4 Months

I should be napping. You know, resting while my two little ones are asleep. And yet, I really want to write this out before I take Aubrey's 4 month pictures in hopes I can publish it in the next few days. Life with two kids is the best whirlwind to be caught up in, though I'd be lying if I said it was all a piece of cake.

I can't capture it in these photos, since I'm always by myself, but you smile like this while hiding your face in the shoulder of whoever is holding you

Maybe I should nap and try to write when I'm more awake...the words you're reading are the only ones coming to my mind.

Such a happy girl!

4 Month Stats

• You have gained 3 pounds since your 2 month visit: you weigh 15 lbs 10.2 oz.
• Though I'm not 100% sure of how accurate these measurements are, my guess is they can't be too far off as your clothes size seems to say it's right: you measure 25.75 inches.
• You're in size 3 disposable diapers and after a week of disposables, may I say I am SO happy to be using cloth again because we have had 0 blowouts in them but every dirty diaper was a blowout, even with, in my opinion, the best disposable.
• You fit in 6-9 month and 9 month size clothes.

Blurry picture...I know. I just love the face you're making :)

• You are all out belly chuckling. The easiest way to make you laugh is to hold you facing out, then chase Zoë. Squeals of delight and tons of belly laughter ensue when we play that game.
• You prefer to have someone to "talk" to and will babble for as long as you have someone's attention.
• You can roll from tummy to back and back to tummy. As much as you dislike being on your tummy, you are almost always trying to get on your tummy when you're on your back.
• Sometimes you do everything to get yourself on your side to sleep. While you still sleep on your back, I will occasionally have to sneak into the room for something and you're sacked out on your side, usually you're right side.
• You have found your fingers, though never your thumb. All in the last week you went from sucking on any form of 2-3 fingers, occasionally all four, to preferring your two middle fingers. Also, though you'll use either hand, you prefer your right.
• You are almost always all smiles. You really only fuss if you've had to wait too long between meals, are overtired, or we've missed the fact that your diaper needs to be changed.

Your smile seriously lights up a room.

• If you're tired, you will act like you might smile, then pout and cry.
• You ADORE and cannot get enough of  your sister :) The great part is she wants to play with you a lot too. I'm sure once you're more mobile the two of you are going to be best buds.
• You are perfecting blowing/making spit bubbles.
• You LOVE to blow raspberries. This is especially true when we're putting you down for a nap or bed. You will leave a huge wet spot on our shirts from blowing them. We can't help but laugh when you do it.

Goodness you are getting long!

• Though it may be a while before teeth cut, we're pretty sure you are teething. For a while I wasn't sure if I could feel something under your gums or not. Either way, you're definitely in the stage of needing a bib :)
• You love Cody. We know because he would lay right next to you and you wouldn't move as much. Also, (oh, how this grosses me out) he would lick you and you wouldn't make a peep. Gag!!
• You are beginning to reach for objects. Though your hand doesn't always get where you want it, you will focus on whatever you want, lean towards it, and gruuuuuuuunt. 
• You grasp any object placed close enough to your hands.

You make this face a lot. And, though I'm not sure why, it makes me laugh. every. time.

Aubrey,

It has been a joy to have you in my life these past 4 months. Watching you grow and seeing bits of your personality begin to unfold is so fun. You are such a delight, definitely a "happy" baby. I can't wait to see all you add to our family!

I love you!

Mommy

3 Months In...Golly Gee

*Note: so while I had every intention of posting this and writing a little note to Aubrey right around her 3 month birthday, I didn't get to it. Honestly, I don't feel like I sit in front of my computer much these days, though I'm working to figure out the best way to make it routine again. I haven't even uploaded the pics on my camera, so you're getting the ok pics from my phone*

I'm going to play the broken record of parenthood: time flies! My sweet baby is already 3 months old. And I'm lost here on my blog because I'm attempting to soak it all in.

Her smile kills me! Sooo contagious.

As I think back on this past month, I'm realzing there aren't many changes as far as Aubrey's growth. Or I'm so used to being around her, or tired, or both, I'm missing the obivious milestones she is reaching. Either way, I am trying to live in the present and enjoy both of my tiny blessings amidst the difficulties parenting brings.

She ADORES her big sister!

With that being said...

3 Month Stats

• According to our scale, you weigh a little over 15 pounds.
• You barely fit in size 6 month clothes, though size 6-9 months is slightly big on you and 9 months is definitely big. Of course, we use those sizes because with cloth diapers, you're definitely too big for size 6 months.
• You're in size 2 diapers if we use disposables.
• You haven't repeated it but you giggled at Gigi when we were visiting the last week of April.
• You have started doing a "shy" smile when someone is attempting to get you to smile. It is SO cute! You'll scrunch one side of your nose up, smile, and hide your face in my shoulder.
• Zoë gets the best smiles out of you! It is apparent you love your sister and I'm even thinking I've seen some discontent with being stuck while she's running around.
• If you are propped on your side, you will roll to your tummy. However, I'm pretty sure you're not doing it on purpose as you still hate being on your tummy. The only time you will stay quiet is if I've put you on it when you're sleepy. Then you will occasionally quietly watch and fall asleep if I let you.
• If I time it right, you take a 2 to 2.5 hour nap in the morning and early afternoon. Then, if you don't decide to have witching hour, which is thankfully generally mild, you will nap from around 4:30 to 6.
• Depending on your mood, you will nurse anywhere from 15 minutes total to 50 minutes. The longer times are generally your last "awake" time to nurse.
• You will occasionally squeal. We haven't figured out what brings out the squeals, but they are definitely peals of content escaping your lips.
• You are perfecting the art of spit bubbles.
• If I set you on your back on the play mat, you scoot yourself backwards. You've even moved over a little ways from where you were.
• You've started talking to inanimate objects. You're favorite is a frog rattle hanging off your play gym. However, you've learned to enjoy and like the musical star on the play gym.
• You've begun smiling and talking to me while you're nursing. It makes for lengthier sessions, but I don't mind. Sometimes you will even coo just to get my attention.

2 Months Old

As time continues to fly, I'm beginning to realize the speed at which my children grow is beginning to surprise me a little less, though it still elicits a shake of my head and a little disbelief. I think it always will. Something I am grateful for, though, is how, with time, I am learning to cherish each moment given me. I'm actually finding myself soaking in the little moments.

