You will be nine months old tomorrow, on Christmas day. You have been delighting in taking the ornaments off the tree and dragging the presents around by their ribbons, ripping paper wherever possible.
You still army crawl, but you get around by cruising a lot -- holding onto things and essentially walking. You'll also "walk" if I hold your hands.
You babble a lot, saying "ah mama da da blah blah na na kuh puh a wa wa." You have said several words, but you don't say them all the time. The things that you have clearly said at least once include:
Mama
Dada
Odwalla (Grandma's cat)
nana (for banana)
night
bear
hi
bye
up
bow wow wow
la la la (in the context of a book that says the same)
And you are working very hard, but not quite there, on:
car
cat
duck
dog
quack
Boompah
You have just recently learned to sleep in your crib at night. You still cry for a little while, but you're getting better sleep.
Right now it's Christmastime, so you are interested in snowmen and nutcrackers, especially.
You love birds, and any time you see them, you flap your arms and say "Caw! Caw!"
You can wave hello and goodbye, and you know the signs for milk, nurse, eat, hat, bird, and you sort of know duck and no. You also point at things you're interested in.
You're a huge flirt, and in public you're always trying to get people's attention. When you finally do, you grin and act coy.
You just got your third tooth, the top front one on the right. It came in Saturday the 20th.
You fall a lot, and right now you have a big bruise on your forehead from falling off the couch. You also scratch yourself with your fingernails, usually by your eye or inside your ear. The result is that you look beaten-up a lot of the time.
You like to follow your Dad and me around the house, especially into the bathroom, and you have figured out that you can just push open that door, so we have to be pretty vigilant.
You still nurse, although we'll see how long it lasts if you keep biting me! Ouch, young lady!
You like to explore the house, opening up any doors you can, pulling on cords, pushing buttons. My laptop has fallen on the floor about three times.
Generally, though, you are a great, well-behaved, sweet baby. You love to be read to, and will listen to books for a long time. You also seem to like restaurants, and will patiently sit in a high chair as long as we are there. You also LOVE getting bites of grown-up food.
That's all for now. It's so much fun getting to know your little personality. Right now, you say "Mama" a lot, and every time I answer "yes, sweetheart. Yes my love. Yes darling." You seem to think it's a game, but I just love hearing you say Mama.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
7 1/2 months
You just amaze me every day. You have been saying mama, dada, hi and bye. You don't say them perfectly or regularly, but we definitely hear them.
You are working on some other words, too, like hat, duck, ball, and book.
Your receptive language is quite good now, too. Earlier today I said "Come to mama" and you immediately began working your way toward me. You also open wide when we say "banana," you recognize the words for most of your favorite foods, for the cat, and for all the people you love. You look forward to kisses and nursing.
You can get lots of places on your own. You can crawl just about anywhere in the house, and in the living room, you can stand and walk around the coffee table and the couch and chair as long as you can hold on and reach.
You help us by lifting your legs when we change your diaper and by putting your arms in sleeves. You open your mouth for nearly any food, although bananas and bread are probably your favorites. You would like to try almost everything we eat. You stare at food as it goes to our mouths.
You are, at this moment, trying to help me type... I'd better go.
You are working on some other words, too, like hat, duck, ball, and book.
Your receptive language is quite good now, too. Earlier today I said "Come to mama" and you immediately began working your way toward me. You also open wide when we say "banana," you recognize the words for most of your favorite foods, for the cat, and for all the people you love. You look forward to kisses and nursing.
You can get lots of places on your own. You can crawl just about anywhere in the house, and in the living room, you can stand and walk around the coffee table and the couch and chair as long as you can hold on and reach.
You help us by lifting your legs when we change your diaper and by putting your arms in sleeves. You open your mouth for nearly any food, although bananas and bread are probably your favorites. You would like to try almost everything we eat. You stare at food as it goes to our mouths.
You are, at this moment, trying to help me type... I'd better go.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Banner day
Wow, you're amazing. You started off the day by sucking on your toe for the first time. Then you tried to climb onto the counter at Grandma's house. You said "hi" to the cat. When Boompah said "Bye," you said "Bah." Later you said "Mom," and Grandma turned to you and started to say "Gosh, it sounded just like you said 'Mom...'" when she realized you were staring at a picture of me. And then you crawled all the way across the couch on your hands and knees, the first time you've ever crawled like that. Apparently you just had a developmental leap today! Congratulations, and thanks for adding "Mom" to your vocabulary. You have no idea how happy it makes me.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Almost 7 months
This weekend you'll be seven months old.
