24 Months!!! 2 YEARS OLD!!!

Dear Evelina,

What happened?!  When did you grow up and become a 24 month old....2 years old??  It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating your first birthday, you couldn't walk, you only spoke a few words, and you were still dawning some baby chub.  In the past year you have grown so much and we have been oh-so- -lucky to witness your transformation.  

You are a beautiful, lively toddler with boundless energy.  A source of constant light with your full smile beaming for all to see and your endless giggles that can turn even the worst day into one of the best. You are determined, stubborn, cautious, bossy, particular, sweet and caring.  Chatterbox doesn't even begin to describe you.  There is always some type of verbiage coming out of you mouth.  You are either speaking in sentences (2-4 words), constantly describing objects or pictures, attempting to sing, or "reading" books.  It is a true joy to watch your personality develop and witness you learning something new everyday.

We are so happy to have you in our lives and are blessed that we have the privilege of watching you grow into a smart, independent, and gorgeous little girl.  You are one amazing Bambina!! 

We love you so much and can't wait to see what the next year holds for you.

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

23 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 23 months old!!  Only one more month until your big 2^nd birthday.  How much you have grown this year.  It has truly been a joy to witness. 

Here is what’s been going on this month: 

• You have made great strides with your color identification.  You can accurately point to colors when asked, verbalize the correct color and sign the name of the color.  You even enjoy proclaiming the color of things, unprompted.  Your go-to color is still the color blue, but you know better and can correct yourself most times.  
• You really love when we count and you will join in with us, repeating numbers after we do, or continuing the counting sequence.  Your favorite sequence from 1 to 10 is 8, 9, 10. 
• You like pointing to letters and saying what you think is the correct letter.  Sometimes you are right, but we still have A LOT of work to do.  
• When we sing the ABC song, slowly, you will join in with us at certain sections.  ABCD...G...JK....P....TUV...XYZ (while signing Z). 
• You enjoy using the pet names that Papa and I use for each other.  We will often hear you saying “Hey Beb” or “Hi Honey”.  It is hilarious.  
• At long last, you have started to say your name.  You especially like to look at pictures of yourself and point out "Nina"....aka...Lina.  
• You are just the sweetest little thing on the planet.  Always offering us hugs and kisses, or asking for them, running to us when we pick you up at school.  You really know how to put a smile on our faces.  
• Ever since we got your new play set, you can’t get enough of your “wee”.  If we let you swing 24/7, you would.  When it is time to go inside, you always look at your “wee” and say “bye bye wee” in your cute voice.  So sweet.  
• You are extremely bossy.  Always telling us where to go or sit, telling us to play with you.  
• You are always concerned when things are out of place/messy, you have an accident or do something you aren't supposed to.  You look at us and say "Oh, no" endless times a day.   Really, it is okay!! 
• You adore trucks, trains, buses, and airplanes, and once we see one, you will ask for “more, more”.  It breaks our hearts that we can’t produce them out of thin air for you.
• When you smell something stinky or when we are changing a dirty diaper, you will proclaim, “P-U!!” 
• You can now hop without holding onto anything, and you think it is the BEST thing.  
• You can walk up and down the stairs with little help, although, we still stand by in fear of you falling.  
• One day this week I brought you to school.  When I was taking you out of the car seat, you reached for my hair and I thought you were going to pull it, but instead you said “Mama Pretty” with a smile.  It made my heart melt.  
• Speaking of car seats, we took the plunge and you are now forward-facing.  You love it so much and really enjoy looking out the window and telling us what you see.  We wanted to keep you forward-facing until you turned 2, but you just seemed so uncomfortable (and cranky).  
• Whenever Papa or I (or anyone for that matter) leave the house without you, you will run over to the window, climb up on your stool and watch us drive down the driveway while waving and smiling.  You think it is so exciting.
• Our neighbor’s kids, Abby and Mitchell (Mitchy as you like to call him), are two of your favorite people.  You constantly look out the window hoping they will be outside so you can play with them.  
• There are some words that make me laugh every time I hear them come from your mouth:  Bagel = “Bagee”, Mail = “May”, Orange = “Ornie”, Blueberry = “Bluebee”.  If you didn’t know how to sign the color orange, I would have never known what “Ornie” meant!!  
• A few of your favorite books this month are:  Hippo Has a Hat, DOG, and Alphabet. 

