white apples . a blog

a changing, growing thing

Juniper had her two-month checkup last week which included her first round of vaccinations.  While I'm not one to obsess about growth charts, our girl is comfortably topping out the percentiles at a whopping 24 1/4 inches and 13 lbs, 1 oz.  The doc is happy with her growth and overall health.  She wasn't the least bit concerned by the pesky cold bug that Juni caught from me, though the resultant snottiness and sniffles and stuffy-baby-wheezies are bumming us both out. 

Juniper took her three shots in stride, even though they targeted those soft, chubby-wubby, vulnerable-seeming thighs.  When the first needle went it, she had a few seconds of wide-eyed shock followed by some red-faced, high-pitched screaming.  After a few minutes, however, she forgot about the whole ordeal and settled comfortably back into her morning nap.  She didn't even mind when I yanked off her Bugs Bunny bandaids later that evening.  Bring it on, World. 

the price we pay for fashion

I have mentioned Juniper's recent hatred of hats.  She detests them now.  Put a hat on her head, any kind of hat, and she swings here head about violently hoping to dislodge the offending article.  Case in point, here is baby Juniper in an adorable red hot chili pepper outfit that also happens to have a coordinating green stem hat.  As you can see, she is refusing to endure the stem, not even for a photo shoot.  In fact, I have about fifty shots similar to the ones above and the full chili pepper plus stem effect is not visible in a single one of them.  All you can see are flailing limbs and squooshy, pouty face.  The only way to get both hat and sack in the same shot was to remove the hat (whereupon Juniper instantly became peaceful and contemplative) and gently lay it upon her forehead.

Red Velvet Sins

Red velvet cake - what exactly is it?  These days you can't sidle up to a bakery counter without stumbling over a red velvet cupcake, always the house specialty.  From what I can tell, it is a very moist buttermilk cake with varying amounts of cocoa, though never enough for it to actually acquire a chocolate flavor.  And it is startlingly red.  Shockingly red.  Absurd, naughty, over-the-top red.  I can't decide whether it's three inch stilettto heels and a vampy dress kinda red or ridiculous clown shoes and a curly wig kinda red.  Either way, I like red velvet.  I like the flavor, which I can't quite put my finger on.  I like its ubiquitous companion - cream cheese frosting.  I like the contrast between rich, evocative red and billowy, snowy white.  I like its strangeness.

two months or my funny valentine

Is Juniper really two months old already?  Her rapidly growing length and girth would suggest that yes, 8 weeks have passed us by.  But it feels like only yesterday that she was tiny and fragile, pink and splotchy and newborn.  And squinty.  Now her eyes open extremely wide, and she she stares at everything as though she using some superhero power to suck it all into her brain.  Mom and I have been taking her out during the day (shopping, of course).  She is very good in her stroller or carrier, while we eat lunch or sip coffee or try on overpriced clothes.  She loves the supermarket.  I strap her to my chest and she rides around staring at all the food and the people.  She is particularly fond of the Whole Foods produce section - so many colors, all of them right at her eye level.  She was also pretty happy in Nordstrom, but what girl isn't?