We're still nursing, which is kind of amazing, since I went back to work and Grandma takes care of you all day. You got two teeth on the same day, and I think you have a top tooth coming now. You definitely say "hi" now, even though it sort of sounds like huh-iy. You also say "du! du!" when you see your toy duck. And you say "da da" a lot, although it's not always about Dad. You've also made your first sign, for water. When you see the sprinkler and Grandma says "water" and makes the water sign, you definitely try to emulate it.
You are standing up every chance you get, and you've even sidled along the coffee table in a sort of walking fashion. It's very slow and plodding, but you get around! You can turn around and take one hand off whatever you're holding onto. You like to crawl around and follow Daddy and the cat. You get VERY excited to see us when we come home, and you very clearly wave hello and goodbye.
You have been eating more solid foods -- you had some un-mushed rice today, and some diced pears this week, too. We've given you a chunk of apple to gnaw on and you enjoyed that. You LOVE oatmeal, avocado, spinach, sweet potato, applesauce, and peas.
You make all sorts of silly faces and noises. You sniff, snort, growl, fake cough, and squeal.
That's about all for now.
I love you more than you could imagine,
Mom
We're still nursing, which is kind of amazing, since I went back to work and Grandma takes care of you all day. You got two teeth on the same day, and I think you have a top tooth coming now. You definitely say "hi" now, even though it sort of sounds like huh-iy. You also say "du! du!" when you see your toy duck. And you say "da da" a lot, although it's not always about Dad. You've also made your first sign, for water. When you see the sprinkler and Grandma says "water" and makes the water sign, you definitely try to emulate it.
You are standing up every chance you get, and you've even sidled along the coffee table in a sort of walking fashion. It's very slow and plodding, but you get around! You can turn around and take one hand off whatever you're holding onto. You like to crawl around and follow Daddy and the cat. You get VERY excited to see us when we come home, and you very clearly wave hello and goodbye.
You have been eating more solid foods -- you had some un-mushed rice today, and some diced pears this week, too. We've given you a chunk of apple to gnaw on and you enjoyed that. You LOVE oatmeal, avocado, spinach, sweet potato, applesauce, and peas.
You make all sorts of silly faces and noises. You sniff, snort, growl, fake cough, and squeal.
That's about all for now.
I love you more than you could imagine,
Mom
Monday, September 29, 2008
I wrote all this stuff down...
and thought I ought to keep it here, where I'm putting the stuff for you. I love you, Zadie.
I can't believe it, but she's six months old! She had a checkup, and the doctor said to go ahead and go nuts with the solids, because she's ready. The doc commented again on her freakin' awesome head control. She's about a month away from getting teeth. She is finally at the 50th percentile for weight, yay!! Since her reflux seems to be mostly under control, we can stop thickening her formula.
I've given her bananas, avocados, sweet potato, and butternut squash. She seems to like everything. Yesterday at sushi she ate avocado off chopsticks very successfully.
She keeps trying to crawl. She can get anywhere she wants by army crawling, but she can't quite keep her ass off the ground and work her legs at the same time.
She likes her jumper, her swing, the cat, books, and eating paper. She has learned to blow raspberries and discovered that it makes me laugh when she does it with a mouthful of avocado, so she does it all the time.
She's obsessed with ears -- grabbing them and looking inside. She is really good at holding things and picking up small objects.
She babbles a lot now, and I hear lots of consonants -- b, v, r, l, d, g, and w. She wanders around here going "ah ba ra da da guh bala..." Her Boompah (my stepdad) always engages in conversation with her, so as soon as she sees him, she starts in.
She would really enjoy breaking the stereo. She turns it on and hits eject, and then tries to bang on the CD tray. Usually I can get to her before the banging begins.
She smiles when you smile at her. She laughs when you say "yay" or "ah" or blow raspberries on her stomach. She loves when you take her hands and make her clap.
She has just this week figured out waving. She doesn't do it consistently, but if you wave at her long enough, she'll open and close her hand.
No matter what you're eating, if you wave it toward her face, she'll open wide, expectant.
She can pull herself to standing on the arm of the couch, and is working on using her vibro-chair for the same purpose.
The other night as she was falling asleep, she closed her eyes, said "ba ba da da," then her eyes flew open and she leapt toward and latched onto my boob.
She will crawl across a room at breakneck speed just to chew on your big toe.
She thinks it's funny to roll over fifteen times during one diaper change.
And that is my girl at six months old.
I can't believe it, but she's six months old! She had a checkup, and the doctor said to go ahead and go nuts with the solids, because she's ready. The doc commented again on her freakin' awesome head control. She's about a month away from getting teeth. She is finally at the 50th percentile for weight, yay!! Since her reflux seems to be mostly under control, we can stop thickening her formula.
I've given her bananas, avocados, sweet potato, and butternut squash. She seems to like everything. Yesterday at sushi she ate avocado off chopsticks very successfully.
