Twelve Months Old = 1 YEAR!

Dear Nora,

We did it. We made it through your first year. I say that like it was difficult, but it couldn’t have been easier, honestly. I’m sure I’m biased, but if there was a dictionary definition for “good baby,” I’m fairly certain your photo would appear next to it. We have been so lucky with you, and we know it—in fact, we’re a little nervous about giving you a sibling some day, because we’re afraid he or she will be payback! Or maybe you will give us a run for our money in your teen years. All parents have to pay their dues sometime, right? Yikes.

It’s not to say you are perfect. It’s important for you to know that nobody is! You have reached the start of temper tantrums. I was thinking that it’s early, but I’m told it’s normal toddler behavior. For the most part, you’re still an easy-going kid, but sometimes you just want things your way, and you are TICKED if they go differently.
Guess what else we did? We accomplished Mommy’s goal of one full year of breastfeeding. I can’t believe it! It was one of those things that I always hoped to do for you, but I always tried to take it day by day, week by week, month by month. I’m so happy that it worked out. I’ve been working on weaning you the last few weeks, and now we are officially down to two nursing sessions—one in the morning, one at bedtime. This week, we’ll drop the morning one, and then we’ll work on dropping the evening one as well.
To make things extra challenging, you have decided to start refusing the bottle completely. No matter what’s in it—breast milk, cow’s milk, water—you want nothing to do with it. So, you aren’t getting much milk at all right now. Your pediatrician says that we don’t need to worry, since you love yogurt and cheese, and have been eating more food. You sometimes take a lot of water out of a sippy cup at dinner—but generally you only like it if I take the “spill-proof” mechanism out of the lid. What can I say? You are particular about it.

You have started accepting some new finger foods. We’ve learned that if we want to get you to eat something new, we have to give it to you BEFORE we give you any of your favorites (like cheese, or banana). Apparently you will only eat new things if you think that your favorites are not an option!

Your little mind is starting to figure out a lot of things about the world around you. You try to put keys into the lock on the door. You put the (empty) syringe onto the top of the (closed) medicine bottle, then put it into your mouth like you’re taking a dose. You know that a spoon needs to be dipped into the bowl for food before you put it into your mouth. You try to put the lens cap back onto the camera (I’m not even kidding). It’s amazing, really. I love to sit back and observe, just to see what you’ll do next.

Although you still don’t have a lot of real words, you continue to belt out “Tessa” on a regular basis. You “talk” all of the time, but we just don’t really know what you’re saying. Sometimes, you’ll hold something out to us to take and we swear that you say, “Here!” You wave and say “Hiiii” and “Bye bye,” which has been a super cute developmental milestone this month. Your little voice is so adorable; I can’t wait to hear more of it. You have continued to give kisses—sometimes you even give unprompted ones, which never fails to melt my heart. You kiss others, too. Mary said you leaned over and gave your little friend, Amelia, a smooch one day. You also kiss your lovey or stuffed animals.
You have officially graduated from the Army crawl to being up on all fours. Last month, you did a combination of the two, and sometime this month, you decided that the Army crawl was no longer cool. You are standing with greater frequency. You have been letting go of your support and standing on your own for a few seconds before sitting back on your butt. You will be a late walker, but we don’t mind.

You are learning to communicate, even if it is not with words. You hold up books in the air and try to crawl into our laps when you want us to read to you. You reach out for objects and open and close your hand when you want us to give you something. You point with exuberance at things that excite you. I love seeing the world through your eyes.

You weigh 17 lbs., 14 oz. and you’re 28.75 inches long. It’s such a weird dichotomy—you are so small and baby-like, while also looking so big and toddler-ish. Sometimes I look at you and it just blows my mind. One year ago, you were this tiny bundle of squishy baby, who couldn’t focus her sight, and didn’t know her hands were attached to her body. And now you’re asserting more and more independence every day.

