Twenty Months!

Julia is twenty months today. I can't believe she'll be two in just a few short months. I also can't believe that when Will was this age, I was six months pregnant. What was I thinking? Luckily, it was all worth it since we got Julia out of that deal. To mark twenty months, here's a couple of pictures taken recently by Catherine Mayo. Ju-ju has been difficult to photograph lately (understatement), so I'm glad we had these taken last week.

Eighteen Months!

Julia turned eighteen months a couple of weeks ago. That's right...eighteen months! How did we get here? If anyone tries to call Julia a baby these days, Will quickly corrects them and says, "No, she's a toddler!" And, he's right! She is in full-force toddler mode. She knows what she wants, but can't express it. Or, she doesn't know what she wants, and this makes her mad. And, her teeth are STILL working to come in. All of these combine to create a force of nature; I think she must be very advanced, as she seems to be hitting the "terrible twos" a bit early! For example, on Sunday afternoon when she was supposed to be napping, Julia was screaming her head off instead. And when no one came to her rescue quickly enough, she took off her pants and her (dirty) diaper, and threw them both on the floor. Luckily, it was easily cleaned up, she went to sleep after that incident, and Will thought it was the best story ever.

In general, she just has this look about her that lets you know she's trouble. She still throws her food and is very particular about what she will and won't eat. She's learned how to say "no" to accompany the vigorous head shaking--as if that wasn't clear enough. On certain occasions, if she doesn't like what you've picked out for her to wear, she will actually try to take it off (all while screaming "no, no, no!"), while you're trying to force it over her head. I thought we had a bit more time before she had an opinion on what to wear! She's also still in a bit of a hitting phase, although it seems that she often hits in order to be able to offer a hug afterwards. We've tried to explain that the hitting isn't a prerequisite, but she insists. When we put her in time out, she just gets up. If we speak sharply to her, she burst into tears, as if we have just slapped her across the face. In short, she's got us wrapped around her finger--and SHE KNOWS IT.

But, just as she offers some of our greatest frustrations right now, she also offers some of our greatest joys. Like when I pick her up to give her a hug, and she rubs or pats my back. Like the way she blows kisses, or wants to give each person in the family a kiss--on the arm, of all places. Or how she knows which books she likes, and requests "Moon" each night. And the way she's starting learning some of her friends' names from school--and will "tell" us about them when she gets home. The little smile that lights up a room. The big personality in an eighteen-month body. She is so precious--frustrations and all. As much as I lament this stage, I will be sad when it is over. When she's too busy for me to hold her. When she no longer requests to "rock" each night. Many days it's hard to savor each moment, but I'm doing my best. I know they'll be gone too fast.

Super hero of all things pink

Fourteen(ish) Months!

I missed the thirteen month mark. And, now she's been fourteen months for almost ten days. So, I think it's high time for an update on Julia! First of all, there are no more pink chair photos. I'm so glad I did it through a year old, but now she squirms and tries to dive out of the chair, so we've put an end to that. In fact, it's difficult to get ANY good pictures of her now--she is constantly on the move, so I mostly have pictures of the back of her head.

Julia has grown and changed SO much over the past two months. At about twelve and a half months, she started walking on her own, and hasn't stopped since. She is so independent, and doesn't care what anyone else is doing, except maybe Will. She's become a little speed demon, and she loves to attempt to follow Will around. Unfortunately (for us), she's fearless, so she's constantly trying to climb the stairs or just generally get into whatever she can. The pantry at our new house is her favorite play space--she loves to pick up granola bars out of the basket and put them in random places throughout the house. A fun game of hide and seek for mom and dad.

