Music in the Park" events. Every Tuesday a new band plays at noon. It's been lots of fun for Lily to play in the grass and eat everything she can get her hands on! Jessi's really enjoyed hearing the bands and misses being a participant in a band.
We've also gone to the Alaska Botanical Gardens. They have tons of plants: perennials, annuals, wildflowers, herb gardens and veggies. They had 6 kinds of mints in the herb garden, plus tobacco, horseradish and wild celery (to name a few). It was so neat and Lily loved looking at the bright colors. Mike found BLUE poppies! He likes to say that there's nothing truly blue in nature, but he found out he's wrong! We bought some poppy seeds from the nursery so we can have our own blue poppies someday.
Lily's now 7 months old and well on her way to crawling. She'll scoot in circles and push herself backwards, but no forward movement yet. She sure is getting happier and more fun to play with - until she throws a tantrum. She threw her first one the other day and it was so funny Jessi had to snap a picture.
We all went hiking Airstrip this week - blech! It was muggy and humid, hot and mosquito-y. Lily's got bites all over her head, and in the photos you'll see we had to take her top off because it was so hot (boy, wish we were babies too).
Mike's internship is 2/3 of the way over, so he's getting ready for his presentation, and Jessi's figuring out what to cook to leave Anchorage with no leftovers. Jessi will be flying with Lily to Utah in August before Mike is done so we can spend time with the grandparents - we miss them!
We hope your summer has been as fun as ours!