She keeps trying to crawl. She can get anywhere she wants by army crawling, but she can't quite keep her ass off the ground and work her legs at the same time.
She likes her jumper, her swing, the cat, books, and eating paper. She has learned to blow raspberries and discovered that it makes me laugh when she does it with a mouthful of avocado, so she does it all the time.
She's obsessed with ears -- grabbing them and looking inside. She is really good at holding things and picking up small objects.
She babbles a lot now, and I hear lots of consonants -- b, v, r, l, d, g, and w. She wanders around here going "ah ba ra da da guh bala..." Her Boompah (my stepdad) always engages in conversation with her, so as soon as she sees him, she starts in.
She would really enjoy breaking the stereo. She turns it on and hits eject, and then tries to bang on the CD tray. Usually I can get to her before the banging begins.
She smiles when you smile at her. She laughs when you say "yay" or "ah" or blow raspberries on her stomach. She loves when you take her hands and make her clap.
She has just this week figured out waving. She doesn't do it consistently, but if you wave at her long enough, she'll open and close her hand.
No matter what you're eating, if you wave it toward her face, she'll open wide, expectant.
She can pull herself to standing on the arm of the couch, and is working on using her vibro-chair for the same purpose.
The other night as she was falling asleep, she closed her eyes, said "ba ba da da," then her eyes flew open and she leapt toward and latched onto my boob.
She will crawl across a room at breakneck speed just to chew on your big toe.
She thinks it's funny to roll over fifteen times during one diaper change.
And that is my girl at six months old.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Almost six months
Hey darling. You're half-asleep on my lap after a rough day. You're teething, I think, and didn't nap hardly at all, which has made for a fussy baby. This has been an exciting month of firsts. You tried butternut squash for the first time last week and seemed to like it (you ate a lot!), and today you ate about a third of a banana. You are quite mobile and can get all around the house by crawling. You have discovered the stereo and turn it on every chance you get. You also seem to go for the power cords as often as you can. We're constantly pulling you away from dangerous things.
You love to laugh, and I can count on you to laugh when I lift you in the air and bounce you, when I say "Yay!" to you, make faces... apparently your Boompah can always make you laugh, too. You love playing Pat-a-cake with Grandma. You just learned how to blow raspberries, and practice every day. You are finally big enough for your Jumperoo, and you like being in it and bouncing your little tush off. You fall asleep when we carry you on walks most of the time. Last weekend we went to the AIDS walk and everyone fussed over you, then you slept for about half the walk. You love grabbing your daddy's nose, and when you're in a better mood, you nap with him. He sings you songs every morning and turns all your books into melodies.
You are getting so big! You have suddenly outgrown about half your clothes. The pile of things that no longer fit you grows every day, and the clothes that were huge on you just last month now fit you just right. You are a good eater, and I hope at your doctor's appointment we find that you have gained lots of weight. I suspect we will.
Grandma has been taking care of you during the day when Dad and I are at work. You two have been having lots of fun, going to Tupelo in the mornings for coffee, taking long walks, going to Grandma's house to see Boompah... It works very nicely. Sometimes I come home and Grandma and Dad are talking and you are crawling around, and it's just the sweetest scene on earth. It's so nice to come home to.
Well, I suppose that's about it. I can't believe almost half a year has passed since you came into my life. What a wonderful half a year. Thank you for it.
I love you enormously,
Mom
You love to laugh, and I can count on you to laugh when I lift you in the air and bounce you, when I say "Yay!" to you, make faces... apparently your Boompah can always make you laugh, too. You love playing Pat-a-cake with Grandma. You just learned how to blow raspberries, and practice every day. You are finally big enough for your Jumperoo, and you like being in it and bouncing your little tush off. You fall asleep when we carry you on walks most of the time. Last weekend we went to the AIDS walk and everyone fussed over you, then you slept for about half the walk. You love grabbing your daddy's nose, and when you're in a better mood, you nap with him. He sings you songs every morning and turns all your books into melodies.
You are getting so big! You have suddenly outgrown about half your clothes. The pile of things that no longer fit you grows every day, and the clothes that were huge on you just last month now fit you just right. You are a good eater, and I hope at your doctor's appointment we find that you have gained lots of weight. I suspect we will.
Grandma has been taking care of you during the day when Dad and I are at work. You two have been having lots of fun, going to Tupelo in the mornings for coffee, taking long walks, going to Grandma's house to see Boompah... It works very nicely. Sometimes I come home and Grandma and Dad are talking and you are crawling around, and it's just the sweetest scene on earth. It's so nice to come home to.