We can’t wait to celebrate your 2^nd birthday milestone with you in just one month!! I thought you may have some hair by then, enough for a barrette, but I was mistaken. 

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

22 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 22 months old!! Only 2 more months before you hit the big 0-2 and only 2 more months of “monthly photos”!! Wow, you’ve changed so much from your 5lb 13oz self on June 6, 2010!!

Although you learn something new every day, this has been a ”quiet” month as you have discovered new interests and expanded on your already growing knowledge.

• You are such a chatterbox and the second you awake, you are most likely chatting or yelling out commands. You rarely use an inside voice, especially in the car. Oh my aching head. 
• You have an amazing memory. For such a small person, you can remember quite a lot. I’m always amazed at something as simple as remembering what comes on the next page of a book, even if it is the 2nd or 3rd time we have read it to you. It is just crazy. 
• If we ask you how old you are going to be, you say “TWO!!” and hold up both of your pointer fingers, instead of two fingers on one hand. 
• You call the “ABCs”, “AB”. You know C but you are stubborn and won’t put it together for us. 
• We have caught you on numerous occasions trying to climb out of your crib. Eeek!!! One leg up on the crib rail, holding Gigi and ready to make an escape, while shouting “OUT”. We were hoping to keep you in the crib for a little while longer so please be careful little one, we don’t want you to get injured!! 
• Whenever you see a Giraffe or Elmo on TV, you will grab Gigi or Elmo and hold them up high facing the TV so they can say hi to their TV equivalent. 
• After you sneeze or your Papa or I sneeze you will say, “Ah too” and smile. You really get a kick out of yourself. 
• You’ve started to become a lot more imaginative with Gigi and your babies. You will make them dance, walk, or kiss each other. You like to undress your baby, take off her diaper, and look at her belly, and then try to dress her again. You always make sure your babies are well fed and attended too every day, even bringing them outside to play on occasion. You even like bringing your babies outside into your car for some fun along with you. 
• You’ve started to request family hugs. If Papa is holding you and I am near by, you will put your arm out and say “mama hug”. I will join in on a family hug, you will then push me away saying “no hug” and then within seconds, reach your arm out and say “mama hug” again. This will go on and on. So adorable!! 
• When we say “I love you”, you blow us kisses. You are just too sweet for your own good. 
• You are quite a cautious little one and if you aren’t sure about something, you will always ask for help or ask for our “hand” to hold. It is very sweet. 
• Machinery of any kind seems to scare you.  Lawnmowers, the vacuum cleaner, forklift at grocery stores, etc.  You get very timid and just want your Mommy or Papa. 
• You are always calling Auntie and Mimi on your play phones. If we ask who you are talking to, it is always “Auntie” or “Mimi”. 
• Because you have a love of hearts, I showed you my heart tattoo on my ankle a few weeks ago. You just love it!! You will always look for it and say “Mama heart” after which you will look for your small hemangioma on your left inner thigh and say “my heart”. You made this association all by yourself and it is so adorable. You will try to find “Papa heart” but he only has the beating variety so now you say, “no Papa heart”. 
• A few of your favorite books this month are: Yawn, Easter Bunny, and Sweet Dreams, Maisy.

Now that the weather is getting nice, you have our promise to spend more time outside enjoying your new play set, playing in your car, blowing bubbles, and just having a grand old time!!! Maybe I will even start taking more pictures again!! 

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

21 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 21 months old!! Old enough to drink juice but we’ll still keep you on water and milk for now :-)

So, what’s been happening this month?

