Kaia’s hair is growing quite fast now. As she’s almost 10 months old, she now has a natural deep part on her head, with long bangs being swept to her left side. We’ve mostly just been sweeping it to her left, but it’s been getting a little out of hand and still getting in her face, especially when she’s been rolling and playing around on the floor. I started looking at baby and toddler hair barrettes, especially clips that she can use through her elementary school years, and so many look cheap and flimsy. Others seem to look like they’d probably last one or two wears and break. Some seem like they’d have small parts that would fall off and end up as potential choking hazards. So I thought I’d spend a little more on some handmade ones that, fingers crossed, will last a while and still be wearable when she’s an older girl.

Well, that led me into a browsing session on Etsy, and I found a handful that seemed like they’d not only be cute but last a while. They are also lined and seem like they’d fit comfortably on a small head and stay put. They’re also good for fine hair, which Kaia seems to have, just like me. And… it also resulted in about $43 spent. I justified it in my head that these would last longer than cheaper ones that were mass produced… but in the end, I guess this is just a part of being a girl mom — accessorizing and making my daughter look cute is going to add up, apparently. At least I haven’t spent that much on clothing for her to date thanks to all the generous gifts she was given.

I have friends who went crazy when they had babies, especially girls, buying them the most expensive and ridiculously adorable outfits, just to be worn once or twice and then immediately outgrown and put away/given away/donated. I didn’t really want to be THAT mom and be that wasteful, even though I obviously did want my baby to look cute. We’ve been super fortunate and lucky in that we’ve had so many friends and family give Kaia endless clothing. The majority of these clothes were for 0-9 months, the last of which she’s finally wearing now, and most of which she’s already outgrown and I’ve bagged up for storage. I hate to say this, but pretty much all the clothes that were gifted to her via our baby registry I had to end up returning because she was gifted so many cute and fitting things outside of the registry. So when the weather starting changing this last month, the nanny commented to me that I needed to start getting Kaia clothes to match the season. So Chris picked out a few outerwear pieces, and I purchased some warmer, autumn/winter pieces for her today.

“Big spender!” Chris commented, when he saw the clothing transaction in our Mint account listed.

Well, not really. In her first 9 months of life, I think I purchased a total of six onesies for her… and mostly from Old Navy during a sale. So in other words, I was being el cheapo mom. I also got a few more for her 9-12 month period that she’s finally wearing now, but it’s not really enough. We had some thoughtful friends who purchased clothes for her in the 12-24 month range, as they had kids themselves and said they were gifted WAY too many newborn and 0-3 month clothes, and figured the same would happen to us.

I told the nanny that I made a small purchase of new clothes for Kaia, and that Chris called me a big spender. She laughed.

“Chris better get used to it!” the nanny exclaimed. “Babies need clothes, and baby clothes don’t come cheap, especially girl clothes!”

Although I dread autumn arriving every year, mostly because I know that means that cold, miserable winter is around the corner, I do look forward to the autumn and winter squash. I’ve never really been a fan of summer squash; I am lukewarm to zucchini and think yellow summer squash is totally overrated. However, Kaia was obsessed with zucchini and yellow squash. She could easy have an entire plate of both if we gave them to her. I thought maybe it could mean she’d also embrace autumn squash… but we haven’t quite been as aligned on this.

I bought a bunch of butternut squash, kabocha, and honeynut squash and lined them all up at our window sill by the dining table. I steamed some butternut and roasted butternut and kabocha and set a good portion aside for Kaia. Kaia liked the butternut when roasted (it’s definitely sweeter and nuttier this way), but avoided it when it was steamed. And the kabocha? Well… she ate a few bites of it when she was observing me eat it, but after I stopped eating it, she wouldn’t eat anymore. And unfortunately, I cannot mandate that our nanny eat the food while feeding Kaia.. because that seems a little mean and overly demanding.

Well, I guess she can’t like everything. But hey, I’m not giving up yet… She has to have this repeatedly before we can conclude she doesn’t like the kabocha. I love kabocha so much – ugh!

Last night, I was attempting to cut Kaia’s nails, and she screamed bloody murder pretty much nonstop, even when I was just trying to hold her hand… and even when I stopped to take a break and was just sitting on the bed with her. I don’t even think the nail cutting is actually what she hates the most: she really just hates not being in control of her own hands. The idea that someone would take control of her hands really drives her mad.

Other than the two night nurses we hired, who were both happy to help cut Kaia’s nails, no one other than me has cut Kaia’s nails… ever. Our nanny refuses to do it (she says she’s scared she will hurt her), and Chris refuses to do it. And as if Chris’s parents ever would have offered to do something that would require that level of detail. So really, this means that the stress of cutting her nails and the wrath she unleashes is totally on me. Given that my right wrist flared up after I knocked it yesterday, it made me feel even more miserable. There I was, in pain, trying to cut my baby daughter’s nails and dealing with her screaming nonstop as a result of it.

This moment actually made me realize exactly how easy of a baby my daughter has been to date, though, and how grateful I am for it. She’s fairly predictable, and she rarely is upset without a reason, unless it’s teething. I hear other people complain about their babies – not eating, not sleeping, screaming a lot, hating people. We’re so lucky she’s been this easy going. It’s made the transition to parenthood that much easier and more enjoyable for us.