Julia's learned several new words in the past few months: 'nack' (for snack--really means ANY food item), milk, book, eyes, mouth, more (she can also do the sign), hi, bye-bye, night-night, Mama, Dada. She LOVES books and is always requesting that you read one, even at 4:30 AM when she thinks it's time to wake up for the day. Lately she's really been enjoying books that have some sort of activity--something where you lift the flap or something like Pat the Bunny. She also loves snacks and milk--I guess she's learned the words she really needs! She also knows the word "dog" and if you ask her what a dog says, she says "ooh-OOH, ooh-OOH" and it is too cute. She adores almost all animals, but seems to have a particular love (and absolutely no fear) of dogs. There are two huge (and very sweet) dogs across the street, and Julia constantly wants to go see them. She just walks right up and gives them a hug. In fact, if she sees a dog in a book, she gives the book a hug. She's a very affectionate little person!

One of my favorite things about this phase is the way that children pick up on all sorts of habits--things you don't even know that they're learning. If you give Julia a hairbrush, she tries to brush her hair. If she sees anything that resembles a phone, she picks it up and holds it by her ear, often with no hands--just the way I do it! If you ask her what's in her mouth--a favorite activity these days is picking up miniscule pieces of anything on the ground and putting them in her mouth--she will stick out her tongue and say AHHH.

Julia is such a delight (despite the early wake-up calls), but the one troublesome thing we've been dealing with is her ears. She's had an ear infection for seven weeks straight at this point, and she's on her fourth course of antibiotics in a row. I'm getting concerned as to why this isn't getting resolved and worried that more action is going to be required. But, she always seems so happy, regardless! Each time we go to the doctor for a recheck, I always think it will be resolved, but it never is. We're going back next Monday, so I'm hopeful yet again. She also seems a bit bothered by her teeth (it's always difficult to know what the actual problem is), but now she has at least two of her molars in, and so the teeth seem to be somewhat better. Possibly due to the new teeth, but possibly due to the steroids to try to clear up the ears--Julia has been on an eating BINGE! I was a bit worried for a while because all she would eat was strawberries (literally), but now she seems to eat anything and everything in sight. Tonight she had goldfish, peaches, dried fruit, turkey, a bit of santa fe soup and rice, and then some blueberries to round out the meal! I think this is possibly also a growth spurt, so I'm sure I should be thankful for the eating now, as in a week or two it will dwindle.

I know I'm missing so many things about little Juje, but since I will be posting every day now, I can write them as they come to me. She's such a funny little thing with such a big personality, and we are enjoying watching every minute. I can't WAIT to hear what she has to say as she starts talking more...no doubt she will have an opinion on everything.

One Year Old!

Dear Julia,
This week you turned one year old! I can't believe it--I thought time flew by with your brother, but the first year of your life has gone at lightening speed, and I'm not optimistic that things are going to slow down any time soon. Lately, it seems that you are doing new things each day, and I can barely keep up! You haven't learned to walk yet, but you love to pull up on things, and you've even started standing by yourself (without holding on) for several seconds at a time. Part of me can't wait for you to walk, and part of me feels that we should just keep you the way you are! I'm not sure which is easier...

You're such a funny baby, and I definitely haven't totally figured you out yet (and I'm not sure I ever will). In some ways, you're very affectionate, like when you throw your arms around me for a big hug or cuddle before bed, or the way you light up when you see your precious baby doll. But, you also have a "I can take care of myself" side, which I'm guessing comes from being the second child and being around your brother. You stand your ground with him, and as you get bigger, I'm sure you will get even more feisty. The other day at school, another little girl apparently kept bothering you and taking your toys. Well, the teachers said you'd finally had enough, and so you crawled over to her, got up on your knees, and pulled her down to the ground by her skirt. That should take care of that!

You're a pretty good eater, although you're not as into solids as Will was at this age. That's probably more our fault than yours, though, because I just can't believe that you're actually ready for "big girl" food. But, you do have six teeth to use for chomping, so I should probably give you more credit! You mostly eat baby food, but you like some real food like watermelon, strawberries, puffs (debatable as to whether that's real food), crackers, and yogurt. You also LOVE ice cream and cake, as we discovered on your birthday. And, you're still really interested in the bottle, and not very interested in a sippy cup or switching to real milk. I think we've got our work cut out for us on that transition, although you have been voluntarily cutting back on the number of bottles you want to take each day, so maybe it will be easier than I think. Regardless, you're certainly not hurting in the food department. When we went to the doctor the other day, you were 22.5 pounds (75th percentile) and 30.5 inches (90th percentile). Clearly you are healthy and growing well, and we are SO thankful for that.

