I was pregnant with you for 10 months and now you have been breathing air for 10 month. 20 months of living.
How can so much personality be wrapped up in one little nutty baby?
As you near one year of age I find myself clinging on to every single detail I can find that tells me you are still a baby.
One of those details is..you love to be held. As much as possible.
This could be for a number of reasons..one being you have started getting a little separation anxiety. I didn't know it was even possible but you are getting more attached to your Mama. You pull on my leg asking to be lifted. If I walk out to the office you will sometimes cry or bang on the front door until I come back inside.
They say babies don't know they are a seperate person from their moms until around 1yr. I can see you figuring out you're an individual but needing to make sure I am still really nearby.
With all the travelling you have done in the past few months it makes sense that you are a little needier at bedtime. You like to be fed or rocked to sleep.
We try to not have your sleep patterns be our only topic of conversation but it's hard.
We wrap you up in your pink blanky and rock and feed on the blue rocker...and then if we need help, Dad will come in and bounce on the ball with you until you are out cold. We lay you in your crib and you sleep like an angel. Today you napped for almost 3hrs strait.
Needless to say we spend a lot of time staring at your sleeping face. More times than not we can't help ourselves but to give you a little kiss on your slumbering lips.
We both have neck and back pain due to our tireless soothing. This may be why we are disfigured when your older. Just want you to know.
You are pushing tables, stools, and chairs, anything that will slide around the room, as if they are walkers. It's adorable..and sometimes makes a terrible noise
You can walk around and stand up against anything now.
Yesterday you stood on your own for 7seconds.
You see other kiddos walking and I can see it in your eyes..jealousy. Soon enough baby. Soon enough.
You started clapping! If anyone cheers or if you hear clapping you give us a big toothy grin, bounce and clap along. If one of your hands is already in use (while eating, or holding a toy) but you still must clap, you will clap against your stomach or the side of your face.
You also started waving. We wave ni-nights to dad before we go in your room or when one of us has to leave. Sometimes it is a delayed reaction wave that doesn't happen until we are already out of sight.
You are our big eater!! Carrots, avocado, blueberries, apples, puffs, yogurt melts..veggies and fruit galore. It's amazing to be able to sit at the table as a family and all eat together. This means your dad and I are actually fixing meals again and eating at the same time. You can pick things up with your little fingers and place them in your own mouth. We are so proud of you.
You also don't mind sour foods. Lemon wedge..no big deal. Grapefuit juice, yes please. You're so hardcore.
I love watching your little pointer finger explore all the little things..A crumb on the floor, a stain on my shirt, an eye on a stuffed animal. We are constantly amazing at your hand coordination. We didn't teach you these things!! You just knew.
You talk so much now. We are pretty sure your first word was ma-ma. If you want me or food, you definitely say "ma" or "mum" or "mama". When that happens you get whatever you want immediately. heart-melt.
When you wake up in the morning the first sound you usually make is "Baa" (your favorite sound). You lay in my arms and tell me about your dreams. Then once you are awake enough you proceed to conquer me and dad.
"Conquering" is when you climb up on something higher than you and pound on the conquered item and you shriek and bounce. Usually it is on top of our heads..but sometimes it is a wall or a cushion. But usually climbing on top of us and pounding on us HARD.
You love to climb. One time dad looked down from doing dishes and you were standing in the dishwasher. Once we found you standing on the fireplace trying to climb the rocks. You have climbed onto the couch a couple times too.
You also started backing yourself off of things when you want to get down...stairs, beds, chairs, couches. It's awesome but scary.
When you crawl you almost always have a toy in your right hand as you crawl around. Usually a small plastic animal or your bath-time octopus.
You have been into the pantry the last couple of weeks and love crawling around with bags of dried pasta or rice. That rice bag is heavy..but you want to lug it around as you crawl..every once in a while pulling the 20lb bag up to your mouth so you can suck on it. What are you? She-ra?
The amount of twisting and squirming you do while having your diaper changed or clothes put on is out of control. We've actually resorted to performing musical numbers while we change you so you are stunned long enough to hold still. If I change you, dad usually sings and dances to a rendition of "luck be a lady tonight". If dad changes you, I usually sing some mashup with made up lyrics to Christmas melodies. Don't knock it till you've tried it.
Your 1st Christmas!!
You are really not that into the tree..although everything starts about halfway up.
Sorry about the mini gift on your head for the photoshoot. I had an idea, went with it. Not my proudest moment but I do have to say you look like a little who from whoville which is stinking adorable...so it wasn't a complete mom fail.
You screamed in Santa's lap (for the photo of course).
You had 2 late-overs with Winston this month so the parents could take turns going to the movies.
We haven't used the stroller once this month. Not once. You get bigger and we use the stroller less. SO much easier to carry you than to lug a stroller around.
New York City..Brilliant without a stroller.
You went to mama's favorite city for the first time! You loved it...but it might have been because Uncle Benny was so fun and let you in the MET while it was closed on a Monday. Lucky baby!
After last month's marathon travels and plane rides to Aus, NZ and New York...we have decided to never go on a flight over 2hrs with you again. Not because you were hard, you were awesome...we just went a little crazy. We are all better now but are super glad the flight tomorrow to Utah is only 2hrs and we get to fly out of Long Beach airport, our favorite.
Favorite toys: Baby doll holding strong, old cell phones, noah's ark toys, anything stuffed, bag of rice, gate blocking the master bathroom, the "my family" book, my light meter, a roll of 12o film still in the plastic wrapping.
I want to re-commit myself to photographing more of the everyday moments. I have to make time for that. It is a top priority.
We put a sponge curler in your hair for the first time. It was the cutest thing that has ever happened to us.
We lit your first fire. You loved it.
You are forming all sorts of new expressions and ticks...gritty face, grinding your gums (probs because of teething), tipping your head from side to side..
You are becoming a little girl so full of wonder and expression and imagination.
You play so well with others and by yourself.
If you hear another baby crying you are always so concerned and we have to talk to you about what is happening and how it will be OK.
You are complete joy and absolute perfection. We couldn't love you more. We cherish every last inch of you. I am so proud of the loving, aware, sensitive soul you are. I love how close you want to stay to your dad and me. I hope that never changes. When you throw you little arms around my neck and burrow your face in my shoulder or face I have never been happier. At the Thanksgiving table when we all went around and said what we were most thankful for, when it came to me I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my face as I said, "It's been the best year of my life"...and I mean it.
My sweetest baby. You have made this the best, most fulling year of my life. Merry Christmas little one.