Adventures with our Girls: September 2012

11 whole months, what a big girl you're becoming. Not a baby for much longer because a little girl is taking shape and boy is it fun to watch. We have had the absolute pleasure of knowing you for 11 months and it's surreal to think that in a month you will be a year old. I'll stop short of saying how I can't believe it while at the same time feeling like I don't remember not having you... atleast for this post!

This month has been a crazy one for our little family.  At the beginning of the month you got an ear infection the day before we were to leave for the beach for 5 days. You had a high temp of a little over 101 when you woke up that Friday morning. I gave you Tylenol then and again at noon. Then at 3:30, I checked your temp before nap and it was down to 100ish. At 4:30 you woke up and it was 103.4! It jumped 3 degrees in an hour! I immediately called the doctor and they had us come in. Yep, a left ear infection and fluid in your right ear and you didn't even show any signs. Ammoxicilin it was... and for future reference, you tolerated it better when it was refrigerated. You still had a fever Saturday morning but we decided that if you were going to be sick then maybe the beach wasn't a bad place to be sick. Looking back, I don't know if that was the wisest decision but we made it. You were super clingy, even though there were many family members that wanted to hold you. You woke up in the middle of the night 3 out of 4 nights and it took 1.5-2 hours to get you back to sleep each night.   Poor little thing. Wednesday we came home and while we were worried that you wouldn't sleep through the night at home, you proved us wrong and slept in your own crib like a champ all night. Praise the Lord once again! The next week Daddy started a 3 week insane time at work. You and I had some extra quality time together as he was "bringing home the bacon".

Once again (I'm sensing a neverending pattern here), you blew us away by the things you started doing. I'll try to give some examples but I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

You push all types of things around. It all started with the activity table but now you push around books, boxes, cars, etc. We have seen you crawling on the floor pushing a book or car. You have even tried to push our ottoman. Sorry, but we laughed at your determination.

You like to carry around pieces of cloth such as a onesie, washcloth, or the beanie they first put on you at the hospital.

You played with your first balloon and really loved it. Once the helium leaks out and it sinks you hold on to the string and follows you whenever you go. It's cute to see you check for it behind you.

We can ask you "Where is your ear?" and you respond by placing your hand on your ear. And, yes, you would probably do that if we asked you where your mouth is too but we don't care because you get what we are asking you for.

We also ask you "What does a sheep say?" and you will often say Baaa. Not every time but enough that we know for sure that you understand us.

When we tell you to "blow a kiss" you put your hand to your mouth but don't bring it away yet. When we ask you to give us a kiss you put your wide open mouth against our cheek.  We love it!

You started sticking your tongue out and blowing so we started doing it back to you. It's a little game we play and you get so tickled. We do too, of course.

You will sit a little longer while we read you books. I've been waiting for you to do this. You like to turn the pages while we sit there and I have found you several times just flipping through the pages on your own and "talking" about something. That's how I know you're growing into a little girl.

If we are eating something while sitting on the couch you will sometimes come over and make a noise indicating you want some of what have. You and Lily are such a pair!

You have put your nesting blocks into each other... good motor skill.

You make more inflections with your cute little voice, so we know you are "talking" with purpose and not just babbling. For example, you pick up things, hand them to us, and often say something that sounds like "ish". It's funny to see you get excited about bringing us a toy or book.

Puffs and Cheerios don't stand a chance with you. You love them. I think we have seen a little positive growth overall in the eating department. You still don't like many textures, fruit and pasta to name a few, but we have seen a little progress with you eating food other than baby food. You like refried beans... hmm, wonder if that's because I could not get my fill of them when I was pregnant with you. You've successfully swallowed a few bits of chicken. You didn't love it but didn't spit it back right back out either.   However, you sometimes do spit it back out like most everything else. The peas and carrots that came in my fried rice from the Chinese place seemed somewhat acceptable at first but then quickly lost steam. At breakfast and dinner I have started to nurse you after you eat to make for a little easier time feeding you but you aren't really eating any more than you used to, measurement-wise. We are taking all this as progress and shall see what the next month holds.

You still love spotting the smallest piece of something on the floor, table, etc. and picking it up. Thankfully you normally don't try to put it in your mouth. Notice I said normally.

Your toes started seeming a little tight in your sleepers so we put you in 9 month sleepers so you'd sleep more comfy. I guess it's about time even though all of your other clothes are still 6 months.

You seem to really like music and dancing to it. If something catchy is playing you will often shake your head back and forth while moving your hands. If you are sitting then you bend forward and bob back and forth again while shaking your head. You make us laugh!

This isn't my proudest moment but you will put my cell phone up to your ear and say "hey"! So maybe I talk on the phone a little...

On the way to the beach you figured out how to push buttons on your toys in order for them to light up, move, or make sounds. It's neat to finally see you playing with those functions on your toys.
You seem to be a little more aware, and not as upset, about time to take a nap or go to bed. I'm afraid to even type this, but you are going down for naps easier. It must be said that you whine almost everytime you are put down for a nap. For the most part, you get over it 5-10 minutes and then take a good nap. Over the past week or so you have been more okay with me putting you down and walking out. At nights we have even seen you in there just lying with your eyes open and then rolling over to go to sleep without any crying. This is such an answer to our prayers.

I feel that you have started to get just a bit more cuddly. There are times when you crawl across the room and pull up on me. I hold you tight and you just put your head on my shoulder. It's moments like that when I can't find words for the feelings I have about being your Mama.

Maybe the biggest news of the month is that you are walking. We had been noticing that as you were crusing you were only putting your hand down for a split second. So, on August 25th, we decided to move the ottoman back a little from the couch to see what you would do. You took a good 5 or 6 steps between them and didn't think twice. We were blown away and laughing hard at your excitement. On Sunday the 26th you woke up from your nap and I sat on the floor with you holding on to me like normal. All of a sudden you walked over to your changing table and started pulling out books. I was in shock. I pulled you back and you did it again a few more times. Daddy came in and saw you do it again as well. It was great timing because it was on your 11 month Birthday and we were both there to witness it. As of now you don't choose to walk everywhere you want to go but my oh my times are changing!

Now it's time for some pictures!