You are talking a good bit, and it seems to increase each day. You know several words like Mama, Dada, uh-oh (first word), bye-bye (you like to add a wave with this one so we really know what you're saying), ball, and some variation on 'baby'. You also use inflection to indicate 'thank-you,' and you love to play a game where you give us an object, we say thank you and give it back, and then YOU say thank you. HOURS of fun, I tell you. You love to play, and you're usually quite independent. You'll crawl around and get into whatever toys and trouble that you can find, and you often don't mind if anyone else is along for the ride. You like books, too, especially ones that are 'lift the flap.' However, I certainly feel that I need to be better about reading to you more.

You're so busy during the day that I would think you would be an excellent sleeper, but it's not your strong suit. You're actually not bad--just not as good as your brother was, which is what I came to expect as the norm. You are a consistently early riser, but you've gotten to the point where you are sleeping from 7 PM until 5:30 AM on most nights. You seem to be teething again (this time I think it's your molars), so that has been disrupting you lately. With each new milestone, I keep holding out hope that you will sleep longer at night...i.e., "Maybe crawling will really wear her out and she'll sleep past 5:30!" or "I bet once she starts walking she'll sleep longer!" So far, no luck on that front, but I keep hoping. However, you are typically a really good napper, and it's not unusual for you to take two, two-hour naps a day on the weekends. At daycare, you typically only get one nap because there's just TOO much going on and you don't want to miss anything. But, you will usually nap for several hours at a time, which is something Will NEVER did.

I feel a little bit bad always comparing you to your brother, but he's my frame of reference. I thought that the way he did things was the way ALL babies did things (even though I knew that this wasn't really true), but you have shown me that you have your own way, your own preferences, and your own opinions. I have LOVED getting to know you over this past year--even during the frustrating moments--and I can't wait to watch you grow. I love you so much, my little girl.

Love,
Mama

Eleven Months!

I don't know why I even pretend like I'm going to post these updates on time anymore. Regardless, there has been a lot going on in Julia's life since I last posted. For one, I was right about her teeth...she did get several all at once...her four top middle ones! We had a brief reprieve from the teething pains, but now I think it's back in full force...see the constant "finger in mouth" look displayed in this month's picture.

On the sleeping front, we're still about where we were last month. I think she just may be an early bird, because it seems that 5:30 is as late as it gets, usually. She also still does some of her late night talking, and I can't figure out if that's due to teething pains or too much daytime napping (or some other mysterious force). I've just accepted that a full night's sleep is not in the cards for now.

Julia moved up to a new class at school this month, and she seems to be really enjoying it. In Infant II, she has more time and space to move around and crawl and play...all of her favorite things! Of course, this new found freedom means that she's also not napping as well, but luckily, she still doesn't get too cranky in the evenings, even without much nap.

This month Julia also started pulling up on everything! I love to watch her mind work as she attempts to figure out how she can hold her baby, pull up and get another toy, and then take everything across the room. I know she is dying to walk so she can accomplish this! I can just picture the lightbulb moment when she realizes she can travel AND carry things with her. Life will never be the same! It's been very funny watching Julia play, because obviously we have lots of boy toys around the house. Of course, Julia will play with blocks, legos, and cars, but she's really started gravitating toward her babydoll, which is so fascinating to me. We haven't really emphasized playing with babies, but it seems that girls and boys are just wired differently. She LOVES that baby and lights up when she sees it...she calls it "A-DAAYEEE". She's also started saying, "uh-oh," "Mama," and "Dada" although I'm not positive that she associates Mama and Dada with me and Zach.