And it's a good thing too because I feel Aubrey is growing at a more rapid pace than Zoë did, probably because she is bigger than Zoë was at 2 months. (Ha! And soon I will be needing to post a 3 month post. I'm also behind which makes her feel much older.)

(I'm so bummed! I looked at the pics when I took them, but I must have been really tired because they are none as good as I thought I'd captured with my little point 'n shoot. Boo!)

2 Month Stats

• You weigh 12 lbs 11 oz (84 %ile), measured 24 inches long (98 %ile), and your head circumference was 15.5 inches (85 %ile).
• You are fully on a schedule now, and though you're a pretty flexible baby, you prefer to stick with your schedule and will find ways to get back on track if I'm not paying attention. Here is what your typical day looks like:

- wake around 7 am and nurse

- down for a nap around 8:30/8:45

-wake somewhere around 11 and nurse

-down for another nap between 12:30/12:45

-if you sleep well, I usually have to wake you around 3 and you nurse

-you either fight this nap and I nurse you at 5 or you go back down for a nap around 4:30/4:45

-either way the rest of the evening becomes crazy because you usually want to nurse when you wake from the nap around 5:45/6ish (I prefer to keep bedtime between 7/7:30, but you won't always nurse well if you eat at 6) or you want to be held the rest of the evening

-bath every other night

-swaddle and nurse while we read and sing with you and Zoë around 7

*note* This "schedule" is more what I aim for and have found makes you most content when we can get it - as noted above that you will try to get back to it if I've somehow managed to get off track. However, there are many days this just doesn't even come anywhere close to being the outline of our day. C'est la vie!

You're my little chubby baby! Those cheeks! I kiss them all. the. time!

• Speaking of nursing, you're a drowsy nurser, but you like your milk so much that you've managed to figure out how to nurse anywhere from 10-15 minutes/side (sometimes less!) and get everything you need. You almost always look like you're coming out of a milk-induced coma when you're finished because you've partially fallen asleep and usually have a little bit of milk on your chin.
• You aren't much of a fan of having a wet diaper, to the point I have to change you before the liner is really even completely wet most of the time.
• Everyone asks who you look like, and while you have many similarities to your older sister, you are also uniquely you, which I love! For instance, your lips are different. And though I can't always put my finger on it, there are just features which make you, well...you!
• You LOVE to snuggle! There are moments I have thought you were asleep because you weren't moving and had nestled right into me. But when I look, I see you're not even tired, just enjoying being held.
• You hate tummy time, though you're beginning to tolerate it more as you're able to pick your head up more and more.
• You hold you're head up really well most of the time. Sometimes you lose control and bang your head into my clavicle or jaw...those moments aren't so pretty, though sometimes I'm more phased by it than you.
• You started smiling right before your two month old birthday. However, we've noticed you smile with your eyes and will try to not smile with your lips sometimes. It's really cute to watch you and I always wonder what is going on in your mind.

Your first "See How I'm Growing" picture

• You love, love, love your sister. You enjoy watching her, smiling at her, being next to her. Well...most of the time! You're not a fan of when she is trying to share take over my lap while I'm nursing or holding you. Though I can't say I blame you, as that usually means her comfortable position is uncomfortable for you and I'm maneuvering both of you to keep you from being squished and her happy.

You even allow the torture of an empty bottle. I'm pretty sure she thinks you're her baby doll :)

• Oh, you're in 3-6 month/6 month size clothes. And though we don't use them that much, you're in a size 2 diaper. If you keep growing at the rate you are, my guess is we will have to buy new clothes for you because the seasons won't match up.
• You love to work on building leg strength by us holding up you and letting you stand. Sometimes you'll stand for several minutes before you decide you need a break.
• We tried to get you to take a paci, but with no success. You have a high enjoyment of sucking on your fist, but I guess because you take the bottle like a champ, you expect a paci to put out. And when it doesn't, you squint your face into a "I don't like this" contortion, and promptly spit the paci out. I can only hope you don't start sucking your thumb...
• We are having a time coming up with a nick name for you. Daddy wanted to call you Bear, but I just don't find that sticking. 

Obviously, this isn't from your 2 month old pictures, but because I took it not much later than your 2 month pics, I had to share it. Such a happy baby with a sweet smile!

My Sweet, Sweet Aubrey,

Though I'm so glad you're healthy, I'm no fan of how rapidly you're growing. The tiny, curled-in-a-fetal-position infant doesn't happen much anymore, though I am grateful you enjoy cuddling. I am so grateful for you! Though I can slightly remember what life was like before you joined us, I do not miss it at all. You already add so much to our little family!

While you seem to be very laid back, you are not shy about telling us what you need. You are very adament about your dislike of a wet bum or telling us when you're ready to change scenery or even if we've kept you up too long. 

I am loving getting to know you more every day! I can't wait to see how your personality unfolds!

I love you!

Mommy

2 years old (What?!)

I could also title this post "Mom Is Only Capable of Keeping Us Alive Right Now".  As witnessed by the lack of blogging these days. Though we are thoroughly exhausted, I can't blame it on a child who isn't sleeping: she is already sleeping through the night and I'm getting to go to bed, usually no later than 11:30 as I give her a dream feed somewhere between 10 and 11.

I had every intention of getting Zoë's 2 year old post up no long after we went for her check-up, as it was already several weeks past her birthday, but that just didn't happen. (As I type this, I'm reminded of how much I enjoy feeling the weight of the keys give to the pressure of my finger...I gotta get back into some of my "loves" so it's more than pure survival over here...) However, all that being said, I am okay with the fact I am only able to keep myself, a two year old, and an infant alive at this time. I know the time like this is short lived in the grand scheme of things and when I look back, I want to be able to have no regrets when it comes to my children. And so blogging, amidst a plethora of other activities, have fallen on the back burner for the time being.

Anyway, this post is about the little cutie patootie pictured. The girl who has turned my world upside down and left me not wanting it righted.

I seriously cannot believe we are full on into the throws of toddlerhood. She didn't need to hit two for me to say that, either. And while the days are long, the nights are short, the years seem to be slipping through my fingers and all I can hope is that if she can remember this time in her life, she will be left with many happy memories over my many failures which seem to creep up on an almost consistent basis.

My Sweet Zoë,

Life seems to be moving so, so fast. Too fast for me to even remember writing down some of the amazing parts of life you are learning. For instance, just two nights ago, as we were sitting in the rocker talking (When did you get big enough to have a mini sized conversation?!), you formed a 5 word sentence properly. It was a cute one too. (Well, I think almost everything you do is cute.) But, honestly, it really was and yet I can't remember what you said for the life of me.