We had a big first birthday party for you yesterday. We had so many family and friends here to celebrate with you. We worked so hard to get the house ready, and although it wasn’t perfect, no one else knew that. We had incredible weather, and everyone had fun. You were loved by everyone here, and LOVED your cake—so that’s all that really matters, right?

As I put you to bed last night, I sobbed. I don’t even really know why, but I just sat and rocked you, staring at you and reflecting on how far we have come in just 365 days. I looked down at you nursing and it was so easy to take myself back to that hospital room last September 11, when I held and nursed you for the very first time. I could feel your tiny little body up against my bare belly. And now you are big and stretched out across my entire lap.

Last year at this time, I barely knew you. I studied the features of your face. I familiarized myself with your crazy, funny little monkey toes. I tested out kisses on different parts of your face, neck, hands, and feet to see which places worked best. Now, I know you like I know myself. I have lived and breathed you for an entire year.

It just happened so fast.
Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a mommy. It is the one dream that was consistent throughout my entire life, and was always the most important to me. You made that dream come true. You ARE a dream come true. Every time I would try to picture myself with a child, every time I would try to imagine what my baby would be like—I never could have imagined a child as wonderful as you are.

Every night, I pray over you. That you will be kept safe and healthy. That you will live a long and joyful life. These things I will continue to wish for you, every day for the rest of my life. For the rest of your life. I thank God for the gift that you are.
It is a privilege to be your mommy. I can’t wait to continue watching you grow. As you do, I know that you’ll need me less and less, but I will always be here. I will hold your hand whenever you want me to. I will hold your hand as long as you let me.

And you will hold my heart.

I love you with every ounce of my being. Happy Birthday, sweet girl.

Love,
Mommy

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Eleven Months Old

Dear Nora,

It’s coming. Your first birthday, I mean. I cannot believe that we are already approaching the one-year mark with you in our lives. By the time I write your next letter, we will be able to describe your age with the word “year.” Whoa.

You are SO. MUCH. FUN right now. You are still growing and changing each day, right before our eyes. In the short time since your 10-month letter, you have done so much.

For starters, you are no longer toothless. Your first tooth FINALLY popped through in the middle of July, and your second one surfaced this past week. You’re still drooling more than usual, so I’m already wondering if there are others not far behind. And with those new teeth, you’ve already managed to destroy your beautiful crib.

Alright, maybe I’m over-exaggerating a bit. But early this week, I leaned over the side of your crib and happened to notice a few dozen hash marks on the backside. I had seen you putting your mouth on the rail, but I never imagined that your ONE tooth (at the time) could’ve done that much damage. Come to find out, I think the reason you were so determined to chew on something like wood was because that second tooth was bothering you. Lesson learned. I quickly fashioned a crib rail guard out of receiving blankets and some twine-like rope. It looks ugly, but it’s been doing the job while we wait for Grammy to make you a real one out of fabric.

Another newfound “talent” you are exercising with your teeth? BITING. Biting ME. You know, when you’re nursing. All I can say about that is “OUCH.” Thankfully, it is not happening often (yet), but you surprised me a few times earlier this week. Both times, I quickly gasped and said, “OUCH! NO!” very sternly, and you cried like I had just ended your world. Of course, it killed me to make you sad, but you’ve gotta learn, right? I’m sure it’s not the last time you’ll be scolded!

On that same note, we are STILL breastfeeding. Hooray! There were many days this month when I thought about throwing in the towel with that damn breast pump, but I stuck it out. Now, it’s amazing to think that there’s only one more month. In fact, thanks to a healthy freezer stash, I might not even have to make it that far. We’ve been chipping away at my reserves for a while now, since I haven’t quite been meeting your milk intake, but we might have enough to allow me to quit the pump a bit early. As of now, I plan to nurse you in the mornings and at night for a while longer, but we’ll see how it goes. Most importantly, it looks like we are actually going to make it to my one-year goal of exclusive breastfeeding. Amazing!