There are lots of things I'm forgetting, and of course, this post doesn't begin to capture Julia's little self. But, hopefully it will at least give me a reminder of what was going on at eleven months. I can't believe my baby will be one in just a few weeks! It has gone too fast...

Ten Months!

We've been busy, and I'm late once again on this post. Julia has also been quite busy since the last post I did about her. For starters, let's talk about her picture. This month, it became very difficult to get a good picture of her because she kept attempting to dive out of the chair! That's right--our little girl is on the move. She learned to crawl over 4th of July weekend and hasn't stopped since. She just keeps getting faster. Now, if you turn your back for two seconds, she will disappear! In other motor skills, she has also learned to clap and she's working on her wave. Important skills for her future in beauty pageants.

Around the 4th of July, Julia also got her first tooth! She is now the proud owner of the two middle bottom teeth. The rest of the teeth seem to be tormenting her, and I keep thinking she's going to get a bunch at one time. I asked my dentist for a magical teething remedy, so he gave me something that includes peragoric, benadryl, and lidocaine. When I told our pediatrician about it, he said, "I didn't know people still used that!" At this point, as long as it isn't going to cause grave injury, I'm up for it! I think the teething is really affecting Julia's (already-not-so-good) sleeping, and this remedy, along with the teething tablets and Motrin, seems to have helped. Now, most nights she will sleep until around 5:30 without waking up, but we still have plenty of times where she thinks it's a great idea to have a party in the middle of the night. She doesn't scream or even cry; instead she just talks, loudly, with a bit of fussing thrown in for good measure, for a REALLY LONG TIME. Zach and I have taken to alternating nights for earplugs, so at least one of us can get a good night's sleep.

One thing I really love about this stage is watching Julia's personality develop. She's got a very chill, relaxed attitude about things, but at the same time, she is super energetic and extremely busy...a little maniac. I still find it hard to believe that BOTH children have gotten Zach's boundless energy. When do I get the child that sits quietly and reads by herself, like I surely did as a child?! Anyway, Julia is so funny to watch. She loves attention, but she's also very independent and content to entertain herself. If Will comes and takes a toy from her, she crawls over and gets a new one. I think Will hopes and expects her to be outraged, and it almost angers him when she's not. Conversely, if she picks up a toy that he was playing with, he will have a complete freak-out. It's hilarious to watch Julia's face when this happens; it's clear she's thinking, "What is HIS problem?"

She's an adorable little girl, and I particularly love that she's in a Mommy phase right now. I am preferred over everyone else, and I will admit that it's a little bit flattering. I love to see her full-body eruption of joy (and that's really the only way to describe it--she starts laughing and flapping her arms and legs) when she gets home from school and sees me. I'm trying to savor each moment of it because I know it won't last. In a few years, she'll being singing Will's current refrain of "You're mean. You're not my friend." And then later, there will be the teenage years, a thought that makes me shudder. But for now, she is my sweet, sweet girl, and I am loving every minute with her (well, except for the 3:30 AM parties--those, I could do without).

Nine Months!

Last week Julia turned nine months old! In the past couple of weeks, I feel like we have had an explosion of activity and new skills. Julia is on the cusp of so many changes; as my mom says, she's a very ambitious baby! She is DYING to learn how to crawl, but just can't get it together quite yet. She pulled up once by herself, but hasn't done it again since (thank goodness...I'm not ready for an early walker). She is really ready to MOVE! For now, she'll settle with bouncing in her exersaucer or jump-a-roo. She is also babbling a ton; unfortunately, she seems to be focusing on saying "dada".

She's a good eater--you can tell that by her adorable chubbiness! I've completely weaned her, but she's doing well on formula, and she's really picking up her baby food habit (but still no teeth!). When we were at the beach, it seemed like we couldn't feed her enough...it must have been a growth spurt. When we last went to the doctor, she was 19 pounds, 5 ounces (60%) and 29.5 inches tall (97%)! People always comment on what a tall baby she is.

