Every day you seem to grow, in body and in mind. It's so fun to see you discover and learn, and I love hearing your teachers tell me about the new words you've said or the new things you've tried.
You had a big change this month as you transitioned to the older infant classroom with your friend Duncan. Sadly your friend Anna wouldn't be transitioning for another month or so. At first, you weren't thrilled about the change of environment, friends, and teachers, but you adjusted! After about 6 days in the new classroom, you weren't upset anymore when I put you down (and often you were crawling away to play before I even set you down!). I know transitions like these aren't easy for you, and they're hard for me too! I was really happy to see you begin to like your new room.
You are so curious and love to explore. I don't recall you sitting still much — you are far more inclined to jump into the action and/or ask "Wa dat?!"
Our photo shoot was a interesting time, and your expressions crack us up. You are such a funny little girl, and you make Daddy and me laugh until our cheeks hurt!
We tried to have you hold a book to keep you from attacking the blocks immediately. You licked it. Of course! :)
I think we were all a little tired at the end of our 11-month photo session. Your expression in this picture says it all!
The older you get, the more fun we've had taking family adventures together. We took a big adventure this month and flew to Kansas so you could see and meet Daddy's side of the family. You and Grandma Kathy were happy to be reunited! You were much smaller the last time you two were together.
You met Great Grandpa Merle and Great Grandma Pat for the first time — they got such a kick out of you!
You also met 7 cousins, of which you are the youngest. Seven! You had fun playing with all of the kids, and you loved to watch the older kids do neat things and run around. Here you are with Tyler and Ryan in Grandma Kathy's backyard.
You love your Grandma Kathy, too! You two looked so cute playing in the backyard.
Sleeping: The usual. You sleep!! For the most part, you still go to bed around 7:30, and you usually wake up between 6:30 and 7:30 on the weekends. We still wake you up around 6:45 for school. You still take two naps, usually just under an hour each. At school you started having a little bit of a hard time sleeping in the young infants classroom. Once you transitioned to the older infants classroom, however, you were back! They have set naps times for all of the kids, so I think you appreciated the quiet in the room.
Eating: You're still adventurous with eating, and you are usually willing to try most things. We try to share foods with you if we're eating out or at an event. You are ga-ga for fruit, and you have a serious love for summer fruits in particular. Watermelon, cantaloupe, blueberries, and strawberries are your favs. You also really enjoy tomatoes, which were new this month. I made a couple of yummy quinoa salads for you that you and I both enjoyed together!
Stats: You don't go to the pediatrician until 12 months, so I'm not sure of your height and weight stats. I do know that you look older all the time! You are in size 3 diapers, and you wear primarily 12 months or 12-18 months in clothes. We've started dressing you in more shirts rather than onesies (you don't like to lay on your back, so onesies are too hard to get on you!), which makes you look more grown up too.
You're up to a grand total of 3 teeth: two front bottom teeth and one upper tooth. We have our eye out for the other top center tooth, and I suspect it's on its way!
Firsts/Milestones: There are so many to talk about this month! You took your first flight...and three more to follow. You did very well on all of the flights! and people gave us kudos and we de-boarded the plane — Daddy and I thought that was pretty funny!
We must have had just the right mix of snacks, toys, and nap-inducing bottles.
As I previously mentioned, you transitioned to your new classroom this month. In your new classroom, you have a lot more group play and organized activities. You also all eat around a table together at the same time for breakfast, lunch, and snack (it's adorable!).
This summer at school you have "Sprinkler Day" once a week, and you L-O-V-E it. Your teachers tell me that you love to put your face right into the sprinkler, and you pick it up to splash your friends. You also like to splash around in a little kiddie pool that we have for you. It seems like you are a water-loving baby so far!
You brush your own teeth in the tub. I love it!
You had your first Fourth of July, and we had some family fun outside. We walked up to Franklin Square Park, and you loved watching all of the people there.
You went to sleep close to your usual bedtime, and I was surprised that the fireworks didn't wake you up (despite the fact that there were multiple shows going on around our house).
We had some other fun adventures this month, including another trip to the Art Museum. We see a lot of art around our neighborhood too, so you're getting it in all varieties!
You went to your second Phillies game, and Grandma and Grandpa came with us. It was beautiful weather, and you liked seeing all of the people and making friends.
Likes/Dislikes: This was the month of BOOKS. You barely touched your toys it seemed, and you just wanted to flip through all of your books. I would say that your favorite book this month was Peek-A-Who? When we read it to you, you would actually start to giggle in anticipation of us turning the page. Adorable! You also loved your Touch & Feel Farm Animals book and the small board books (about the size of your hand).
Sometimes I would hear you and Daddy playing, and he would sing you a remix of all of your books, written into one fun song. I think you loved it! You also have a "Look & Find" book that is very large, and you love to look at everything on the pages and turn from one to the next.
You love to play "tag" with your friends at school. Your teachers have told me that you and your friends start the games on your own with one person chasing the other. Then, all of a sudden you turn the tables and switch the chaser and the chasee. The fact that you're giggling and shrieking all the way makes it even more cute!
You love music and dancing. You have a couple of toys that play music. When you make the music play, you look over to us to see if we're dancing (and we usually are!) — and then you start to bob and dance. Some evenings we have dance parties, and we'll all dance and sing. You love to play with instruments at school, and you have a little guitar at home that you like to strum.
You love to stand up and feel independent. You gravitate towards anything that you can hold onto and cruise along. You get a kick out of sitting on your own too, either in an adult chair or in a little chair that's more your size (Grandma got you a cute Adirondack chair, and Great Grandma got you a little folding/camping chair for the beach).
You love to chat. You constantly ask what things are, and it seems that you just want us to call out the names of things over and over. Sometimes it seems like you're trying your hardest to absorb all that we're saying.
You are still not a fan of diaper changes because you have no desire to lay on your back. If you're feeling especially adamant, you'll grab onto the corner of the changing pad and try to flip yourself over.
teething. You don't seem to be a huge fan of teething either, but who would be? All in all, you're hanging in there with it.
We are having so much fun with you, my sweet girl. We are constantly grateful for how much joy and laughter you have brought to us.