• I can’t keep track of your words anymore since you say so many news ones daily/weekly.
• You are using 3-word sentences more frequently. Your favorite being “No Gigi, yucky” when you attempt to put Gigi between your legs during diaper changes.
• You’ve learned lots of new signs for colors, fruits and veggies this month. A few of your new favorites are “colors”, “grapes” and “carrot”.
• You will sign “I Love You” on occasion but only with your pointer finger since you can’t isolate your thumb, pointer and pinky all at once. You will try to say it if we ask you too as well. 
• Every now and then we think that you’re color blind since you love to say everything is “blue”. But then, you see colors or a rainbow and shout out “Cacors” or sign rainbow and we know you can see color. You are just being stubborn.
• You are known to throw tantrums when we pick you up at school. You just love it so much that you just don’t want to leave. Especially if we get there during story time.
• You have developed so many habits over the last few months and you can be so predictable at times. Some of your habits include:
• In the morning when you wake up and are ready to get out of the crib, you will toss Gigi overboard. Once this happens, you like to shout, “OH NOOOO!!!”, “AH OH, GIGI”, over and over until we come to get you.
• You like to have Gigi on the changing table with you and every time we change your diaper you have to say “No Gigi, yucky”. You also like to point to the changing table and say “mine”. Not sure why you do this almost every time.
• Before dining times, you will walk over to your chair and say “my seat”, and then you will go to the chair that I always sit in and say “mama seat”.
• You always request that Gigi and your baby doll sit at the counter with you while you eat.
• When a song you like ends, you will always shout, “YAY!”
• Every time I put on the garbage disposal, you shout “Mommy!”
• When you think something is really funny, you put your hand over your mouth, laugh and bend over at the waist dramatically.

• You love "hearts".  
• You have become slightly more independent over the past month and will play by yourself for a little bit longer before seeking us out. We have a nickname for you, “U-YA”, which means, “up your ass”, since you love being glued to us the majority of the time. Your Papa and I have commented in the last couple of weeks that you haven’t been as “U-YA” as in past weeks.
• A couple of not-so-toddler-friendly-words have been added to your vocabulary. You pronounce Blueberry as “Blueb” but it sounds more like “Boobie”, and the other is a not so nice word when you are actually trying to say “Chalk”. We will just try to avoid saying “Chalk” in public for a little while longer.
• You now prefer puckering up to give us kisses instead of giving us open mouth kisses. Your little face is so adorable when you lean in for a quick peck.
• A few of your favorite books this month are: Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball, Each Peach Pear Plum, Whooo Loves You?

Sweet Pea, we just love you so much and you make us smile and laugh more and more everyday.

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

20 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 20 months old!! The big 2-0….where has the time gone? In just 4 months from now, we will be celebrating your 2nd birthday with your family and your little friends. I need to start planning something, STAT!!

So, what’s been happening this month?

• Your verbal language and sign language continue to develop. You add a new sign or two to your repertoire almost weekly and new verbal words almost daily. We are always impressed when you attempt to say the longest words. “Mortimer”, “Alligator”, “Crocodile”, “Jessica”. Those are tough!! But, you continue to avoid the simplest words, like “Cat”.
• The amount of joy you find in jumping like a Kangaroo, “hop hop”, and walking like a penguin is immeasurable. It is truly one of your favorite activities of all time. I think another trip to the New England Aquarium may be in order to see the penguins again. I think you may go crazy!!
• You love spinning around and marching, especially when your crazy mom does it too.
• Whenever you play with your play kitchen you will always take some of your play food to your baby and feed her. She must be one hungry little baby!! You also love inviting her to tea parties or to actual meals and feeding her your real food. Once you are through, you burp her like every good Mommy should.
• Your color recognition has improved over the past month. You have made improvements at returning a toy of the correct color or pointing to the correct color, but you still get confused.  Your favorite color is the color blue. If we ask you to tell us the color of something, you will always say it is “bue” even if you know it isn’t (because you just brought us the orange object we asked for!!). When we say the actual color, you will say “NOOoooo”. What a know-it-all you think you are.
• The number two is your preferred number. How appropriate since you will be turning 2 this year!! You can hold up one finger when asked and we are working on holding up 2 fingers. For a toddler, it is quite tough for you to isolate 2 fingers. When you have 2 objects in your hands, you will exclaim, “TWO”. Last week, you had “Two Gigi” in your hands, you were seriously in heaven.
• You can draw a circle or trace a circle with your hand.
• Along with colors, numbers and shapes, you are also able to sounds out most letters and their sounds (B, C, D, E, F, G, K, P, S, etc.) and recognize others. You still LOVE your letter/animal flash cards and AlphaBooks and we go through them many times a day, while you say the letter, name the animal or animal sound, or sign the animal.
• You have started to tell us when you are going or have gone poop. You will hold onto your diaper and say “poo-poo, poo-poo” and sometimes start heading upstairs for a diaper change. The funny thing is that if we try to confirm with you that you have in fact gone poo-poo, you will say “no” even though you know you have since you just told us!! You are a tricky one.
• Two of your favorite words continue to be “No” and “Mine”. You are extremely opinionated and want what you want, when you want it. Oh boy.
• You are determined to become more and more independent. Attempting to take off your own coat, put on your own socks, shoes, mittens and hat.  You practice, practice, practice and improve daily. You are a pro with your mittens and hat, and are soooo close with your shoes.
• You like to fake sneeze. "Ah two!!"
• You are a little actress.  You will laugh, act happy, act sad, or fake sleep on demand.  it is quite hilarious.  
• You spent your first evening since birth with a non-related babysitter and you did wonderfully. You infant room teacher, Jessica, came over so your Papa and I could have a date night. You were very well-behaved and cooperative. Phew!!
• Your favorite music without a doubt is from the Carnival Day CD. You LOVE (with a passion for life), Owl Hootenanny, Driving in my Car, Five Little Monkeys, and Wake up the Barn. A car ride doesn’t go by without playing these tunes while you jam out in your car seat.
• A few of your favorite books this month are: Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose, But Not the Hippopotamus, The Big Red Barn, Where is the Green Sheep?