Poor baby has been sick a lot. Fortunately, nothing bad, but just always a little something that keeps her under the weather. She's a trouper, though! While we were at the beach, we're pretty sure she had Fifth Disease (just a virus that causes a rash on the cheeks, cold-like symptoms, etc.), and then this past weekend she was very sick...fever in the 102-103 range for four days and then a bout of throwing up. As best we can tell, that was just a virus, too, and she seems to be MUCH better. But, she clearly didn't feel well and was Miss Pitiful. All she wanted to do was be held and cuddled (of course, I didn't mind!). We were spoiled with Will because he was never sick enough to be home from school--he only missed a day or two in his first two years. But, Julia has been sick a lot, which, aside from being no fun for her, is also very disruptive for Zach and me. And of course, I can't have one of these posts without commenting on sleep--fortunately, it's gotten much better. The sickness(es) and the beach were somewhat disruptive, but all in all, things are good and she's usually sleeping about 10.5 - 11 hours at a time. In the mornings, as long as we make it to a number that starts with 5, I'm okay. My how my standards have changed...

As I always say, I can't believe another month has gone by (a running joke in our house because I'm constantly commenting on it). I can't believe that Julia is much closer to being a toddler than she is to a newborn. This morning, we put all of the "baby" stuff in the attic...up went the swing, the play mat, the boppy, the breast pump. We've lowered Julia's crib to the lowest setting. Her new "big girl" car seat arrives on Wednesday. All signs point to a baby who's growing up. Good thing she's ready, because I'm not sure that I am!

Eight (and a half) Months!

I took her picture on the right date, but I never actually posted about it. I was just reading what I wrote for Julia's seven month post, and it's amazing how so many of the things I wrote about then seem to be the opposite now. So, let me start off by telling you what Julia is NOT doing at eight (and a half) months old:

• She is NOT sleeping for 12 hours at a time like I'd like her to be. Granted, she's gotten much better and now usually wakes up between four and five. So, I guess I can't really complain when she's sleeping nine or ten hour stretches, but I'd like to drop that wake up.
• She does NOT have any teeth. I'm surprised by this, because I've thought she was teething for months. Of course, when she starts really teething, I'm sure the sleeping will get worse than it is now. Not sure what to do about that...
• She is NOT babbling as much as she was a month ago. She still makes lots of noise, but it's mostly screeching and humming and vowel sounds. She doesn't seem to make many consonant sounds, which worries me a bit. We'll see what Doctor Levin says about that (I think my frame of reference is a bit skewed due to Will.)
• She is NOT completely weaned, although we are close. I have recently quit nursing her, which was really very easy, but we still have lots of frozen breast milk. She takes bottles of breast milk or formula very well.
• She is NOT super excited about baby food. She eats pretty well, but it just doesn't seem that she eats even close to as much as Will did. Again, I think Will was likely an outlier.
• She is NOT crawling, but she is dying to move. She just can't quite get it together. She still does her crazy arm and leg flapping, and I think we are screwed when she figures out coordinated motion.

Despite all of these "nots," she is still the perfect little baby. She loves interacting with us and especially with Will. I love to watch them together and can't wait to see how they are as they grow up.

Seven Months!

Note the PJs...we almost missed our monthly picture-taking!

So, Julia turned seven months old last week, but due to the plague that infected our house (see previous post), I didn't have a chance to post about it. Let's get the obvious out of the way first: she's still not sleeping through the night. However, we have made progress in this arena in that she now knows how to get herself to sleep on her own. So, at bedtime, naptime, or in the middle of the night, we can rock her for a few minutes, put her down in her crib, and she's usually asleep within a few minutes (sometimes there is a bit of crying or talking). So, this is an improvement! Now, at least if we're up in the middle of the night, it's just for a few minutes instead of two hours. But still, we've got to do something to get her to sleep through, and I'm afraid that's going to involve ignoring her. I just wish I knew if she is truly hungry when she wakes up...she always chugs her bottle, but who knows if that's just because it's there. I don't want to deny her food if she needs it (my pediatrician claims she doesn't at this age), but I also want to stop this 3AM wake up! So, we'll see how it plays out.

