You are growing so fast and changing so much these days. Every day your Daddy and I have a moment where we say what an amazing little person you are! You continue to make people smile, whether it's us at home, your teachers and friends at school, or your many adoring relatives. As always, thank you for the continued gift of joy that you bring to our lives.
This month was very special for me because I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day with you. It felt so different to not just be honoring other mothers, but to actually be one myself this year. And you are the reason, my sweet girl!
We had a fun time at Great Grandma's (aka GG) house...four generation of ladies!
I love seeing how you make your Grandma and GG smile and laugh! You were cracking up the whole crowd at the dinner table — your laugh is infectious!
You continue to thrive at school, and you love playing with your best friends, Duncan and Anna. They call you three "The Breakfast Club" because you all get there early, when the school is still pretty much empty. Your teacher says that you're "in charge" in the classroom and often initiate activities/games with the other babies. You even take the time to engage the younger babies who aren't yet mobile — you bring them a ball, try to make them smile, etc. I love hearing stories about how engaging and interactive you are. And it's especially fun to see you giggle with your friends! It's amazing what a bond you have formed with them.
You pretty much want to be standing or active most of the time. You're content to hang out in your stroller as long as we're moving, but you have little desire to sit back and watch the world go by! When we're out in the city, you look at passersby and smile and wave.
Sleeping: You still get nearly 12 hours per night, from around 7-7:30pm to anywhere between 6:30-8am. Lately, you have been struggling to get two solid naps at school. I think all of the action going on around you keeps you up. There are some days where you'll only nap for a total of 30 minutes!
You love to snuggle once you fall asleep, and we love it too! It's not uncommon for me to come home from my Wednesday night kickboxing class to find you and Daddy sleeping in the chair in your room. It's adorable!
Eating: You continue to love eating, and you're very open to trying just about anything! You eat all of the lunch options now at school, and you have most of the breakfast options too (the only thing you're not eating that they serve is bowls of cereal).
For dinner, you'll often eat what we are eating (chicken breast, pasta, rice, sweet potato, salmon, meatballs). On nights where I don't cook a "formal" dinner, you'll have things like scrambled eggs, veggie burgers, and grilled cheese. You don't seem to mind!
You LOVE fruit, particularly summer fruit! You gobble up strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, bananas, and cantaloupe.
You have about 6 4-6 oz. bottles a day, sometimes only 5. You really love your morning and pre-bed bottles, but the others you seem somewhat indifferent about.
Stats: You are still in size 3 diapers, and you wear mostly 9-12 months in clothes. You've been wearing shoes more since you love to walk around. You look so grown up lately! I'm not sure of your height/weight at this point — your next pediatrician appointment isn't until you're 1. (Side note: I can't believe you're almost 1!)
You now have your two center bottom teeth, and you're cutting one of your upper front teeth. I can't see the tooth yet, but I can see the red, sore line where the tooth is going to poke through. You poor girl!
Firsts/Milestones: You had your first overnight away from home without us there with you! We dropped you off with Grandma and Grandpa, and we went out to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. We had such a nice time, but we missed you a ton! We are told you had a great time and did wonderfully. I think you're starting to really like hanging with G&G! And you love Jack, their dog.
You took your first trip to the zoo this month! My company sponsored a work event on a Friday after work, so we enjoyed an evening stroll through the zoo. It was a little late in the day for you to be totally alert, but I think you still enjoyed yourself and the nice weather.
You weren't too interested in some of the animals/displays (e.g., the giant giraffes who were moseying right in front of us). You did, however, enjoy watching the lions/tigers, otters, and monkeys.
(In the picture above, you're applauding the otters — it was adorable!)
You even came face-to-face with a duck and you were so intrigued by him! I think you would have pet the duck if we let you get close enough.
Likes/Dislikes: You love playing so much. You have lots of toys that make music, and you often break into a dance when the music starts. You usually will look to us to see if we're dancing too, and if we are, then you go all out!
You have a little pink guitar that you like strumming — we love to see you explore music! You have such a fun time when you're allowed to explore, so we try to let you do that as much as possible.
You also tend to turn everything into a drum: the wipes box, an old sherbet container, a basket, an empty canister, etc. Anything will do!
You love seeing your friends at school, and it makes me so happy that you get so excited when we arrive. Some days, you'll see your friend Anna and squeal!
You love your toothbrush! I think at the moment it's doubling as a teething ring, but you always grab for it as soon as you get into the bathtub. It's pretty cute to see you hold it and put it into your mouth — it makes you look so grown up!
As for dislikes, you're no longer a fan of laying on your back for diaper changes. You desperately wish to roll over and crawl as soon as we lay you down. Needless to say, diaper changes have become very interesting! :) You've started to really dislike having your nails cut. For so long, you really didn't care one way or another; now, you would think I was clipping the ends of your fingers off! I try to reserve this fun activity for times when you're not overly tired.
