New Mommy Files, Part 14

I can’t believe the summer is over. Where did the time go? For Raine it has been a summer of change. She has morphed into this adorable little munchkin of a person. Her looks seem to change every day. I look at photographs that are only a week or so apart and she looks different in each of them. Of course, she looks just like her daddy. As one friend kindly asked, “Did you give her anything but the va-chay-chay?” From the looks of things, no.

So at seven months she can sit up by herself, and she has two-going-on-four teeth. I must say she’s handling the teething quite well. I know right now I have a cavity and I fret over it more than she frets over the four teeth cutting through her gums. She’s also been eating rice cereal and we just introduced Stage 1 bananas. We probably should have given her a veggie first, but she loves it! I don’t know; she may have to share. Baby applesauce was a favorite of mine well into my teens. I never liked chunky applesauce and it doesn’t get much smoother than baby food. I bet it’s a low-calorie snack, too. I also notice that she is really trying to keep up with her 5-year old-cousin India. That is her girl! When India talks she babbles along like she’s having the best gossipy conversation. She follows her every move with her eyes and everything. I’m going to have to keep my eyes on her once she starts moving on her own. There’s been no crawling yet. She gets in position and pushes off with her back legs, but she doesn’t move an inch. Eventually she just ends up rolling over on her back until the next try.

Speaking of another try—on my previous posts, I lamented about Raine spending so much time away from me. Between me working and her spending time with the grandparents, I was starting to feel really guilty. I’m now going to try to look on the bright side and take the advice of my friend Monique who posted that I should cherish the time alone while Raine bonded with family. (I should take the word “try” out since I heard a motivational type say that trying is just failing with dignity. I love that.) So I’m looking at the silver lining. I just started this new outlook today. As I was heading to work I was reading Manifest Your Destiny by Wayne W. Dyer. I’ve had this book for a good 10 years and never read it completely—hence my un-manifested life. But it really is just like all The Secret stuff. In short, he says to put out what you want in return. So the more I complain or feel down or guilty or sorry for myself, the more I get just that. So we’ll see how long I stay on the positive, happy train. This nice four-day weekend is a perfect time to start.

Happy Labor Day!

Marcia Caster
Senior Editor, Beauty and Fashion
mcaster@heartandsoul.com