14 Months is FUN!

Dear Charlotte,

You turned 14 months old yesterday.  So many fun things have happened this month.  This month, you perfected walking. You started toddling while we were in Maui.  Each day, Mimi would call G. Meme and report on the number of steps you took that day. "She took four steps before falling down." "Six steps today!" And then "seven" and "nine!"  Four weeks later, we've stopped counting.  You walk around the family room, picking up toys and pieces of paper, circling the couches over and over again.  You still fall all the time, but you always stand right back up.  Falling rarely fazes you, but sometimes, you take a serious tumble.  Bruises are not an uncommon occurrence these days, even the ones you get on your face from bumping into the corner of the wall, but even these rarely detract from your infectious smile.

You've become more clingy this month, more affectionate.  You cling to my legs or Daddy's legs when we drop you off at daycare, or when you're faced with a new place.  Luckily it doesn't last very long before you toddle off to explore and play.  Sometimes (not often, thankfully), you wake up in the middle of the night crying and nothing can console you but lying on me or Daddy.  It's as though you wake up needing a little reassurance that we're there.  You hug a lot more, lying your sweet face on my shoulder, or burying your face into a stuffed animal.  It just tugs at my heartstrings.

There have been some frustrations as well.  You, my little Goose, who used to be such a great eater, have turned into a picky one, refusing foods you used to love.  I worry about this somewhat, worrying that maybe cheese quesadillas don't have all the nutritional value you should get in one day.  Luckily, you do like fresh fruit.  So that helps.  You also get frustrated when eating and you throw food and your sippy cup off the high chair.  And my tellling you "No!" only elicits a grin and a "ha, ha, ha" from you.

Daddy and I have also been somewhat worried by your lack of talking, but just like everything else, you show us that we can't force these things.  You've never been one to mimic us -- it's just not your style -- but you listen and you absorb and you understand.

Just yesterday, you surprised us by saying and signing "all done!" (although it might be "all gone" we're not really sure).  Daddy says you did this other day whne he went to get you out of your careseat.  You threw your toy keys and your little pumpkin off to the side, threw up your arms and said "all gone!"  Too cute!  And not even a week after getting the baby signing DVD from the library, you're signing "flower" and saying "ball." So yes, you're getting there, but you do things your way and at your pace.

So my cute, independent, and funny girl, you keep doing your thing, and we'll keep enjoying the ride.  Because every day is an adventure and is more fun than the one before it.

Love always and forever,

Mommy

There she goes!

8 Months

Dear Charlotte,

You're 8 months old today!  You've had a pretty fun month, although it was marked by your first real fever and illness.  Still, you got through that like a champ and moved on to being your normal happy, smiling self.

This month, you've perfected the army crawl and are so close to learning that you could probably go much faster if you just stayed on your hands and knees.  You even crawled to Tandy's bowl and snatched up a handful of catfood before I could stop you.  And you put your hand in Tandy's water dish and splashed about, which I found gross, but you apparently quite enjoyed. 

You are also so close to being able to sit up on your own (you sit there fine if we plop you upright, but you haven't quite figured out how to go from crawling to sitting).  You love peek-a-boo.  Your daddy and I will hide below the crib and pop up and you just laugh and laugh.  You figured out pretty quickly that if you pull down the bumper you can see us.  You're pretty proud of yourself.

You've had a very long stretch of 12 hour plus sleeping, dotted with times where you're up screaming and inconsolable, but those times are rare. And during those 12 hours stretches, more often than not, we actually wake you up.  Daddy and I are very thankful for the extra sleep!

Your daycare lady swears that you wave and say "bye-bye" but I'm calling shenanigans as neither Daddy nor I have witnessed this.  You do open and close your hands in a waving-type motion, but it seems to have nothing to do with waving hello or goodbye.  It's still pretty cute though.  You babble all the time and your favorite string of consonants is "da-da."  Daddy is pretty tickled pink by that.

And oh my gosh!  We finally have signs of a tooth!  I thought it was some white food hanging on your upper gums, but no, it's a little bit of tooth poking out.  I swore when you were four months old that you were already teething (I got my first tooth at barely four months, but your Daddy was a late teether), but I guess not.  Maybe by 9 months, that tooth will have fully erupted.  In the meantime, you're pretty good at using your gums to mash up little pieces of food - you love cheese and bread just like Mommy, and you love hummus!

And here's a picture of you standing up, holding on to the ottoman.  You've been able to do this for three months or so, but only for a few seconds.  Now you love standing up and have figured out how to keep yourself upright if you start to topple over!