On a non-sleep note, seven months is so much fun! Julia is the happiest baby I've ever met, always smiling, giggling, cooing, and talking. Apparently I am hilarious, because every time she looks at me she starts giggling and patting my face. But, Will is by far the funniest person on the planet, according to her. She just cackles at him! She's really started babbling a lot in the past month, too, with her favorite word being "ah-da". She's sitting up well now, and also likes laying on her back and kicking her legs and waving her arms. She seems to even enjoy tummy time more, and we found her asleep on her belly during naptime the other day! She loves her exersaucer, but is quickly outgrowing her swing and bouncy seat because she tries to kick or sit up every time she's in them.

On the eating front, she's still nursing, but I will likely give that up soon, although I'm very conflicted about it. She's also gotten better at eating her baby food and seems to like more and more types of food each week (and wants more and more quantity!). Overall, she's just a wonderful, happy, snuggly baby. We love each minute with her!

Six Months!

Julia turned six months old on Sunday (and yes, I know I'm late on this post, but I'm pretty proud that it's only two days late). One-half of her first year of life is now gone...it has flown by. It seems that the more she develops and the more interactive she becomes, the faster the time goes. Which, I guess makes sense. She is a lot more fun now than she was in the pet rock stage of the first few weeks.

Anyway! Month six was a busy one. It was also the one in which Julia decided that she forgot how to sleep. (Actually, that might have happened in month five, but I'm too sleep-deprived to really keep track of these things.) So, for some reason, she is waking up every night, usually for about an hour an a half, and mostly just to play and interact. She's not typically upset, just AWAKE! I think the real problem is the cough/congestion that she's had for several months (she was diagnosed with bronchiolitis and put on a nebulizer this month, too...the excitement never ends). The cough wakes her up, or vice versa, she wakes up and starts coughing, and then she can't settle down and get herself back to sleep. It also means that we can't really do any sleep training because I don't want to leave her in her room alone while she's hacking up a lung. So, for now...we're just awake. I've tried feeding her, not feeding her, swaddling her, not swaddling her, giving her a toy in her crib, giving her her pacifier, etc. etc. We're going to the doctor on Thursday, so I'll see if he has any suggestions. I sure would like to get this resolved sooner rather than later.

In other news from this month, Julia rolled from her back to her tummy, and although she thinks that is a great skill, she doesn't like her tummy once she gets there. She's also getting much better at sitting up, even improving in the last week. She's started a few baby foods--oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and applesauce so far--and she does reasonably well. She gets pretty distracted while she's eating, so it takes FOREVER to get her to take just a little bit of food. I'm sure she'll get better as we go along. She is also gnawing on everything, including her hands and feet, which I find adorable...maybe a tooth is coming soon (although Will didn't get his first until eight months).

In general, she's a sweet, happy baby, as you can see from the picture. She is learning and growing everyday--I can't wait to see how big she is when we go to the doctor. I just hope we can all start getting some more sleep sometime soon! Hopefully I won't be talking about the same things in month seven.

Five Months!

This is what sweet, adorable, five-monthness looks like:

I mean, look at those cheeks! I could just eat them up. My dad jokes that she looks like she is storing up for winter. And then there's the hair...I'm learning to accept that her hair just isn't her best feature, at least not now. You can't see this in the pictures (obviously), but she has a HUGE bald spot on the back of her head because she only likes to sleep and lay on her back. Will thinks it is hilarious and loves to say, "I want to kiss her little bald spot." Again, dad has some helpful suggestions on that...baby Rogaine or some spray-on hair before her baptism.