These past couple weeks have been rough as you've needed Mommy a lot, and in my exhaustion, I have become highly irritable. While my heart hurts when I don't love you the best way I can and I fall short of the way you need, I am able to catch small glimpses of the HUGE personality you have: you are so quick to forgive with a kiss on my cheek, sometimes even snuggling into me as if to say "It's going to be ok." And it will. We survive. We start afresh the following day. But it doesn't take away me wondering at times how we will survive these rough years of your discovering and testing the boundaries.

Oh, how you love to test the limits! Your will is strong. While I am grateful you have a strong will, because it will mean you are going to assert yourself, I also find myself on my knees asking God to help me mold that will so it is used for greater purposes than self. For the time being, there are many times you get this lovely little gleam in your eye as if to say, "Do you really mean what you're telling me?"

You LOVE to play! You pretend play a lot these days; one of your favorite activities is talking on the phone. And though I don't get to talk to her much, you're favorite person to call is Aunt Sarah. I'll be in the kitchen, turn to check on you, and see this scene unfold: you pick up the phone, place it to your ear, and say, "Hello, Aunt Sarah!" You'll then start walking around the living room and tell her a few things, most of which I can't make out, and finish with "Good-bye!" and shut your phone.

You have also mastered the art of stacking several blocks, putting shapes into the shape sorter, imagining certain shapes out of almost anything (and sometimes even I can see the shape you're depicting), singing several songs - Jesus, Loves Me, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, ABCs, Old McDonald, Skidamarink (You call it Dink a Dink), The Bare Necessities (Just the beginning; you call it Bare Cessities) -, and climbing up and down stairs. 

You also are enthralled with everything silly. This is nothing new, however. You have loved to make people laugh and searched to find or make something, anything, funny for a long time. And the way you go about this changes as you get older. But whichever way you can capture the attention of those around you and engage them in laughter, you will find it and then repeat it until it no longer works.

And you are possessing the role of big sister like a champ! You absolutely love to help with anything related to Aubrey and, though I'm only guessing off of how you act, I'm pretty sure you can't wait for her to grow up so you guys can play together. You want to share everything with her. You even want to share your food with her. (Thankfully, you are starting to wrap your mind around the concept she's too little for many of the things you love and want to share.)

I am so thankful for you, Zoë! And so, so glad I get to call you mine!!

Love,
Mommy

She's how old?! [18 Months]

Waking up on her 18 Month Birthday

A year and a half? 18 months? You mean I've had my little fire-cracker, full of life, loves to laugh, smiles to steal your heart, whines to [attempt] getting her way, sweet Zoë for a whole freakin' year and a half? As in, I'm only 6 months shy of being the mom of a full blown toddler? (Let's face it, as much toddler as she appears to be and acts sometimes, there is still plenty of baby left to go around.)

Cheering on our LSU Tigers :)

18 Month Stats

• You're up a whole pound from your 15 month check, weighing in at 22 pounds 5.5 ounces. This puts you in the 47th percentile. Funny enough, that's up almost 17%, where as I would have thought it meant you were down. Still plenty of baby chub left to love, though I can't look at the above picture long or I'll start crying because you're looking so grown up. Height is also up, now measuring 32 1/4" tall, which is 64th percentile (up from 50%).
• You still can wear your 18 month size bottoms and we had to purchase size 18-24 month pants for your "Fall" clothing. Unless you shoot up quite a bit, they should hopefully last until Summer returns. (We really only have a HOOOT season and a "eh, it's kind of cool" season. Thankfully, it's windy here and that helps in the cooler "Fall" and "Winter" to make it seem a bit more of the season.) As far as tops, you barely fit into your 18-24 month size tops. They're almost too short. And to be honest, I'm not quite sure how long your 2T tops will fit you. However, 2T dresses are really long on you, so we're in 18-24 month or 24 month for those, for the most part :) Oh, and your pajamas are 24 month size.
• You now wear a shoe size 5. The shoes in the pic above are your absolute FAVORITE! Poppa bought them for you on your first birthday and they happen to be perfect for this fall! They light up so we'll find you standing in one place stomping away to make the lights go off.
• You listen when we ask you to hold our hand when walking outside. That's been successful for almost a month now, which is great because up until then, you refused to let anyone, including mommy and daddy, touch your hands for any reason.
• You love your stuffed animals. Frequently you will stop what you're doing, go to your stuffed animal basket, pick one, make it's sound, and then proceed to hug and kiss on the animal.
• You've started patting my belly on your own and waving hi to the baby. However, you don't quite remember that it's on my front and will sometimes pat my bottom and say hi. All I can do is laugh at how cute and innocent you are when you do this. You will bring me your baby dolls at times and ask me to love on them. Then you will take them from me and give them a hug and kiss. You're going to be such a great big sister!
• You still love to read and have favorite books that you go to. Your newest favorite is actually a book that I'm reviewing. I'm not sure if it's because it's new or it's about church or what, but you frequently bring that book or the book about being a big sister to me.
• There are several words daddy and I have to spell so as not to upset you if it doesn't happen or isn't quite time yet: bubbles, outside, eat, food. You're not quite to a point where you understand that just because we say it doesn't mean that we were saying that is what we were going to do.
• You're vocabulary is taking off, so much so that I can't even begin to list all the words you know now. You clearly say "baby", "apple", "outside", "bye bye"...I may be missing some but those are words you use daily and annunciate very well.
• You love to "watch" mommy or daddy from the step stool in the kitchen when we are doing anything in there. Making breakfast? "Watch?!" Cleaning dishes? "Watch?!" Cooking dinner? "Watch?!" I'm convinced if we were having to clean up the nastiest mess you wouldn't care, you want to be with us and you want to learn from what we're doing. You also love to help in whatever way you can. This frequently means you're wiping a cloth on the counter when we're cleaning or you're banging a spoon trying to "stir" whatever we're getting ready to heat for you. I know most toddlers want to watch everything their parents are doing, but I'm convinced part of it is you enjoy helping as well as you just wanting to be with us. Sure, you're curious and want to learn, but I don't think that is the only driving force in you wanting to "WATCH?!" everything we do. And yes, "watch" is in quotations with the question mark and exclamation point because you excitedly ask/say "watch" whenever we ask if you want to do it with us or you've noticed/think we're preparing to do something in the kitchen that you can "Watch?!" :) So sweet!

Clapping your hands because you successfully climbed into the box and sat down.