Finger foods are going OK. There are some that you love—bananas, for instance—but there are other things that you won’t even really try at this point. It’s a little frustrating, because I REALLY hope you’re not a picky eater. For now, I’m choosing to believe that it’s still early, and you will get better with time. You eat pretty much anything as long as it is pureed, so I don’t think it’s a flavor issue—just a sensory/texture sensitivity that might be holding you back a little. We’ll keep working on it. For now, when you don’t like something, you toss it off your tray for Tessa to enjoy—at least it keeps Daddy and I from having to do a lot of clean up!

You can pull yourself up to a stand now. You mostly do it in your crib, but you also manage to do it on other things as well—your activity table, the railings by the stairs, our laps, and even the TV stand. Pretty much anywhere you can get a firm grip, you are happy to pull up to stand.

You’ve become an expert at the “Army crawl,” and have started to get up on your hands and knees more. We think you’re going to move to a “real” crawl before you walk, that’s for sure. You’re all over the place now, which means more work for Mommy and Daddy as we chase you around and pull you away from things like electrical cords, outlets, shoes, and (your favorite) the dog’s water bowl. We will most definitely be baby-proofing at the new house!

That’s right, my love: we closed on our new house today! Perhaps that is the biggest milestone of all. You will have a (much) bigger room, a whole downstairs to explore, and a YARD. We are ecstatic. In a week or so, we will be moving in, and I hope that you will take the transition in stride.

We ditched the pacifier this month. It was one of those things that just kind of happened. We didn’t think you REALLY needed it, and after a few days of an adjustment period, you were fine about it. We decided to get rid of it because we figured it would be easier to do it now than when you’re older. You don’t seem to miss it anymore! You have, however, become attached to your lovies for sleep. Last night, you were doing your normal play-in-your-crib thing before bed, and suddenly, you started SCREAMING. I knew it was not a normal cry for you, so I went in to check on you, to find you standing at the side of the crib, with your lovey on the floor right beneath you. You were DEVASTATED. As soon as I rescued lovey and gave him back to you, your crying returned to your normal tired cry. It was easy to see you were relieved.

By FAR the cutest thing you began doing this month? KISSES. You give kisses! It is so hilarious and sweet, and pretty much the most awesome thing ever. When we say “Nora, give me a kiss!” you lean in—sometimes with your mouth wide open, sometimes with it closed—and put your mouth against ours for a few seconds. I could seriously die, it is THAT cute.

You point at things now. To see your little pointer finger sticking up in the air is adorable. You “sing.” You "dance" to pretty much any kind of music--music from your toys, the commercials on TV, on the radio in the car. When you're in your car seat, you do this little "bop" that is your version of dancing while restrained. It's hilarious. You love cell phones and remotes (what kid doesn’t?). You still won’t drink out of a sippy cup. You like to crawl underneath things. You wake up a little earlier than you used to. You give me a heart attack when you try to pull up to stand in the bath.

You are officially over your stranger danger. You let other people hold you (I’ll tell you, the grandparents are THRILLED!), even people whom you just met. As much as we loved how you were attached to us, I’ll admit that it’s really nice not to have to worry about you every second when we are with others. You allow other people to entertain and care for you now. It’s so great to see you share yourself with others like you do with us. You are irresistibly cute, you know. You’re quite popular these days!

We’re going to be busy with the house this month, but I’m going to take special care to make sure to cherish all of my moments with you. As we get closer to a year, it feels like your infancy is suddenly slipping through my fingers. I need to enjoy every second while it lasts. I have to say, though, that I sure am loving the toddler you’re becoming.

My love for you is big enough to stretch around the world.

Kisses,
Mommy

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Ten Months Old

Dear Nora,

You may not be walking yet, but you are sure looking more and more like a toddler these days. I watch you play on the floor, or as you stretch out across my lap to nurse, and I find myself wondering when you got this big. We go through photos of you from just three months ago and we can’t believe how different you look. Going through photos from six, seven, eight months ago? Those moments with you seem like years ago now.