Lots of things have been happening for Julia in the last month...the spitting up and pooping have subsided (and actually gone the other way, but that's a whole other story), we have weaned her from the Miracle Blanket, which actually went pretty well, and she's growing and learning new things by the minute. She loves to chew on her hands, and she still loves her pacifier. She likes to hold (and chew on) little toys, and she loves batting at the toys on her bouncy and mobile. She can roll from her tummy to her back, when she wants to, but has made NO moves to roll from back to tummy. She's sleeping pretty well, but waking up very early to eat, and also sometimes waking up just to chat in the middle of the night. She's doing well at daycare and is a great napper (a fact that I've been worried to mention, for fear that just speaking of it will jinx us). She's still nursing well, but no solid foods yet--we'll probably start that in the next few weeks. She rarely cries and is just a sweet, content--but very BUSY--baby. She is always moving, particularly her little hands and arms, just like she did while in my belly. I love, love, love this stage of babyhood (although I wish we could get some improvement on the nighttime sleep, for both her and Will).

It's funny how little I remember about the stages and what they should be doing when. In some ways, I feel like I baby her too much ("It can't be time for her to do that yet! She's only five months!"), but in some ways, I expect too much. She's five months...shouldn't she be sitting up? (Um, no.) Do I need to worry that she's not rolling over both ways? (Again, no.) Do I need to move the mattress in her crib and take down her mobile already? (That one is probably a 'yes'.) I thought I'd have it more together with the second and know everything I needed to know, and in some ways, I do. But, she's a different baby than Will, a different person. So, I'm having to re-learn some things and come up with new ways for other things. As usual, we're just figuring it out as we go!

*Yes, I back-dated this post so that it would appear that I posted it on her actual five-month birthday and not four days later.

Four Months!

Julia is now four months old, which I really can't believe. It seems like time is flying by so fast, which worries me because I felt like once Will turned four months, I blinked and then he was a year. These next few months are my favorites...smiley, happy babies who are so engaging and responsive. So far, Julia is not disappointing in that department. She smiles and coos and has just started giggling...more than any baby I know. She loves to chew on her hands, and she's started noticing her feet, too. She's also learning how to hold little things, like rattles, and even move them around and into her mouth. It's very cute...whenever Will sees Julia holding something, he immediately cheers, "Baby Julia holding it! YAY! YAY BABY JULIA!!" I guess I told him that it was tough for babies to learn to hold things, and now he feels he should be encouraging.

I know I'm a broken record, but we're just really enjoying our little family. I can't wait to see what 2009 will bring for us all.

Three Months!

Julia is three months old today! She is such a good, sweet baby. She is a good sleeper, and a pretty good eater, although she doesn't always seem that interested in food (I'm thus not sure she's really my daughter). She is always smiling and "talking," and she is very busy...always kicking and moving her arms. The other morning I thought she was about to take off. She loves her swing and she even likes her car seat. She doesn't seem bothered by Will constantly trying to give her a kiss, even when she's sleeping. She's a delight, and we're loving having her as part of the family, especially as we see her little personality developing.

I had to include two photos this month because the second one cracks me up...the way she is propped up in the chair, she looks like a tiny professor pontificating on an important issue! A note about that outfit: she is now wearing six-month clothes because she's too long for the three month stuff, but she doesn't fill out the six-month stuff. So, she's a bit "in-between" on the sizes. Also, not two minutes after I finished taking these pictures, she spit up on the outfit, a fact that really encapsulates Julia's first three months...lots of spitting and pooping, and thus, LOTS of outfit changes. Luckily, she has the wardrobe to accommodate her.

Another note: Poor baby is having some skin issues, which is not surprising in this family. She essentially has cradle cap on her face...a dry, red rash. I can't tell if it itches, because she doesn't seem too bothered by it, but it's not very pretty. It's also on her eyelids, which makes her eyes look a little swollen. We're going to the doctor this week for her three-month check-up, so I'll be interested to hear what he has to say about all of that.