Your Papa and I can’t wait to see what you will learn this month. You are such a little sponge and you still amaze us everyday. We love you Chica Banana!!

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

19 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 19 months old!! You never cease to amaze us as we watch you learn new things every day, all while making us laugh so hard our stomach muscles start to ache. I never thought I could love you more than I do, but each day I just love you more. You are the best.

So, what’s been happening this month?

• You celebrated your 2nd Christmas and were spoiled by your grandparents, aunts and uncles. You are such a lucky girl to have so many wonderful people in your life that love you so much. Your favorite new toys are a monkey jack in the box, Mega Bloks, Bitty Baby stroller, Llama Llama Red Pajama book and Baby Einstein Alphabooks, among others.
• Most people think that you are younger than you actually are since you still don’t have much hair growth. Little do they know that it has grown so much in the past few months!! During bath time we can actually make a Mohawk when we wash your hair. That is quite an accomplishment. I’m still waiting to see if some curls will pop up. I sure hope so.
• You are using your words so well. Some days you will even say up to 5 new words!! It is so exciting to hear you speak and attempt to say something new. You watch our mouths very intently when we speak (or read) as you try to figure out how to produce the same sound. Some times you get it, some times you don’t, but you always try and we are very proud of you for that.
• You are still picking up new signs for words that you can’t verbalize. “Grandpa” is a tough word for you to say but you will sign “grandpa”. Your favorite signs these days have got to be "drink" and “bath”.
• Yup, you read that right, you love signing “bath” because you LOVE THE BATH!!! I never thought in a million years this day would come considering you had a rough few months with the bath. Screaming, crying, grabbing onto us, trying to get out, and protesting being put in the bath. These days, you request a bath, you try to get into the bathtub with your clothes on, you never want to get out and if we ask you if you want to, you say “No”. You have taken a complete 180 when it comes to bath time and it has been so great for all of us. You love when the water comes out of the facet, you love playing with your bath toys, and you even attempt to wash your own hair and body when we put soup on your hands. Hallelujah!!!
• You are in a “No” phase. I thought we may have dodged a bullet with this phase since you were in a “Yeah” phase for some time but that changed this month. “No”, “No”, “No”. We hear it a lot. You have even been known to say “No” when you actually mean “Yeah”. It is quite funny. You change your mind on a dime.
• Everything is "mine".  
• One of my favorite expressions of yours is "Whoa".  You are always perfect with your timing, whether it be when you trip over a toy and almost fall over, almost topple over when sitting, or even if someone else missteps while walking. 
• When we ask you to smile, you will smile and say "cheese".  It is too cute.  
• We continue to work on your colors, shapes, letters and numbers. In the right context you will point to or select the correct color or shape. Of all of the words you say, you aren’t interested in saying any names of colors or numbers but you will get there. 
• You love building towers and structures, taller than you, with your blocks.  Sometimes you knock them over and other times you just keep going, saying "yay!!" when you place another block successfully.  
• Your find motor skills and matching skills are improving as well, and you are able to successfully complete puzzles (with little help), including your shapes and colors puzzle, farm animal puzzles, and bug puzzle.  
• You can read your first book, Baby Talk.  Each page includes a picture of a baby and a word and if we underline the word with our finger, you will read it. 
• You are such a book lover and could look at pages/be read too constantly.  Some of your favorites this month are:  Llama Llama Red Pajama, The Runaway Bunny, Guess How Much I Love You, Poke-A-Dot 10 Little Monkeys, The Very Lonely Firefly and From Head to Toe (you love completing all of the motions).  