You’ve hit a lot of developmental milestones this month. Let’s start with the most recent—your first word. In your nine-month letter, I described how you had started to babble. Ba-ba-ba and Da-da-da have been everyday sounds around here. You “sing” the vowel sounds, too. I love driving down the street only to hear your little sing-songy voice going, “Aaaahhh! Da-daaaah!” in the back seat.

But a couple of weeks back, we started to hear another sound: Teh-ta. Teh-ta, over and over again. From the beginning, we thought it sounded distinctly like “Tessa,” and we started to notice that you were almost ALWAYS looking at Tessa when you said it. We suspected that you might actually be connecting the word “Teh-ta” with Tessa, and in our minds, that made it your “official” first word. But we kept waiting for it to be a little more obvious, just in case we were wrong, and you were still just babbling.

Then, when we were on vacation, Daddy was showing you a video of yourself on his phone, and suddenly you said “Teh-ta!” We were both AMAZED when we realized you had said it right after Tessa had walked across the screen in the video! And sure enough, the entire time we were away from home, you did not make the “Teh-ta” sound a single time. As soon as we got home and you saw your beloved doggie? “Teh-ta” reappeared. Not only did you start saying it again, but you suddenly began to add the “S” sound in the middle of it. So although the “Teh-ta” sound was still around, you began to mix it in with what we swore was “Tessa”—plain and simple. Sure enough, we caught it on video last weekend, and it is most certainly official now.

How fitting that your first word is not Mama or Dada, but Tessa. And now, you seem to be connecting the “Da-da” sound with your daddy, so that’s likely to become your second official word. In the meantime, you have not even started the “Mmmm” sound yet, so I have little hope that you will be saying “Mama” any time soon. Don’t you know that I’m the one who carried you in my belly for nine months and pushed you into the world without pain meds? (Well, by the time you read this letter, I’m sure you’ll know that story, because it is my right to hold that over your head for the rest of your life, you know.) C’mon already! :)

In case you can’t tell by the four paragraphs about it, the first word was a big deal around here. Another big one is crawling—sort of. You’re not up on all fours yet, but you do move both your arms and legs to scoot yourself around. You are getting FAST, and the distances you travel are getting farther. You’re making your way across rooms, down hallways, and throughout the house these days. We are trying to avoid going through the effort of baby-proofing until we move—fingers crossed you don’t try to get into too much trouble before then!

Other milestones this month: Learning how to sit up from a lying down position; learning how to play pat-a-cake, a.k.a. give high fives; figuring out how to “officially” clap your hands; splashing in the bath tub. Things we are still working on: Your first tooth. The sippy cup. “Chewing” bigger pieces of food.

You are learning so much every day, and you remember them the next day. When you figured out how to sit up in your crib, we were SHOCKED to find you that way, because it happened so suddenly; now, you sit up from lying down over and over and over again. Daddy showed you how to put a ball through one of the hole in the one of the stackable rings; now, we watch as you put the ball through the ring on the floor as you play by yourself.

In the standing/walking department, you are starting to try to pull yourself up on things. At this point, you’re just pulling yourself up to your knees, but you’re getting close to being able to do it to your feet. You hold yourself up at the edge of the couch, or in your crib, but you can’t get into that standing position yourself.

We’re getting close to the homestretch with the breastfeeding. You seem a little less interested these days—well, except in the mornings. In the mornings, you’re STARVING and impatient. Otherwise, there is so much to look at in the world, you do not want to be stuck feeding at the breast. You’re eating a lot more purees and “real food” now, so it’s possible that you just don’t need as much milk as you used to. Still, you’re drinking the same amount (three 5 oz. bottles) at daycare, so I’m struggling to continue to keep up with the pumping. At this point, I’m still taking it day by day, but hoping to be able to get to that 12-month mark! Aside from just wanting to hit that goal for us, I hate the idea of actually having to go out and buy formula when we are SO CLOSE! Fingers crossed, little one.