• You enjoy playing with boxes, empty containers (especially ones with lids that screw off/on), old magazines, etc. Pretty much anything that wasn't ever designed to be a toy :) I have to say that boxes are probably some of your faves. 

Stinkin' Cutie Patootie

• You've recently gained a love for looking out the windows. Sometimes I can't find you because you're so quiet and then I find you with your lovie behind the couch just staring out the window. So cute!
• You can throw a ball like a champ! And you're not too shabby at kicking one either, for that matter. I'm a little surprised by the athleticism you're already showing and I wonder if you'll be more into dance and gynastics or volleyball, softball, soccer, etc. Only time will tell, but I'm not going to force either on you. We'll let you decide what you'd prefer to try. Oh and in the past couple of days, you've even caught the ball without help. It's not consistent but the fact you've even caught it is pretty amazing.

• When you put your mind to something you get it done. You may have a slight melt down if it doesn't go as planned the first time, but with a little encouragement, you will usually keep trying until you get it.
• You're highly resourceful (see above picture). You scooted the box up to the couch and used it as a step stool to help you get up there. You're still not climbing onto the couch on your own, but I think part of that has to do with you wanting to boost yourself up with your leg and they're not quite long enough yet.

Zoë,

I am so glad you made me a mommy first. You bring such light and life to our home. Oh and the laughter! So much laughter. I forgot to mention it in the actual stats, but you have quite the sense of humor and are generally attempting to get everyone around you to join in laughing. I hope that never gets snuffed out. As you grow and become more and more a toddler and lose what's left of the baby in you, I can be nothing but proud. You have such a sweet spirit and seem to genuinely care about others. You have quite the strong will, but I know it will come in handy as long as daddy and I parent you with the wisdom given us by God. (It honestly just makes it harder for me to parent you and teaches me about my short comings :) I am so blessed to have been given the gift of raising you!

I love you, sweet pea!!

Mommy

Determination to Go

It's been a long day over here. In a good way.

But we're in the neighborhood of new tricks over here, and since that's about all I can think about right now, I thought I'd let Zoë show off her stuff for you.

Oh and you get some antics of our neighbor B, too.

15 Months

Time really is flying around here. And I can't even keep up with it. It's been a few weeks since Zoë  has actually hit the 15 month mark, but I just can't seem to get things together around here. Not to mention, it's way hard getting a pic of her these days. (read: keep her sitting still long enough for the .5 seconds it takes to adjust camera settings and snap the shot. She moves constantly.)

So on to the meat of this post:

15 Month Stats

• you weighed 21 lbs 5.5 oz and measured 30 1/2 in at your 15 month check up. You're still hanging around the 30th percentile for weight and dropped from 78th to 50th for height. Though I think you have the perfect amount of rolls on you. Just enough chub for me to love on daily. :)

• You wear 18 month or 18-24 month size clothes. And you're between a size 3 and 4 shoe.
• You love to go "bye bye", which, to you, means we're going outside for a walk. Though you also love just leaving the house.
• You know that "bye bye" entails putting your shoes on. As soon as I'm sitting with you to get them on, you're sticking one of your feet out as if to say, "Hurry, Mom! We don't want to waste any time!"
• You're vocabulary is expanding daily. Daddy thinks you tried to say "tiger" this morning. You definitely can say and know what "mama", "dada", "that" (pronounced "dat"), "bye bye", "baby", "bee bo" (this is "belly button". If you've never heard of the Belly Button Book by Sandra Boynton, you should check it out. No that isn't a paid plug. We just love her books.), "dog" (you kind of forget the "g"), "puppy" (though you you stop at "pup"), "no", "yes", and "book" pronounced "boo". You say "Poppa" though I'm not sure you associate it with him or not and this weekend when Paw Paw and Honey were visiting, you said "Paw Paw". I don't think the association for that is quite there yet.
• You love animal sounds. Your favorite by far is the elephant. You're adorable when you do it as you make the sound and raise your arm. You also know what a cow, duck, horse, rabbit, dog, cat, peacock, and alligator say. Every now and then you'll make a noise for a pig, though typically you say "la la la" because of Sandra Boynton's Moo, Baa, La La La book.
• You love walking with assistance, whether it's a person or your walker. However, I think you prefer it to be a person because then you can lead whoever is helping you to the door, point at the handle, and say "bye bye", in hopes that they'll go outside to walk with you.
• You've begun testing what Daddy and I tell you to do. You even get this look in your eye just before you test us as if to say, " Are you really going to enforce that?"
• Temper tantrums are on the rise. You have a very strong will and desire to do what your mind set out for on the first try. So between getting frustrated with yourself, and mad at whoever is telling you no, fits are becoming normal around here. The hard part is you're really kind of cute when you do it. Let's just say I have my work cut out for me.
• You are sweeter than ever. You love on all your animals and baby dolls, kissing and hugging them loads throughout the day. You even love to sit in my lap so I can read you a book.

Love Bug,

You seem to grow more. Daily. Many times, it makes me simultaneously smile and cry on the inside. I so love seeing you grow, learning the world around you, but at the same time I know that all too soon, I will be "out of a job", so to speak. I just hope at the end of that road, there will be a relationship, a new beginning.

(I know this pic is fuzzy, but I love your face. You're such a happy baby.)

You're still hesitant to walk on your own, though earlier today you took four steps to the couch by yourself. I think leaving you stranded without whatever was supporting you (in this case it was the vaccuum, which inevitably had to move as I continued to clean) may need to happen a bit more. Maybe then you will realize you're fully capable of walking.

Fear has always seemed to be your biggest battle. I'm hoping that knowing this now, I can work with you as you grow to conquer it. It will always be ready to take you over if you let it.

Anyway, you love your new Vtech Learning Walker. Daddy and I laugh hysterically because you tuck your shoulders down just before you take off. It's like you're getting ready for a big race and need a great start from the beginning. Too cute!

(Anytime we say "hello", you put your hand up next to your ear. :) Oh and that dark spot on your left cheek: you fell and hit your cheek on the corner of your toy box. Ouch!)

You have such a will and determination about everything you do. I can't wait to see how this will play out as it is obviously one of your strengths, yet can also be a weakness at times. It has also begun to show in the temper tantrums you throw. Sometimes you're literally throwing objects you get so mad. I have to hide my smile every time; it unfortunately is a visible outburst of what I feel on the inside when I get angry. We just keep telling you it's ok to be angry but we don't do "x, y, z." I don't think you're really to a place where you understand the end of that phrase, but I don't want to teach you that anger is bad.