Is that Mimi?; "Smile"

It is now 2012, a whole new year. I can only imagine how much you will grow this year as you evolve more and more into a 2-year-old little girl. We can’t wait to see what this year will hold for you.

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

18 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 18 months old!! 1 ½ years old!! In only 6 months we will be celebrating your 2nd birthday. It is so hard to believe. You learn and grow by the day and it has been so fun to watch you discover new things, add new words to your vocabulary, and increase your level of understanding related to everything around you. Toddlerhood is an amazing time.

So what’s been going on this month?

• You are obsessed with attempting to put on your shoes and you are soooo close many times. You enjoy signing shoe as you barrel toward your shoes, pick up a pair and sit on the stairs…in hopes of going outside.
• Speaking of outside…it is definitely your favorite place. You could stay outside for hours, running around, driving your car, playing with sidewalk chalk. You just love it. Whenever you want to go outside you will sign hat, sign and verbalize coat and walk over to the door. It is quite adorable. What I don’t understand is when we try to put your coat on, you run away in laughter. Everything is a game isn’t it?
• Getting chased is one of your favorite activities. You love getting me to chase you and you laugh so hard you can barely breathe. You run to Dada for him to save you but then initiate another game in seconds. It is a lot of fun.
• Your passive vocabulary is expanding and you can point to an increased number of objects in books, as well as most body parts. You also follow instructions beautifully. Your active vocabulary also boomed this month which is exciting. You can say about 40-50 words and that doesn’t include the 25 or so signs you know. You also have been using 2 word sentences quite frequently. Your favorite being “Bye Bye, Dada”.
• You love looking at the animal pictures on the wall in your playroom as we practice saying their names in Italian. You will say “Mucca” for cow and if we ask you what a “Mucca” says, you will “Moo”.
• You love the Peek-a-boo Barn app on my phone and if I let you, you would play with it for hours. You have named my phone “Boo” because of this app. When you want to play with it you will search for my phone, point to it and say “Boo”.
• You love sitting on your potty when me or Dada have to go. We always give you a square of toilet paper and you wipe the floor with it. If we ask you if you need to potty, you will walk/run over to your potty and sit down. With or without clothes on. You would much rather sit there, laugh, and read than actually go potty though.
• You will blow on your food when we tell you it is hot.
• If we ask you to smile, you will smile. Too bad it doesn’t work when we try to take your picture.
• You have started to say some of your teacher’s and friend’s names at school. We’ve heard, “Hendrick”, “Aadit” and “Anne”. You are always pointing to your friends so that your teachers will say their name.
• If we ask you to say your name, you will pronounce it as “Nana”, point to yourself and/or put your hands up to your eyes to start a game of peek-a-boo.
• We’ve been attempting to teach you colors and letters but you would much rather be running around than focusing on an organized activity. Although, you love looking through your alphabet flash cards and if you’re in the right frame of mind and we ask you to point to a color, you will point to the correct one.
• Meal times have taken a turn for the better!! Yahoo!! You will eat most of what we give you, within reason. Sometimes I wonder how your stomach can hold it all!? After meal times it looks like you could topple over with your big belly hanging over your diaper.
• You’ve enjoyed waking up before 6 for the past few weeks. Luckily, you can chill out happily in your crib for an hour or so, but you should really just sleep in. One day, you won’t be able to, so take advantage of it now!!
• Standing at the bathroom sink and brushing your teeth. The.Most.Fun.Ever!! You LOVE it. You will even go to great lengths to carry the stool from our bedroom closet all the way into your bathroom so you can “brush”.
• Bath time has gotten MUCH better but you still don’t want to sit down in the tub. You much prefer standing. We will take what we can get!! As long as you aren’t screaming and trying to claw your way out of the tub, we are happy.
• If you are tired and ready to nap, you will head over to the stairs, and start going up while calling for Gigi. You even went to your mat at school one day this month all on your own and went to sleep without your teacher's help.
• Tantrums occur on the daily and include stomping your feet on the floor, sitting on the floor becoming dead weight with noodle arms and/or arching your back while throwing your head back and screaming. Typically, tantrums are a result of us taking something away from you that we don’t want you to play with, taking you out of your car outside, or bringing you in from outside. We try to give you forewarning and sometimes it works, but tantrums are apart of toddlerhood so we just take them in stride.
• You are experiencing another phase of stranger anxiety and are extremely clingy to me and you’re Dada. We know it is most likely just a phase and will pass, but it doesn’t prevent us from wanting you to be more comfortable with others, especially family. You have such a bright, cheerful, fun personality and we want you to share it with everyone!!
• Night-time wake-ups have been common over the past month or so. Ever since your canines came in. It is typically only once a night and we only need to tend to you for a short time, but it is still a wake-up and we can’t bring ourselves to let you cry it out. In addition to stranger anxiety, you’ve been suffering from some separation anxiety too, so perhaps you miss us in the night time and just need a quick check-in.
• I’m sure I’ve forgotten a bunch of things. Either way, we love you to pieces and are proud of all of your accomplishments!!