Well, I suppose that's about it. I can't believe almost half a year has passed since you came into my life. What a wonderful half a year. Thank you for it.
I love you enormously,
Mom
Monday, September 1, 2008
5 months
Dear Zadie,
What an amazing young thing you are turning out to be. Everyone who sees you comments on how strong you are, how alert, how intense... The sushi chef the other day said you looked like you could hypnotize people with your eyes.
You started staring at our water glasses and reaching for them, so we started giving you little sips. You LOVE it, and would keep drinking for five minutes straight if we didn't take the glass away.
You've learned to crawl! Well, it's not the four-limbed crawl yet, more of an army crawl with just your arms and a little push of your toes -- your tummy stays on the floor -- but it's getting there. More and more often you're lifting yourself into an all-fours position and rocking back and forth like you might go somewhere.
You're finally big enough for your jumper and high chair, and you're quickly outgrowing your Bumbo seat and vibrating chair. I've also got a pile of clothing you outgrew all of a sudden.
Tomorrow you get to start hanging out with Grandma during the day while I go back to work. I think that will be fun for you. Grandma loves to sing you songs, play pat-a-cake, and take walks with you. I hope you'll be a good napper for her.
You now turn and look when we say "where's Mommy?" or "where's Daddy?" I am totally jazzed about that.
Your grandpa made you the most beautiful stained glass with water lilies and koi. It's a little heavy, so he's making a frame for it before we hang it back up.
The funniest thing you do is something that isn't appropriate to get on video, so I'll have to describe it for posterity. When we lay down to take a nap, I usually have my shirt off. Sometimes you want to play instead of sleep, or sometimes you wake up ready to play. When you do, you climb on me, your hands on my tummy and feet on the bed. You stretch and bounce your legs like you're trying to jump over me, but then you'll catch a glimpse of my breast and pounce on it like a baby tiger. You'll nurse for just a second, then go back to playing, then nurse, play, nurse, play... Your latest nursing "thing" has been that you like to come at my breast from the top for some reason. The other day your dad came in to find you fast asleep on your tummy, but with your head against the middle of my chest and your mouth firmly latched on. It did not look comfortable. You'll also latch from anywhere -- sideways, upside-down... Your dad likes to tease me, because when you were first born I was afraid you'd never learn to latch, and now you're like the latch queen!
It's so exciting to see you grow. I love your chubby thighs and your round bootie.
I hope you won't miss me too much while I go back to work, but I know I'll miss you tons.
Love and kisses,
Mom
What an amazing young thing you are turning out to be. Everyone who sees you comments on how strong you are, how alert, how intense... The sushi chef the other day said you looked like you could hypnotize people with your eyes.
You started staring at our water glasses and reaching for them, so we started giving you little sips. You LOVE it, and would keep drinking for five minutes straight if we didn't take the glass away.
You've learned to crawl! Well, it's not the four-limbed crawl yet, more of an army crawl with just your arms and a little push of your toes -- your tummy stays on the floor -- but it's getting there. More and more often you're lifting yourself into an all-fours position and rocking back and forth like you might go somewhere.
You're finally big enough for your jumper and high chair, and you're quickly outgrowing your Bumbo seat and vibrating chair. I've also got a pile of clothing you outgrew all of a sudden.
Tomorrow you get to start hanging out with Grandma during the day while I go back to work. I think that will be fun for you. Grandma loves to sing you songs, play pat-a-cake, and take walks with you. I hope you'll be a good napper for her.
You now turn and look when we say "where's Mommy?" or "where's Daddy?" I am totally jazzed about that.
Your grandpa made you the most beautiful stained glass with water lilies and koi. It's a little heavy, so he's making a frame for it before we hang it back up.
The funniest thing you do is something that isn't appropriate to get on video, so I'll have to describe it for posterity. When we lay down to take a nap, I usually have my shirt off. Sometimes you want to play instead of sleep, or sometimes you wake up ready to play. When you do, you climb on me, your hands on my tummy and feet on the bed. You stretch and bounce your legs like you're trying to jump over me, but then you'll catch a glimpse of my breast and pounce on it like a baby tiger. You'll nurse for just a second, then go back to playing, then nurse, play, nurse, play... Your latest nursing "thing" has been that you like to come at my breast from the top for some reason. The other day your dad came in to find you fast asleep on your tummy, but with your head against the middle of my chest and your mouth firmly latched on. It did not look comfortable. You'll also latch from anywhere -- sideways, upside-down... Your dad likes to tease me, because when you were first born I was afraid you'd never learn to latch, and now you're like the latch queen!
It's so exciting to see you grow. I love your chubby thighs and your round bootie.
I hope you won't miss me too much while I go back to work, but I know I'll miss you tons.
Love and kisses,
Mom
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