You are blossoming! Everyday I wake up excited to see what you will do and how you will reveal more of your little self to us. You are a sweet little girl and are learning so much so fast. I just enjoy being with you so much!
You are wearing cloth diapers at the second or third rise level depending on whether they are the old style or new style of diapers. When you wear disposables - which you do at night - you wear a size 3.
You wear size 9 & 12 month clothes now. You are so long and so skinny (except your chunky thighs, still!) that we mostly only put you in shirts and bottoms. Onesies just tend to pull on your shoulders since your trunk is so long. You love your t-shirt when you wake up from a nap - you are often content to play with and chew on them while you fully wake up. You have chunked up a bit the past two months - you have a muffin top when sitting now and you have arm rolls - we love each and every single one of them!!
Feeding you continues to be difficult. You suck your pacifier before a feeding, after a few minutes it gets pulled out and the bottle gets stuck in in one motion. This sometimes works and sometimes fails. But, you have to have that time with your pacifier before you are ready to start sucking your bottle. Sometimes this is successful and you take your bottle like a champ. Often times a feeding at some point includes back arching, fussing, and (heartbreakingly to me) screaming. You eat 3-4 times a day, taking part of a bottle, playing for around 45 minutes, and then drinking more. You just seem to struggle with eating, my dear; we are so blessed that I am able to stay home with you to cuddle, love, and help you through eating. We can't imagine how much harder eating would be for you if you went to daycare during the day.
Your motor skills are exploding! You flip from back-to-tummy and tummy-to-back quickly and easily. You can roll across the room in rapid time! You also scoot on the back of your head - particularly useful for getting away from Mama when she changes your diaper, tries to dress you, or to suction your nose (you've had a cold the last week and a half). You also manage to spin in circles while laying on your tummy.
You love playing on your tummy. You can pick up any toy you want, move toys between hands, move toys to your mouth, and manipulate toys in almost any way you want. You are able to throw toys without control and enjoy hitting toys or banging toys. You are beginning to turn pages in board books. You have learned how to knock things over and will knock down your stacking bowls, blocks, or wooden animals when we build them up for you. You are also able to "dump" things. We work together to put pegs into a cup and you independently dump it out to do again. If I put toy balls in your bowls, you will strategically dump them back out. You look at me and give me a huge smile - you are so proud!!
You like for me to give you just a few toys at a time that you can then experiment with the interactions of; for example, 2 bowls and 2 balls to put in them, your bowl set, or your keys and a spoon. I noticed about a week ago that you were starting to act "bored" with your toys - they were all simple baby toys. So, I pulled out a few blocks, the musical instruments, etc. - you loved those! I can hear you playing your jingle bells so much when I am working in the kitchen and you love playing your drum so much!
Speaking of your drum, an instrument you must sit to play, you are sitting independently for a few seconds to a minute. You like sitting and I spend a good bit of the day acting as your fall protector. You are getting better at sitting so fast. You also are starting to get up on your elbows and knees to rock; and, in the last two days, you have started getting to your hands and knees. I think I will have a crawler when I write your next letter in 2 months!
You love motion; you have a blast playing in your jumperoo and your doorway jumper! You also still love being worn. You happily cuddle in the K'Tan when you are tired and feeling bad. You have started being able to be worn on my back in the Ergo and seem to thoroughly enjoy helping me in the garden or with making dinner while being worn. You are able to look around and are much safer than when you are on my front.
You still enjoy being read to - we read before naps and during your long afternoon wake time. During that afternoon time I am often able to read you 8-10 books and some of the Big Picture Story Bible. You prefer books with simple illustrations - Sandra Boynton books and your high contrast books are your favorites.
You are becoming much more independent and confident when not within my sight. I can now work in the kitchen, switch laundry, etc. without you being able to see me and as long as you aren't feeling sick or overtired, you are content to play independently for 10-15 minutes without being able to see me.
You love music! We dance to music. You jump to music in your jumperoo. You think it is hilarious when Mama dances and snaps her fingers for you! You sing along with me when I sing to you and you sing along at church, too.
I try to get "out" with you every day. About once a week we run to the library. We go get the mail everyday. Sometimes we work in the garden. Sometimes you play in your sensory box. And sometimes we play in your water box. I love exposing you to the outdoors - I love being outside and I intend for you to like it too :)
You continue to love bathtime. I wash you up and then you and Daddy play for 5-20 minutes. I'm not really sure what you guys do together, but you seem to have fun. I know you really like your spongy whale as you often won't let Daddy have him and you come to your room for jammies and bottle with him still in your mouth.
You continue to sleep through the night. You roll and move a lot and I'm pretty sure you are practicing crawling during the night (based on positions I have found you in), but you sleep all night without needing me. You go to bed between 6:00-6:15 and I get you up at 6:00 am. Sometimes (particularly if you didn't eat well the day before) you will wake up crying before 6:00.
In the last month you have drastically reduced your nap time and increased your wake time - and I LOVE IT!! I get to hangout with you so much! You are awake 1.25-1.5 in the morning, take a 1-1.5 hour nap, are up 1-1.5 hours, take a 1 hour nap, are up for 1-2 hours, take a 1.5-2.5 hour nap and then are up from around 2:30/3:00 until bedtime. I am just loving the extra time with you during the day - you are a fabulous person and I just enjoy being in your company! We started letting you sleep with Charlotte (your bear blanket) for naps - you look so cute when you snuggle with her and you enjoy playing with her when you wake up.
You sleep in a lot of awkward looking positions; you often sleep up against the edge of the crib. You have also started sucking your thumb in the crib - I think it is THE MOST ADORABLE THING EVER! When we come in to get you from your naps, you smile so big and kick your legs. You are so thrilled we are there and make sure that we know that you missed us - I LOVE IT!
You, my dear, are a bundle of love and sweetness. You smile so much and those big smiles continue to make my heart swell. I am pretty sure it has exploded over and over with love for you! You are growing up so very fast and I am just trying to keep up with all of the amazingness of you. Thank you for sharing your days with me - I count myself inordinately blessed to be your Mama. Words just cannot express the depth of my love for you, sweet girl.
love,
Mama
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