We are excited to celebrate your 2nd Christmas this month, spend time with your family and see what Santa brings for you. Even though you have naughty moments, you are most definitely on the nice list.

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

17 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 17 months old!! Oh my good gracious, you are almost officially 1 ½ years old. Where has the time gone?! You have been such a busy little girl this month learning lots of new things, exploring, talking and dressing up. So, what else has been going on over the last month?

• You officially have 15 teeth and your 16th one is starting to make an appearance (we think). Once this last canine arrives, you will only have your 2 year molars left to come. Hopefully we have a least a few months before they decide to arrive but you’ve been chewing on your hands A LOT lately so I wouldn’t be surprised if they came in before your 2nd birthday.
• You know all of your classmates by name and can point to each of their pictures when asked.
• You really enjoy school and have so much fun there. When we drop you off you act all bashful but your teachers have told us that the second we leave, you are little miss social. What an actress you are. In the afternoons at pick up, most days you don’t want to leave. After a quick hug, you are off to play with toys and one of your buddies, or, if its snack time, you will steal your friend’s food. Hilarious but not very polite.
• You’ve added car, shoe, coat, flower and day to your signing repertoire. Some new verbal words include more, help, yeah and no (thankfully you still like to say yes more than no). You will also pant like a dog and eee-eee like a monkey. Your favorite word is definitely “Up”. You must say it about 1000 times a day and will even say it when you want to get down. We need to work on that.
• Peek-a-boo continues to be one of your favorite games. We will often catch you moving your hands over your face and saying “BOO”. I’ve heard you many times in the morning after you wake up and before I go in to fetch you, saying “BOO” and giggling to yourself in the crib. It is quite possibly one of the cutest things to listen too. You truly get a kick out of yourself.
• You continue to enjoy watching Sesame Street and Baby Signing Time. If we ask you if you want to watch, you will say “yeah”, run over to the TV and wait patiently for us to turn it on. You like to shake your booty to the music, giggle with the characters or point to them, and even sign on occasion.
• Music is one of your favorite things. You like dancing, gesturing to songs (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, If Your Happy and You Know It, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Monkeys Jumping on the Bed), and you love songs that require us to interact with you (Row Row Your Boat, Royal Duke of York, Humpty Dumpty, Trot Trot songs, Round and Round the Garden). You NEVER get sick of the interactive songs and are known to request more 100 times. I’m not kidding, oh my aching back.
• You also LOVE the toddler tunes we play in the car. The second you are cranky or not happy to be in the car seat (which is frequent), we can just put on your toddler tunes and all is right with the world. When a song ends, you will become cranky until the next song begins. My little impatient one, I wonder who you got that from?!
• Coloring is one of your addictions. You just LOVE it and request a crayon every.single.time we go into your playroom. You’ve even started to color in objects on paper if we show you how. We still must fight with you to stop putting crayons in your mouth but this will phase out with time. You also love painting projects but these can be messy so they aren’t something we do every day…considering you don’t like the bath.
• Dada is the bomb. You love him to pieces and will have frequent tantrums when he leaves the house to attend to chores outside, or if he leaves your bedroom at night so I can complete the final steps of your bedtime routine.
• You've used the potty once over the past month which is always very exciting!! 
• Bath-time continues to not be a fun time. It makes me sad that you dislike it so much. You are either crying in the bath pleading to get out or just standing at the edge waiting for it to all be over. You HATE having to sit down in the tub and despite all of the fun toys we offer you, you just aren’t interested. You want out!! We just want you to love it and have fun splashing and playing. I’m really hoping this is just a phase and one day you will request bath time and be in the water long enough to get pruney. You don’t hate all water though, you LOVE to put your hand in the stream of water from the faucet while the bath is filling up and you love to wash your hands at the sink. There is just something about bath time. I’m going to have to get in there again with you soon.
• What else isn’t so fun? Meal times. You are a selectively great eater, meaning that you only eat well at school. Your teachers wish that all of your friends ate as well as you, but little do they know that when we feed you meals at home, you don’t want a thing. Well, unless it is a turkey dog or cucumbers dipped in ranch dressing. I don’t know what’s more frustrating, bath time or meal times. Luckily you love fruit so we have that going for us. 