You love to laugh and smile. You also are constantly trying to get whoever is around you to imitate you and/or laugh at your antics. Some days are nothing but giggles coming from you. So precious!

(This is a face you make. Daily.)

I am so glad that you, Zoë, made me a Mommy first. It makes me proud to know that I was given the title by such a sweet, caring girl.

On the note of caring, you kiss your animals all. the. time. You've even started making a kissing noise. You also hug them a lot. You give Daddy and me hugs if we ask for them. You will snuggle into me on the weekend mornings when Daddy brings you into our room so we can all just chill on the bed a bit longer before greeting the day. And for the first time last night, without asking, you gave me one of your "real noise making" kisses on the cheek. I. melted. completely. Literally, I'm pretty sure I became a puddle on our living room floor.

Sweet Zoë, I may tell you to stop growing, but I don't mean it. Not one bit. Because greater than keeping you all to myself would be to see you grow and make a difference in this big, wide world.

I love you Sweet Pea!!

Love forever and always,
Mommy

Wordless Wednsesday v. 8 [vblog style]

Well, that is if a vblog can be called that. We're not completely out of the woods with all our illnesses over here (I was diagnosed with a double ear infection/ruptured ear drums and Zoë got pink eye), but I thought this was too cute not to share and fits "wordless" (it's a video...what else can I say.) Wednesday. Enjoy!

(Yes, it's long. But I just love watching her and observing her little differences from the way another baby might do it.)

One is Around the Corner

And I simply cannot believe it is.

Yesterday I was anxious as I didn't know what to expect of labor and delivery of my first baby. Now, here I am mid-blink and she's 11 months old. I'm pretty sure I'll still not have finished blinking before she is one. Shoot, I've heard they leave for college in the blink of an eye, so maybe I won't have even finished half of the first half of a blink.

Time is sand slipping through my fingers.

Did I make it all I could?

She's just growing so fast. So fast that I'm excited and a little hesitant to type out what her 11th month looked like.

11 Month Stats

• Somewhere along the road, you were either not weighed properly or lost a little bit of weight between your 9 month appointment and now. We had to take you to the doctor for a persistent rash and because Daddy and I decided to try a different ped (oh and we LOVE him, btw. You liked him. His office has called to check on you. I loved the way he interacted with me, is knowledgable, takes into account what I've noticed and doesn't make me feel stupid. Yeah, we just loved him all the way around!) and found out there you weighed 19 pounds 8 oz. That was two weeks ago. Last week you were up almost a pound. (We had to go for a follow-up visit.)
• Just this past weekend you went from scooting with a little bit of crawling to full time crawling. You crawl everywhere. 
• You love to pull up though you rarely care to make it to your feet. You like to pull up to your knees and start bee bopping. It's SO cute! And what's funny: I'm pretty sure you know it because you frequently accompany your dancing with a cheesy grin.
• Every now and then you will "cheese" for the camera with the cutest cheesy face I've seen.
• You're in all 12 month size clothes. Pants are going to be a terror to keep up on you as you're only in the 35th percentile for weight. And of course, you're still in the 75th for height. That's what you were given by your tall daddy and on-the-taller-side mommy.
• You began clapping your hands on your own this week. It makes the cutest, tiniest little sound. You are so proud of yourself for being able to do so.
• Whenever Daddy or I say "baby" you attempt to repeat it but it comes out "ba ba".
• Though technically this should go in next months post I felt I should put it here since you started doing it this past Thursday, and that was only the day after your 11 month birthday: you signed "more" to me. You were asking for more of your toast with peanut butter. SO cute! Oh and you clapped your hands after you got more and fed yourself.
• Which leads me to: you self feed completely; of course, with the exception of any "runny"/soft foods (ie yogurt, apple sauce, cottage cheese, etc). The last half of a meal is usually spoon or fork fed by whoever is helping/watching you because you lose interest and start throwing your food.
• You love to throw objects but balls in particular. You will entertain yourself by throwing a ball, crawling to it, and repeating the process until you decide you're bored. You also like when someone will sit with you and roll it back and forth.
• You are full time into throwing mini temper tantrums. If I pick you up for nap time but you're not quite ready, you will toss? fling? flail your body around in hopes I'll drop you. Thankfully, I haven't dropped you in that instance yet, but the day will likely come. (Also, notice I said "in that instance". You have been dropped when we play because you either have thrown yourself back or tried to move while I'm holding you upside down. You dare devil you!) You make pouty faces like no other and the hardest part: you're A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E. when you make them. I'm always stifling a laugh while you do. Heaven help us if you figure out you're cute while pouting! Oh and I'm not looking forward to when you truly throw a toddler sized temper tantrum. I already know Jesus is slowly preparing this momma for all the grace, peace, and patience she will need in those moments!
• You finished cutting your sixth tooth. You're still working on 2 and right now your nose won't quit running because of them. You also kept me up all Monday night because the only way you would/could sleep was in the rocker in my arms. I just thanked God I have the ability to do such and soaked up the moments because I know all too soon I won't be able to hold you like that anymore. Here's what I find cute though: you have your very front four top and bottom teeth. The other two teeth are right next to those, but one on the top and one on the bottom right side. You're cutting the other top and bottom teeth to match (so on your left side). Your sideways grin melts my heart!

I attempted to take some pictures of you on your 11 month birthday, but it wasn't so easy. You just love to be everywhere. And you really like to pull anything on your head off. Which means, I can barely keep a bow on there long enough to get a good pic of you with one in. I'm wondering if that will ever change and if that is any indicator of you eventually refusing any really girly clothes. Though you sure do act like a diva at times.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics I thought worthy of posting:

You are such a cutie. The ribbon was the only way to get pics of you.

"Oh my goodness! I'm how old?!"

"Say WHAT?!?!?!"

This is what I fought to keep the bow on you. You LOVED untieing it :)

My lil cutie!

Loves you sweet Zoë girl!

You make an irresistably cute mad temper tantrum face...oh dear!

And this...yes, this is the best shot I was able to get for your "see how I'm growing" photo. :/

Sweet Zoë,

To say a year has passed just seems so unbelievable. I love you more every day and am truly enjoying watching your personality continue to unfold and grow. You bring so much joy to mine and your Daddy's life. I hope that as you grow we are able to show that in a way that lets you know you are truly loved. You are so precious to me! I cannot imagine life without you and am so grateful God has chosen to bless my life with the gift of yours.