I feel so lucky to have such a sweet little girl and to have my biggest worries be outfit changes and a rash! We are all loving watching Julia grow and develop. I am definitely getting sad thinking about going back to work and sending her to daycare. She's gone twice for a few hours so far, but I really love having her with me during the day. I love seeing her smile and listening to her coos. I think it's going to be a tough transition come January...

Two Months!

Julia was two months old yesterday. She is still a super-sweet baby with a great temperament. She is sleeping pretty well, including sleeping through the night a few times (we hope that will become routine soon)!

One Month!

Nine Months!

Will is nine months old today! I can't believe it...I simultaneously feel like "I can't believe it's already been nine months!" and "It's only been nine months? REALLY??". No one explained to me that having children somehow speeds up the passage of time.

This has been a big month for Will. It seems that he is changing and learning new things every day. As cliched as it sounds, he is turning from a baby into a little boy right in front of my eyes. Once again...those conflicting feelings...I'm so sad that his babyhood is coming to a close because it has gone too fast, but at the same time, I'm amazed/proud/overwhelmed by the little person that he is becoming.

Here are just a few notable things about Will's ninth month of life:

• He was 22 lb. 9 oz. and 29.5 inches tall at his check-up in the middle of May.
• He went on his first airplane trip in the beginning of May. We flew to Norfolk to see Kay Hildreth, better known as Gogo--Zach's grandmother and Will's great-grandmother. Will was great on all of the flights (we had to connect both ways). He had his own seat and slept in his car seat for much of the time. Zach and I were amazed by all of the gear we had to tote with us! While we were in Virginia, Zach and I went to Lindsay Fisher's wedding in Williamsburg, and Gogo, Coco (aka Carol), and PopPop (aka Bill) kept Will overnight.
• He got his first tooth this month, and then, because that wasn't enough of a trick, he got ANOTHER ONE! That's right, he is now the proud owner of his two middle bottom teeth.
• He moved to the "big boy" class at school--Infant Two. In doing so, he left behind the comfort of his favorite teacher (and only babysitter), Laura. In Infant Two, lots of the kids are crawling and some are walking. In this class, they get to go outside on occasion (although, I can't imagine coordinating that), eat finger foods, and have a regular nap schedule. This has been a pretty big transition, and we are still working on it.
• He is moving toward a nap schedule (sort of) imposed on him by the Infant Two classroom--see previous bullet. Will has always believed that naps were for sissies and were just a cruel trick meant to limit his time playing and hanging out with Mommy and Daddy. So, a relatively regular nap schedule--even if they are short naps--is a big breakthrough. We'll keep working on solidifying it, and I'm sure just as we do, the schedule will change.
• Two words: Separation Anxiety. Will has realized that Zach and I are his most favorite people EVER. While this is extremely flattering, it also makes it quite difficult to drop him off at school. Last week he crawled/scooted after Zach as Zach tried to leave the classroom. Which brings me to my next point...
• He's learned to crawl/scoot! What he is doing is most accurately described as an army crawl because he doesn't actually get his tummy off the ground. However, this does not stop him from motoring about. He's particularly quick on the hardwood floors. Because we are bad parents, we haven't childproofed yet, but I promise, it's on our list of things to do.
• He's started eating a few finger foods like Cheerios, teething biscuits, and a dissolvable, non-food substance known affectionately as "puffs". He is excellent at picking up bits of food, but hasn't quite mastered the release of the item into his mouth.
• Will had his first "swimming" experience in Coleman Petrey's baby pool. Both of the kiddos looked adorable in their swim suits that came to their ankles, and they did really well in the water. Will mainly wanted to chew on the pool toys we provided, but he also liked splashing a little and leaning over the side to pull up pieces of grass. It's the simple things, I tell you.

So, like I said, it's been a big month. Army crawling, swimming, a new classroom, teeth...what more could you ask for? I can't wait to see what month ten holds! We feel so lucky to have such a happy, fascinating little personality in our midst.