With solids, we’ve expanded your diet to include things like cheese shreds, small pieces of veggies, broken up pasta, and whole beans. We’re giving you pieces of the things we’re eating so you can try them. Some things go over really well; other things cause you to gag or spit them out. I believe it to be a texture issue and not taste—you’re still working on the “chewing” skill, especially since you still don’t have any TEETH! Speaking of which—I know I’ve said this before, but I’m VERY confident you will be sprouting two little teeth on the bottom before I write your next letter. The lower gums are so swollen and I can feel those teeth under there. They just need to pop through already!

You earned your first stamp in your passport this month, when we flew to Mexico to attend my cousin Kelly’s wedding. You were your usual laidback self—with a few cranky exceptions—but we ran you ragged, so we couldn’t complain. This was the trip on which you pooped all over Daddy. By the time you read this letter some day, I’m sure that story will have already been embarrassing you for years, so I don’t think I need to retell it now!

At your nine-month well-baby doctor’s appointment on June 20 (so it was a week or so late this month), you were 16 lbs. 4 oz. and 25.75 inches long. You’re still firmly in the 5th to 7th percentile for weight, so you’re a petite little thing.

You’ve got personality for days. Sometimes, we just giggle at each other endlessly. You are becoming a little bit of a mimick—you have this laugh that you’ll bust out every once in a while that is almost a “mock” adult laugh. You’ll look at me all serious, I’ll smile at you, then you smile. I give you a toy; you give it back.

You are busy, busy, busy. You like to be doing things. You’ll usually happily entertain yourself as long as you’re free to do what you want. One of your favorite pastimes is to play with the dog crate. I’m convinced you could open and close that door for hours.

So, ten months. We’re at ten months. I can’t believe it. We are getting so close to a year. Lately, I’ve been reminiscing about my pregnancy with you, thinking back to this time last summer, and what we were doing.

It seems like yesterday. It seems like years ago.

I love you so much it hurts.

XOXO
Mommy

P.S. During your monthly photo shoot, you thought it was HILARIOUS to launch the yellow duck over the edge of the chair. You also were NOT having the lying-down-in-the-crib, purple-background pics this time around. You were FURIOUS. Just goes to show that you’re not ALWAYS happy! :)

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Nine Months Old

Dear Nora,

By leaps and bounds. That is how much you have changed this month. I look back at the last few weeks and I can’t believe how many new things you have picked up in that time. You've now been outside the womb as long as you were in. It's pretty amazing to think about!

You babble a lot these days, and you’ve just recently started with the consonant sounds. You started with ba-ba-ba, and now you have moved to da-da. That’s a thrill for Daddy, even though you don’t seem to be using that sound to refer to him in any way. And I’ll admit that I’ve been working overtime trying to teach you ma-ma. (I can’t help myself.) You’ve also made some wa-wa sounds. I can’t wait to see how much more your language develops in the coming weeks.

You are so smart. You continue to figure out how your toys work, and you manipulate them purposefully. We plop you down with a few toys and you go to town with them. I remember the days when I was so anxious and excited to see you learn how to play, and well, you know how now.

Up until a few weeks back, you would rarely bear weight on your legs and feet. If we tried to stand you up in our laps, a table, or the floor, your knees would buckle and you’d make it clear that all you really wanted to do was sit down. It never concerned me until you hit eight months old, and then I started to worry a bit. Sure enough, though—right when I began to worry, you decided that you were ready to do it. Now, you’ll hang on to your crib ledge or the couch and stand there all by yourself (with us closely spotting you, of course). I think this is a skill that you’ll continue to perfect this month.

Although you don’t seem anywhere near walking, you do seem to be pretty close to crawling. You are getting around quite well these days, although I couldn’t pinpoint any one method of doing so. You scooch, you roll, you try to crawl and end up moving backwards. You have suddenly become an expert and rotating yourself 360 degrees—both in a sitting position and lying down (on belly or back).