Love you forever,

Mommy

10 Months Old

No indeed!

Time has surely flown!

I'm still in awe of how much God has blessed me and changed me and continues to change me all because He bestowed this little being full of life to us 10 months ago. I never thought I would already be a mom but I'm definitely sure that I can't imagine life without her now. I have to choose to let go of the fear of losing her on a pretty regular basis knowing that God has authored her number of days and that is how He sees fit for her days to be here on this earth. That doesn't mean that I don't pray constantly that His will be she lives a long life dedicated to Him.

Because let me tell you, her little personality really came out in this last month.

So let's see,

10 month stats:

• You are completely out of 9 month size clothes. Though 12 month sizes are a little loose. I'm not sure if you'd fit 9-12 month sizes because we don't have any clothes that size. You do fit your 6-12 month size jackets, though the sleeves on some of them are a little short. That is the biggest problem: you're long and lean. Not that you don't have baby fat. You have plenty of little rolls. You just don't have enough to keep pants up that fit your length and if we go down a size, well they're high waters on you. No can do.
• I'm guessing you've gained about a pound. You're getting harder and harder to pick up.
• We're transitioning to complete solid food and you love it! Makes you feel like a big girl. You just hate when you beg for part of my cookie and I don't share. (We're waiting to truly give you sweets until your first birthday. Two more months sweet girl! Then you'll have a cake all for you to destroy! :])
• You aren't self-feeding yet. We tried. You would either fuss until we fed you or attempt to fling the food everywhere. We decided you weren't quite ready and will revisit it in the near future.
• You know what the word "hungry" means. If I ask you and you are, you scoot as fast as can be over to me and start patting my foot. Oh and you fuss the entire time you're working your way to me. So cute!
• If I haven't asked you if you're hungry yet, you will scoot over to me and start patting my foot. The time you usually do this is when I'm in the kitchen getting solids ready for you but just haven't asked. Girls gotta eat!
• You now make your way to me if you want to be held or need attention and promptly start pulling on my pants leg. You even laugh at me when I stop what I'm doing and look at you. I can hide my face a couple of times and get a few chuckles out of you, but if I take too long and you're ready to be picked up you start fussing.
• I witnessed you point at an object for the first time this week. What really surprised me is you also showed you can connect a word to an object (object/word identification?). When I saw you pointing, I immediately said, "Yes. That's a ball." So you pointed again and then started saying "ba" repeatedly and would say it nice and slow trying to say ball. You never got the word out, I didn't really expect you too, but it was so cute as you kept pointing and saying "ba". Pretty sure you will be able to actually talk quite early.
• You're still not crawling full time. Scooting appeases you more as you're quite good at it and can get around rather swiftly that way. You have crawled some. But you typically flop to your belly and start scooting. I asked dad and his response about your crawling was this: "She crawls. She's just picky about it. She only does it when she decides she wants to."
• You can sit up on your own. I noticed this about 2-3 weeks ago when you were in the kitchen. I made sure you were ok; you were on your belly. I turned around to talk to your Daddy and when I turned back around to check on you, you were sitting up!
• You assume that when I turn on the blu-ray player that I'm turning on Praise Baby. It's really cute that you enjoy watching that, even though I don't turn it on that frequently. Even cuter that you know I have to turn everything on for it to play.
• You have an iron will. Which isn't necessarily always fun to work with and train, but will can be a great tool, should God capture your heart, to use for the Kingdom. It will also help with hopefully establishing a great work ethic and a solid set of convictions. I just hope that both of those will one day fully come from a heart for Christ. (I asked Daddy if he thought I was right about you having an iron will and he said, "Yeah. I think it's iron with bronze and steel. It's gold plated with another layer of iron. And all of that's dipped in adamantium." So he's a nerd but I think he's right. You're will is quite strong :])
• You went to the zoo for the first time this past month. It's been either really rainy or too cold to go back. The monkeys don't come out when it's this cold so we're gonna wait until it warms at least a bit before we return.
• You d.e.s.p.i.s.e. us telling you "no no" when you really want to do whatever it was you had your mind set to. Probably your least favorite is when we remind you that your bib belongs on your belly and not pulled up to your face.
• You LOVE your books. And they interest you even more now that you are a pro at turning the pages. You even love when Daddy or I let you turn them when we're reading a book with you.
• You now have 5 teeth and I can tell, for sure, that 3 more are about to pop out. You could be working on more, but I can't tell and you're no fan of me feeling around on your gums. So we'll know once I can see them.
• You waved for the first time this morning! You were so proud of yourself you ended up raising both of your hands and opening and closing your hands to wave. Then you puffed out your chest and exhaled with a huge smile. You're so cute when you are proud of yourself!

Sweet Pea,

You continually bring light and life to our lives! (I don't think dad would oppose me speaking for him.) It amazes me that so much time has passed by, but I'm loving how much you are interacting with me these days.

You freely give smoochies and they melt my heart every time. It's like you're telling me "I love you, Mommy" the only way you know how. You're even becoming accustomed to the different texture of Daddy's scruffies when you kiss his cheek. You're not completely sure about it, but you're more willing and it doesn't take long for you to smile after you kiss him, no matter how weird it feels to you.

Though it makes me sad to know that a year is almost behind us, I'm so grateful that I've had this time with you and have been able to spend all of my time with you. Though you may not understand it for a while, I hope that one day you will see and appreciate the sacrifice your Daddy makes so that I can be home with you.

I love you sweet girl!

Mommy

P.S. I will add some pictures, but they are harder to come by these days when I'm taking them. For whatever reason, Daddy has a harder time getting you to smile and to top it off, it's harder to get you to stay put for very long. Add to that I'm no pro at photography and good pics just aren't easy to get.

P.S.S. I'm going to, hopefully this week, post the pics from the Zoo trip in another post. I just think they deserve there own, plust most of them are of the animals and I want the pics of you to not be duplicated between posts :)

This was this past week. I was trying to get a good pic of you with your new hat on. This was the face I got. HA! (BTW, Laura, I know I've told you once but I LOVE the hat! For those of you interested in purchasing something like that, go here.)

Cutie patootie! Don't think it shows the hat off real well, but I love the light in your eyes and your tiny grin.

I DYE LAUGHING every. time. I. see. this. You were sitting up one morning when I came to get you. I wanted to get a pic to capture the moment and said, "Say cheese!" Though I don't think you knew exactly what that meant, you gave me this face. LOVE!

