Baby Log: Week 11

Miss Marlie gets more interactive with each passing day and I am thoroughly enjoying it:

• She likes getting massages after a bath and let's us know by cooing the whole time
• She now wraps her arms around my neck and sometimes squeezes {{{swoon!}}}
• She likes to play (a lot). Her favorite playtime activities are button nose (when I push her nose and make a clicking sound) and bouncing on my leg. Both games result in big smiles and laughter.
• She is obsessed with the ceiling fan. If she catches a glimpse of it, she will throw her head back to look up at it. Oh, and don't try to move away while she is staring at the whirling blades because she'll have a fit.
• She is making attempts to roll over from her back onto her stomach. It's so much fun to watch!
• I've been leaving her in her crib to play by herself so that I can get some housework done. She'll play for about 30 minutes before she gets tired of being alone, then she starts performing little tricks to get out of it. First she tries simple fussing, which elevates to shrieking when I don't come running to pick her up. If I am still a no-show after a few minutes, she starts to wail. When I go to check on her, she pulls out the show-stopper...she looks up at me with those big eyes, her lips quiver, then one big, fat tear will roll down her cheek. My heart melts. I scoop her up and whisper sweet-nothings in her ear. She stops crying. I look at her and she is smiling! She did this twice before I realize I was being conned. We are going to have to always be a step ahead of this one.
• The cradle cap returned along with what looks like baby eczema all down her back. I did not want to repeat the Selsun Blue wash because of the harsh chemicals. I consulted my holistic childbirth educator who directed me to apply a salve of 1 tablespoon coconut oil and 5 drops of tea tree oil to her scalp, let soak and wash out with Dr. Bronner's Mild Baby Soap. Then gently comb out the flakes. I did this three times and voila! For her skin, I was told to increase my intake of Omega 3 supplements (great for skin ans hair) and to break open a capsule and give to her directly for a few days until the bumps cleared up. This is also working.
• I noticed a bunch of small hairs on her crib sheet and realized that she is shedding. I wouldn't normally be concerned except that it all came out at once and from the same area on her head (she now has a pretty, little bald spot on her left side). I can't figure out if she is pulling them out (remember I mentioned last week that her hands are constantly in her head?) or if it's the friction from the sheets since she likes to sleep on that side of her head (despite our attempts to rotate sides, she always turns back the other way). I'm calling her doctor on Monday if the hair loss continues this weekend just to make sure it's not a symptom of something more serious (I warned her pediatrician that I would be one of those paranoid mommies).
• I had a cold this week, but it was so mild that it's almost not worth mentioning, but I want to credit my immune-boosting regimen for minimizing the symptoms and helping me get over it so quickly. Look for details on the next Tip(ful) Tuesday post.