You reach for things you want--like REALLY reach. You stretch as far as you possible can. You grab magnets off of the refrigerator when I carry you past it. You reach toward the floor when you want to be put down.

Another new skill? Feeding yourself. You’re eating small pieces of food now, not just purees. Right around eight months, you suddenly started loving puffs. Prior to that, you always made faces when we tried them with you, and spit them out a lot of times. Now, you gobble them up like it is your job. You love grabbing handfuls with your tiny hands and shoving them into your wide-open mouth.

You’re also eating small chunks of soft fruit—bananas, for instance. We tried watermelon with you over Memorial Day weekend, but so far you seemed to not care for the consistency. We will try again. You’re also feeding yourself cheddar cheese shreds and love those. Last week, I gave you tiny pieces of a pumpkin muffin and you loved that, too. We’ve also introduced you to yogurt, which you eat with no problem. I’m glad you like it, because I don’t and have always wished that I did. We will continue to try new foods with you in the coming weeks—even though you STILL don’t have any teeth!

Nine months down with the breastfeeding; three months ‘til goal! I have no problems continuing to nurse you, but I am admittedly SO READY to get rid of the pump. I am looking forward to the day when I can pack that thing away. Well, at least that’s how I feel now. We’ll see what happens when the end is really here. I can’t believe how close we’re getting.

A cool milestone this month: Baby’s First Passport. We took you to apply for it about four weeks ago, and it came in the mail the other day. I gotta say: There is nothing cuter than seeing your full name and picture on a U.S. Passport. Before your 10-month birthday, you will make your first trip out of the country—I’ll be sure to tell you about that later!

Today, we installed your first “big girl” car seat in my car. It’s getting really hard for me to lug you around in the infant seat, so we decided to make the switch. It was sad for me to pull your infant seat base out of my car, though. I remember installing it when I was pregnant, and it seems like it couldn’t possibly have been nine or ten months ago. You’re growing so quickly! We’ll be purchasing another convertible car seat for Daddy’s car very soon, and ditching the infant seat altogether. So sad!

We haven’t had your nine-month well-baby doctor’s visit yet, so I’m not sure what your stats are—but I’m guessing you’re probably a little under 16 pounds? We’ll find out in about a week or so. I’m really curious to see how long you are.

You pretty much never let me rock you to sleep anymore. You don’t even really snuggle on my shoulder or anything anymore, either. That’s probably the thing I miss most, to be honest. But I know how lucky we are that you go into your crib wide awake and go to sleep on your own. I do hope that the “no snuggle” thing is just a phase, though. I always loved how you would rest your head on my shoulder while we rocked for a few minutes before bed.

You are such a happy baby. You're content to sit and watch the world around you. You smile with your tongue sticking out between your gums; it is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

We bought a house a couple of weeks ago! We’re moving in August. We can’t wait to give you the bigger bedroom, more play space, and backyard that we’ve been wanting for you. It’s all for you, my little angel. We hope that it will be the house that you will grow up in.

Every day is a joy. When I look at you, I am still often struck by the feeling, “I can’t believe she is ours.” You’re amazing, and I thank God every day for the precious gift that is your life.

All my love,
Mommy
(You know, the one who keeps saying “MA-MA. MA-MA” to you. Throw me a bone, here!)

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Eight Months Old

Dear Nora,

New this month is an additional nickname: Nora Noo. You can thank Mary (your daycare provider) for that one. I heard her say it to you one day and it stuck with me. I started using it at home, then Daddy picked up on it, and now we use it every day. We’ve also developed spin-off names like Noo or Noo-Noo. It just seems so fitting for you. These names are, of course, in addition to all of the other ones you’ve acquired since you were born.

I feel like I say it every month, but you are SO.MUCH.FUN. You are such a happy girl, and now that you’re able, you smile, laugh, giggle, play, and interact all of the time. The moments that we get to spend with you are so precious, and they fill my heart my joy.