Like I said, I'm no photog and you're much more difficult to capture. Still cute though :) This was taken yesterday on your 10 month birthday!

You kept trying to remove the hat. Kind of looks like you're saying, "Oh dear!"

So not happy the camera couldn't focus because you kept moving :( Still a cutie!

So look like you're modeling for the camera! HA!

Happy 10 Months, Zo-Zo bug!

9 Months

[disclaimer for this post: it's going to be a long one. I'm recording, in more detail than normal, Zoë's food likes/dislikes. Feel free to skim through :)]

Oh. My. Word! I cannot believe three quarters of a year has gone by. Zoë is getting so. big.

It's unbelievable.

Her actual 9 month "birthday" was last week, but I wanted to wait for the post until we saw the pediatrician. We went today and let me just say, I was so spoiled by the set up at our peds office in Baton Rouge. Maybe they have a similar set up at some peds office here. However, I highly doubt it. I have yet to find an office with 20+ pediatricians practicing in the building.

Don't get me wrong; the facility was nice and kept up. What they didn't have was a newborn, well, and sick child waiting area with the sick and newborn each being completely closed off to the well child. Yes, they had well and sick. but everyone was breathing the same air (aka no doors to close off for the sick child waiting). I also was spoiled knowing that if we ever had to have tests run, there was a full lab in the building in BR. Here, it's not far considering most pediatricians practice extremely close to a hospital and the ped we saw is right next to one of the major Katy hospitals, but I wasn't a fan of having to get in the car to drive around the block. It just isn't fun wrestling a tired 9 month old in and out of her car seat.

*sigh*

I will become accustomed to it. It isn't bad. I was just so spoiled by the convenience of great peds with a good lab all in one car ride.

Anyway, on to... 

9 month stats:

• Weight: 19 lbs 8 oz - That's a little less than I expected, but not much! You're up almost a complete 3 pounds since you're six month visit, meaning you've been gaining about a pound per month.
• Length: 28 3/4". A whole 2 1/2"! I knew you had grown longer more so than gained chub :)
• Head Circumference: 17 1/4"
• You're still in a size 3 diaper and I have a feeling we might stay here for another few months, especially considering your weight gain will start slowing down.
• Food: You eat three solid feedings a day. We've tried more soft chunky, self-feeding foods, but you seem not quite ready for that. The only finger foods you eat and eat well are puffs, cheerios, and tiny cubed cheese. I cut out baby size cubes of cheddar or mozzarella for you to feed yourself and you seem to like that. You're not the biggest fan of cooked baby carrots but your affinity for them and ability to eat them in small chunks is improving. You absolutely love when I add cinnamon or nutmeg to your fruit. You're also a fan of me adding cumin to your veggies. We're just starting to try garlic powder in some of your veggies. We've had to start giving you a fruit for breakfast and lunch and a green and orange or other veggie for dinner. You would refuse the veggies after you had a bit of fruit :) Here is a list of the foods you eat and your affinity for them: 

FRUITS
[apple]: absolutely L.O.V.E! If you refuse it and/or don't finish it all, I know
something is wrong or bothering you. It's a rare occasion for you to not finish this
when it's the only fruit you're getting. You also really enjoy when I add cinnamon.
Can't say I blame you there, cinnamon apples are so good, in my opinion.

[pear]: another fave of yours, though it doesn't top apple.

[peaches]: you're a pretty big fan of these too.

[banana]: least fave of all the fruit you've tried. It consistently has been one you're
likely to not finish the entire serving. It helps if I add another fruit to the mix or
add cinnamon or nutmeg, but it still doesn't guarantee I'll get you to finish.

[kiwi]: you seem to really like it. You've only had it a few times and you prefer if
it's mixed in with cottage cheese, oatmeal, or yogurt. However, we discovered
that kiwi and yogurt make a really bad, runny mess :)

[blueberries]: you're actually starting to enjoy this one, though in the beginning you
wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. I still only give it to you mixed with other
fruit, but you're seeming to really like it.

[avacado]: you haven't had much of this since you seemed to quit eating them.
However, your dislike of them may have been short lived as I gave you a small
chunk a week or so ago with a touch of lemon juice and you seemed to like it ok.
Not enough for me to go out and buy some for you, but enough that I think you
might enjoy them as you're able to eat more foods/spices.

VEGGIES
[green beans]: you love your green beans. This is probably one of your favorite
veggies, though if I gave you a choice, I'm pretty sure you'd only eat fruit.

[peas]: you like pease, but not on a consistent basis. Sometimes you seem to not
want/like them at. all. I honestly think it has something to do with teething
because you also refuse this one the most when you're gums are bothering you.
You did enjoy eating them the other night with the garlic powder in them.

[sweet potato]: I retract my "only eat fruit" statement. You L.O.V.E. you some
sweet potato! It is also a rare occasion for you to not complete a serving of this.
And you're also more of a fan with spices thrown into the mix, though this is a
bit more rare because I have to mix in your pasta or meat (more on that later).

[butternut squash]: this is another fave. Sometimes you seem to not want it,
but for the most part you're quite excited when you realize what you're eating.

[pumpkin]: this is newer on your menu but you have seemed to love it from the start.
Again, you're a bigger fan when spices are thrown in.

[cauliflower]: you seem to really like this. You didn't even make an "I'm
not quite sure about this" face when you first tasted it

[carrots]: like I said earlier, you love carrots pureed. You're just not sure
when I've made them soft cooked. If my intuition is right, it's because
you're not quite ready for finger foods, though you are rapidly nearing
that phase.

MEATS
[turkey]: you like it ok, but you're definitely no fan when you're gums are sore.
It absolutely has to be mixed in with a fine puree, otherwise you're gonna
reject it. The puree can be thick (i.e. sweet potato) but it cannot be
chunky/coars (i.e. peas).

[chicken]: you seem to prefer chicken to turkey. You will not eat either when
they are on their own. It must be added to a veggie. However, chicken is ok
in coarser veggies like green beans and peas. Not sure why either.

GRAINS/GRAIN-CONTAINING FOODS
[cheerios]: girl, you love cheerios! It's so cute to watch you crunch them with
your front teeth.

[puffs]: you also like to self-feed with these. Both cheerios and puffs are
becoming a rare floor find when you feed yourself. Almost all of them
end up in your mouth :) Oh and by the way, we're having to work on
not playing chubby bunny when you eat these. You like them so much
you'll put one after another after another in your mouth.

