Our little chubster

THE BEACH

We went to Pacific Beach the other day to pick up a little play mat thing I was buying for Lila from someone off Craigslist, so we decided to take a walk at the beach while we were there.  Can you believe the weather is still in the 80's here?  Last year we were freezing our buns off about this time.  Here are a few pics of the lovely Lila Jane on Crystal Pier.

So remember how I used to claim that pictures make her look really chubby when she's not that big in real life?  Well, she really IS this big in real life now.  Just look at those cheeks and that little wrist roll--I love chubby babies!!!
Okay seriously, is there anything in the world that can brighten your day faster than a face like this?

(Note to self--remember to take picture of adorable chubby thighs in near future)

BUMBOING

Another craigslist find is this Bumbo seat.  I've been waiting to find one for $15 or less and voila! here it is.  I'm still not all that familiar with a lot of areas in San Diego so I wasn't quite sure where I was heading to buy this little chair.  Well it turns out I took my 3 month old baby to the ghetto after dark.  I considered just turning around and going home once I got there, but I really wanted that seat!  Luckily the family who sold it to us was really nice and the guy even walked me back to my car.  Lila seems to enjoy sitting in it even if her head is still a little wobbly.

(I accidentally filmed with the camera sideways and apparently you can't flip movies)

If you're wondering why she's wearing a bib when she obviously doesn't eat any real food yet, it's because she's the drooliest baby ever and I thought she might be getting cold hanging out with a soaking wet outfit all the time.  

VACCINES

So that actually wasn't my only taking the baby into the ghetto story from the past week.  We just found out that our insurance doesn't cover any childhood immunizations.  I know...CRAZY! Well after talking to our doctor, we discovered that each vaccine costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $100.  With all the immunizations babies get, I'm sure you can imagine how that can add up...quickly.  After a bit of research and talking to my mom, I found out that kids under 2 can receive free immunizations at the County Health Clinic.  Great deal, right?  I thought so too until I drove to the wrong side of the tracks, sat my healthy baby next to an immigrant who had tuberculosis, watched her binky drop on that disease infested floor (I boiled it for a long time at home as soon as we got back), and the rude nurses tried to force me to give Lila a bunch of immunizations I didn't want to using scare tactics (we're using an alternate schedule that I worked out with the pediatrician).  Needless to say, we've been researching how to switch our insurance so it will pay for vaccines and I won't have to go back to that scary place.  It's kind of counter-productive to try to immunize your child at a place where they're likely to be exposed to the exact diseases you're trying to protect them against.

THE CAR

I was just reading one of our friends' blogs and she mentioned that her son screams like he's being stabbed every time she puts him in his car seat.  That description reminded me perfectly of another baby I know.  I have no idea why Lila despises her car seat so much!  The other day I drove my grandma, aunt, and cousin to my cousin's bridal shower and I'm pretty sure she won't be having kids anytime soon because she was stuck in the back seat with a baby that literally screamed at the top of her lungs for 20 minutes.  My Aunt made the comment that, "You'd think I was killing her back here!"  And yes...she sounds like that every single time we go anywhere in the car.  Unfortunately, it's now to the point that she clearly recognizes what's happening when I start to put her in the seat in the house and the screaming starts even before we get to the car.  I feel horrible because I'm honestly losing some of my sensitivity to it.  I don't even try to comfort her anymore (because it doesn't help); I just do my best to tune it out until the screaming dies down (usually after about 30 minutes).  What's a mom to do?