It’s easy to see when things excite or please you by the expressions on your face and the waving of your arms and legs. You and your daycare buddy, Amelia (you two are almost exactly the same age), are always excited to see each other in the mornings. You squeal and “talk” and wave your arms at each other. It’s hilarious and so adorable. I love that you already have a friend to share your days with when we’re away at work. Mary says that you guys share toys and touch and pull at each other’s hair, faces, clothing, hands, feet. You also pull pacifiers out of each other’s mouths and pop them into your own. Immune system building at its finest, I suppose!

You have the sitting up skill down to a science now. When you fall, it’s pretty much always because you mean to. You fling yourself backward on purpose, or lean forward all the way to bring yourself onto your tummy. You have figured out how to wiggle and scootch your way over to something that you want, and sometimes you get your legs and feet into this funny position that seems like it MIGHT be the very early stages of crawling.

You can turn on the Fisher Price Lights ‘n’ Sounds machine in your crib, all by yourself. Sometimes you use your hands, other times you use your feet. But we know you do it knowingly, because we’ve watched you. You know exactly where the button is and what it’s for.

This month, you suddenly decided that you do not like the changing table anymore. Ever since you were born, it has been one of your happy places. No matter the mood you were in, we could always make you smile and laugh on the changing table. Now, however, you seem to view it as a torture device because OH.MY.GOSH, heaven forbid you have to spend 60 seconds on your back. As soon as we sit you up on the table, you are happy as a clam, reaching for all of the objects around you.

Because of this whole aversion to lying down on your back and having to stay still, diaper changes have become more of a challenge. You try to roll left and right, doing your best to escape from us. Sometimes changing your diaper feels like we are trying to wrestle an alligator. I can’t believe we are already at this stage—I thought we’d have a few months of easy changes left. Oh well, we’re quickly learning to be experts at the on-the-move diaper change! We will prevail!

I can’t even remember all of the foods you’ve tried at this point. Pretty much anything is game as far as fruits and vegetables go. And now that you’re eight months, I’m looking forward to introducing you to yogurt, cheeses, beans, and some other new foods. If your track record is any indication, you will love the new flavors.

We went on our first week-long vacation with you this month. We went to Las Vegas, Utah, and Arizona. We visited the Grand Canyon. During the trip, we slept in a different hotel room almost every night, and you didn’t seem to think that was any big deal. You loved being with us, and you enjoyed people watching while we were out and about every day. You were great on our flights and car rides. We were so proud of you.

Before our trip, we had you back at the doctor due to you being sick for a month straight. That RSV that you were diagnosed with last month? Well, you followed that up with a couple of colds right in a row, and we wanted to get you checked out prior to leaving town. It turned out that you had an ear infection (your second one). We were worried about flying with you, but you didn’t seem to be bothered. While at the doctor, you were weighed, and you were 14 lbs., 13 oz. Growing girl!

You still have a touch of stranger danger, but it really depends on your mood. Sometimes you like to be a little charmer and smile at the people around you (even if they’re not looking at you). You’re generally fine with people as long as they aren’t holding you! You prefer to be held by Daddy and me, but we’re working on it. Grammy babysat you on Good Friday since Mary had the day off, and you did so well. I love for you to have that kind of quality time with your grandparents.

Still no teeth. But that has become the single most-asked question from everybody we encounter. “Does she have any teeth yet?” Nope. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Those pearly whites are taking their merry time. I’m just soaking up every last day without them, honestly. As cute as I’m sure they’ll be, I am going to miss your toothless grin.

On an almost daily basis, I am struck by the speed at which time is flying by. I drink in every minute of my snuggles with you at bedtime each night. I gaze at you sleeping in your crib and I can’t believe how long you look when you’re all stretched out.

I know you have to keep growing up, but don’t do it too fast, OK?

I love you forever and ever.

Bear hugs,
Mommy

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