[pasta]: your growing in your liking of pasta. It has to be mashed into tiny
pieces but the only time you really seem to refuse it now is when you're
gums are giving you problems.

[rice]: you like rice in your food. You'll even eat it in your fruit. You may
even prefer when it's mixed with fruit. Currently I cook it really soft and
chop it into small bits with a food processor. No more rice cereal for you :)

[oatmeal cereal]: you love this only if it's mixed with you're fruit. Can't say I
blame you as I'm not a huge fan of plain oatmeal either.

DAIRY PRODUCTS
[cottage cheese]: we just started this a couple weeks ago and you love it! I think
it makes you feel like a big girl. Not sure why, other than I do tell you you're
eating big people food. Maybe you understand me more than I think you do.

[cheddar and mozarella]: you love cheese. It also makes you proud that you feed
it to yourself. I don't think you're so into it that it will cause digestive problems,
you seem to know your limit, but you do like when I give it to you. You've
even seemed to ask for some with your eyes if I'm eating a cheese stick.

[plain yogurt]: HAHA! You LOVE yogurt! I'm talking love probably as much
as apples. It tastes almost identical to sour cream to me, but hey! Glad you like it.
It helps me get you to eat on days where you've been kind of fiesty at feedings.

Whew! Long list! I don't think I'll do that again. Not that I'll really need to. But I wanted to jot some of this down just to show how far you've come since the beginning, which is a little over four months ago now.

• You're scooting around like a pro! You pretty much army crawl but it's hysterical to watch you because you'll push your little bottom into the air while propelling yourself forward with your feet. You also are a pro at using your elbows like you're actually army crawling.
• You pick yourself up on your hands and knees and rock back and forth a lot! Crawling is in the not so distant future, but you're just getting to the phase where you're frustrated with yourself for not being able to do what you're attempting. My guess is we're another 2-3 weeks out from all-out crawling.
• You're completely out of 6-9 month clothes but you still fit a majority of your 9 month clothes. I'm hoping you gain a bit of chub before you're too long for your 9 month pants because, honestly, you don't have enough chub to really hold up your 9 month pants. It's cute, but it gets annoying for you and I hate watching you get frustrated over something so simple.
• You babble all. the. time. You constantly say "ma ma" now and have said something that sounded like "apple" and you on occasion say "poppa". You have yet to even say "da da" or a string of the syllable so who knows when that will come out. You love to say "ba ba" and are into finding new noises every day. You're most recent and favorite is a hard "C" or "K" sound. You laugh when I repeat it back and follow it with a word, such as " 'K' is for kite or 'C' is for cat." You love it so much that, at times, it sounds like you're trying to get up phlegm. Makes me and daddy laugh.
• Laughter has become a regular around here and it always brings laughter to me. Sometimes you giggle at the silliest little things. Among my faves was earlier this week, we went outside to watch the rain. You enjoyed watching and listening so much you began to chuckle. The simple delight you had in such a simple activity brought joy to my heart.
• You're beginning to learn "no no" as the Christmas tree brings you plenty of mischievous joy and you have seemed to find the only electrical wires that I have to leave partially visible. It only prooves that I was correct in assessing you were going to be strong willed because even if I flick your hand, you will think about "no no", pause for a second, and then decide it's worth being flicked. *sigh* I think you're going to put my patience through the ringer. 
• You're a dare devil. You love, love, love for daddy or me to act like we're going to drop you, swing you back and forth in the air while holding you in a supine position, and toss you up into the air.
• You've started turning the pages of books by yourself and it's adorable! I love watching your interest in each page. You're also sitting still longer for me when we read books together. And as you're able to turn pages, you like for me to tell you to turn it. I'll lift it up just enough you can grab it, you'll grab the page with your pudgy little fingers and then gingerly flip it. Gah, you're so precious!!
• One of the joys you're scooting has brought me is you now come to find me at times and you definitely come for me if you're hungry or fussy. It melts my heart to know you love me and want/need me. I'm hoping I will cherish every one of these moments as I know the days where you won't want or need me will come.
• You still don't completely have waving down 100% but what you can do is give five. Not sure why you caught on so quickly but within a weeks time I could ask you for five and you would slap your little hand to mine. HAHA! Too cute!
• You give me kisses a lot! Melts my heart when you do it on your own initiative, especially because many times you will reach back to hold my head with one hand and turn to kiss the opposite cheek. Of course, it's more like a lick right now, but it's what you know to do. I'll take wet kisses over none! You also like eskimo kisses.
• I'm pretty sure you're very discerning. I thought you were hesitant with all strangers but it turns out that, once in a blue moon, you will immediately go to someone. These people also tend to not send my "caution radar" off which means you're a pretty good judge of character. There are even people that send up red flags with me (and other people at times too) and you'll just stare at them, never flashing a smile their direction. Hoping this keeps up and it will mean less talk of how we handle strangers. Not that we won't talk about strangers and what you should do when they approach you, but that we won't have to have several "reminder" conversations.

That long list is what I get, I guess, for not posting an 8 month update. At least I will have these sealed away for memories sake!

Zoë Girl,

The more time I spend with you, the more I grow to love you and wonder what I did before you were in my life. I can't imagine life without you now.

The more I think about it, the more I know God gave us your name because you are so full of LIFE, exactly what your name means. I can only hope that one day that life will come from Him.

Your sweet, vivacious personality comes out more and more. I am so thankful that you will stretch me in some areas as this only means I will grow because of you. I am sure to never have a dull moment when I am with you. You're curiosity will surely kill the cat and allow for ample learning opportunities. 

I'm enjoying seeing where this road is taking us and I can't wait to see all that God has in store for you.

Loving you fiercely, sweet girl,

Mommy

P.S. Here are some pics from your 9 month photo shoot. It was really hard to capture any great pics because 1) dogs had done there business in several of the spots I liked and 2) you wanted to eat the leaves, grass, shoes...yeah...do anything EXCEPT look at the camera :)

See...told ya! ;)

This was the best "see how I'm growing" pic I could get. You aren't a fan of bows/head bands are way too interested in what's on top your head to keep it up there. So much for making sure people know you're a girl! HA!

"OOOOOO BUTTONS!!!"

"Hmm...not so sure they taste as good as I thought."

"Let's see what you can do OFF my foot? Alright?"

The only good shot I could capture. You're still one darn stinkin' cutie though!! Oh and notice I had to put a white sheet under you. Otherwise, even this pic wouldn't have been possible...