No separation anxiety for Lynleigh

This from Baby Center this week, Month 9 Week 1:

Travel tips



Because of separation anxiety, this can be a tough time to be away from your baby for any length of time. But it may also be hard to travel with your baby right now. He's become used to his surroundings and familiar faces, and he likes predictability. So being on the road can disrupt his sense of security and routine, especially when visiting an unfamiliar place or meeting lots of strangers.


At this age, he doesn't grasp the concept of travel but he'll realize he's in a new, strange place. Be ready for some cranky, clingy behavior and prepare plenty of distractions — picture books, noise-making toys, nesting blocks, hand puppets, and definitely his security object, if he has one. Schedule plenty of downtime away from all the strangers to let him decompress.


If he still uses a pacifier, it's wise to bring along a handful. They seem to vanish just when you need them most.

Not so much for Lynleigh. Although I'll agree that travel tends to mess up her schedule a bit, especially when it comes to nap time, she tends to roll with the punches. She's a people watcher, so being around strangers whether it's Chick fil A or a birthday party for her cousin (two experiences from yesterday.

At Chick fil A, I couldn't keep her from staring first at a lovely young couple, then a lovely young family with a baby girl that had the same flower rattle as Lynleigh. Zack and I tease about her being "nosy" but it's hard for anybody to get bent out of shape with the offender is an adorable 9-month-old baby girl. Truly, she is just curious (a trait many say means she's smart).
 
At the birthday party, crowded with family and strangers, she was too busy taking in the scene to be bothered with her bottle when we first arrived. (I've made a note of that: wait a bit before offering her bottle in new environments). She let us put her on a pony and take lots of video and pictures (her 1st pony ride!), and tolerated the sun and being passed from person to person. All the while alternating from just plain mellow to smiley to even giggly on a few occasions (just like her mom, giggles are not that easy to come by). And all without her pacifier, which we're just now starting to limit to naps and bedtime (mostly because we noticed she doesn't miss it during play time).
 
The car ride is usually tough on her after a long day and skipped nap times, but even then, a pacifier and extra attention usually does well to send her right off to dreamland without too many tears in the process.
 
She is an angel.

I have a confession: the story of Lynleigh's first boo boo

About a week ago (the day before Mother's Day no less), Lynleigh got her first "boo boo." Technically, I shouldn't call it a boo boo since it was no simple scratch, scrape or bruise. This is what happened: Lynleigh was playing in the living room floor, and I snuck off for a quick bathroom break. I was already heading back when I heard a noise, then a cry and went running. Lynleigh had rolled over to a TV tray by the couch and either knocked off or pulled off from said TV tray my SLR digital camera right on top of her head. I scooped her into my arms and literally watched the lump grow from her forehead, then the bruise started to color, then the cut started to drip little drops of blood. She cried just like she did for her first shots -- the kind where she stops breathing and makes no sound -- but her crying only lasted for maybe 30 seconds. I cried for much longer -- long after I was fairly certain she was OK -- entirely out of guilt and what ifs concerning more serious accidents. I called the doctor, and she asked me several questions to determine that I did not need to take Lynleigh to the hospital (by this time, Lynleigh was making her cute/funny mouth noises -- the bubbly bop, bop, bop ones -- indicating that she is probably fine); however "prudence" (as the doc put it) would have me run a series of test every four hours through the next day to ensure no serious head injury was present:

1. Balance - can she sit up well?
2. Appearance - do her facial features seem equal/normal (no sagging on one side)? Also, do her pupils react appropriately (get smaller) and equally when a light is shined into one eye?
3. Ability to think - what does she do when I hand her three items, one at a time (especially the third item)?

She passed all tests with flying colors. In fact, Zack and I noted that she seemed brighter, happier and generally more lively than usual! So, as I said, I felt terribly guilty. I also felt embarrassed, so much so that I considered not going to church the next morning (Mother's Day). I was also disappointed, believing this accident and my guilt and embarrassment would ruin my first Mother's day (it didn't ruin it after all, but put a damper on it for sure). We did go to church the next morning with Lynleigh's bump not looking quite as bad as when it was fresh, and nobody seemed too taken aback by her shiner. One lady commented "the first of many." The story was the same at day care on Monday -- nothing but light comments like, "who did Lynleigh get in a fight with" and a story form another mom about accidentally dumping her baby from car seat to flower bed. As I got the courage to recount the story to my friends and coworkers throughout the week, I got similar responses and stories of what happened to their own kids.

A Mother's Day picture with a strategically placed hat.

Trying on Daddy's glasses the second day after getting her boo boo.

So, I think I learned two lessons from all of this:

1. There's no doubt that Lynleigh, who is not yet crawling, is MOBILE! She rolls very well in all directions. No more leaving her alone -- even for seconds -- without confinement (excersaucer, pack 'n' play).
2. I'm not the worst mom on the planet (one of my first thoughts/statements when it happened). Chances are, anything that happens in my experience as a mom has probably already happened to countless other moms.

By now, Lynleigh's boo boo is noticeable (grandma asked about it yesterday, and I had to confess the whole story), but barely remarkable (only grandmas would remark). I have noticed that her cut, though mostly healed, causes her forehead to dimple when she smiles. I've delayed her 9-month pictures until next weekend and am hoping her accident and resulting boo boo are only a bad memory a week from now.

Lynleigh's boo boo today (during lunch of summer squash and white potatoes)