We love you a lot!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Dear Charlotte,

You are seven months old today! I can hardly believe it. You continue to amaze us more and more each and every day. You’ve had a pretty eventful seventh month. You went from sitting wobbly while unsupported to sitting like a pro. You’ve learned how to crawl! I first noticed it on New Year’s Day. What a great trick to learn to ring in the New Year. You haven’t quite figured out that you can get places faster by lifting your stomach off the ground and getting up on your hands and knees, but I know you'll be there in no time. It's so cute to watch you crawl. You fixate on an object -- a ball, the newspaper, Tandy -- and with such determination you go for it.

Places You've Been this Month:

• Chicago for Christmas – you’re quite the little traveler! Five roundtrip plane rides so far in your short life (and many more to go this year -- DC in February, St. Louis in May, and Hawaii in July). You enjoyed the snow and visiting with the Berry clan.
• San Diego for the Martin Luther King holiday – in San Diego, you went to your first trip to the zoo. We stood in line to see the new baby panda, and Daddy picked you up so you could see him better than from the stroller. It was so cute to watch you track the mama panda and laugh and smile. You also got to pet a goat! But don't worry, Auntie Kristen, we didn't let her hair anywhere near that goat's mouth. :)

Fun Things You Do:

• You continue to love eating solid foods. So far, everything we've tried has been a winner. Sometimes you're so hungry we can hardly get the food in your mouth fast enough!
• You've learned to grab the spoon and shove it in your mouth. This is funny, but makes feeding you a little difficult!
• I can sit you in front of my mirrored closet doors and you're so excited! You try holding hands with that baby in the mirror, but you can never quite grab her.
• One day, you, Daddy and I sat in front of the mirror together. Daddy and I raised our hands straight in the air. You watched us do it and then you raised your hand! It was pretty exciting.
• When we hold your hands, you pull yourself up to standing. You’ve been standing up while we hold you for a long time, but now we can see just how strong your little legs are!
  
  
  
  
  

You are just such a sweet and happy little baby. I was just looking through your pictures over the past few months and can’t believe how much you’ve changed. Your hair is growing longer and filling in, and I don’t know what to do with it! I guess some barrettes are in order next since your hair is out of control! Also, where are those teeth of yours??? Everytime you're cranky or have trouble sleeping, we swear that you're getting those teeth. But no, they still remain just below the surface. Speaking of sleeping, you've been sleeping so well again -- 10 to 12 hours a night, and very rarely do we need to go in and put that pacifier back in because you find it yourself!

Overall, each day is just so much better now that you’re in it. I can’t wait to find out what your 8th month has in store for you.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Charlotte,

I can't believe how much has changed in the past six months.  You've grown from a tiny newborn (okay, a big newborn, but tiny to me nonetheless) to an alert, happy, and funny six month old.

Charlotte, less than five days old

Charlotte at the Chicago airport, six months old

You know, a lot has changed with your daddy and me since you were born.  We weren't exactly what you would call party animals, but we did enjoy going over to our friends' homes and drinking wine until the wee hours.  That's not exactly possible anymore.  You are accustomed to your routine, and even though we've tried to have you sleep over at our friends' homes while we eat and play games, you have other things in mind and let us have it that night.  But it's okay.  We can have friends over at our house because you sleep great in your crib.  Plus, your daddy and I are content to spend most of our free time just staring at you in amazement at all the wonderful things you do. You're just so cute and sweet. I truly believe we hit the baby jackpot when we got you!

I could write a lot more about how much I love you and what you mean to me, but there are so many things I don't want to forget, so I'm going to just list them out.

New and Fun Things You Do

• You love food.  In the past couple weeks or so, you've gone from having general disinterest in solids to really getting excited.  You open up your mouth wide in anticipation of your next bite, and you get so excited that Mommy has a hard time getting the spoon in your mouth.  Carrots are a big hit!
• Since we've arrived in Chicago and Grandma and Grandpa Berry's house, you've started sitting up on your own.  You're also so close to crawling. You get one leg up, but your balance still isn't the greatest.  We know you'll be crawling around in no time (and then our lives will be over!)
• You continue to smile and laugh even though you have have a horrible cold and cough since we arrived.
• You're a big flirt.  You'll smile at anybody, but you particularly love men, young and old. This is bad news for Daddy, who says "no boys until you're 30!"
• You're making a lot of noise these days.  You have your vowel sounds down, as you say "EEEEEEEEEE" and kick your legs furiously (see below video).
• We keep thinking you're getting those bottom two teeth, but they have yet to make their appearance.
• Sleeping is still up and down, but we *think* you're finally swaddle-free!  You can get that pacifier in by yourself now, so having your hands free is very helpful!  And although we're still somewhat sleep deprived, it's really no big deal (except for those nights when we have you up too late and you're just so overstimulated you can't calm yourself down enough to sleep well -- those aren't very much fun).

So Charlotte, you are such a great joy to your daddy and me. We can't wait to see what's in store for you next!

Love,
Mommy