What's on my leg?;  Signing "book";  Page turning;

This November we get to celebrate your 2nd Thanksgiving and see Grandpa and Auntie KK!! YAY!! They aren’t going to believe how much you’ve changed since they last visited. Only 18 more days!!

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

16 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 16 months old!! What can I say? There are no words that can describe our love for you. You are the light of our lives and we can’t imagine a day without you. Papa and I still ask ourselves how we could have created such a beautiful little girl with such a goofy personality. Often times we will look at each other and all we have to say is “Beb?”, and we both know we’re thinking about your cuteness and how much we adore you. We miss you when your sleeping and are sometimes tempted to go wake you up so we can shower you with hugs and kisses, Papa can’t wait to scoop you up on weekday mornings, and I can’t wait to leave work everyday so I can pick you up at school and watch you barrel over to me while you smile and giggle. Oooooweeee….we love you!!

Here’s what you’ve been up to this month:

• Your canines are s.l.o.w.l.y appearing. Two have officially cut through your gums but the others are taking their sweet time. This has not been pleasant for you, poor thing. You are well on your way to having a full set of baby teeth and I’m not sure who is more excited. You or me and Papa.
• You love saying “Hieeee” to strangers or into your play telephone. You don’t like to be put on the spot though so if we ask you to say hi to one of us or to someone on the phone, you just smile.
• Babbling, babbling, and more babbling. You are rarely quiet. I’m not sure what to expect once you start speaking using actual words and sentences. You have always been chatty but this is a new level of babbling with lots of new consonants.
• In terms of actual words, you are working on it.  Some new words I've heard this month are "Baby" and "Bubble".  Many times we think you are saying a word but we can't figure out what it actually is.  I think I need to take a baby language interpretation course. 
• You’ve started to say “Mimi” but not actually to Mimi. We’ll keep working on it.
• Coloring is one of your favorite activities. This includes coloring with crayons, markers or sidewalk chalk. We must keep working on keeping the writing utensil on the paper or driveway.
• Playing outside (with chalk and bubbles), walking around the yard and driveway, pushing or riding in your car, pointing to the sky, sun, grass, trees, birds, landscapers. When we ask you if you want to go outside, you shake your head yes, walk over to the basement door and just wait for us to bring you downstairs. You just LOVE being outside.
• You find great joy in brushing your teeth and hair, and using the lint roller on me, Papa or yourself (yes, we are starting you off early in the OCD department).
• You fill each day with lots of gross motor and fine motor activities and you are becoming more precise each day. You can put crayons back into your crayon box, pick up cheerios with a fork, walk (and attempt to run) anywhere we ask you too, get up on your play table chairs all by yourself (not very safely I might add, but we are working on it), get off the beds, couches, and chairs safely.
• Many spills come along with walking and you have taken a few rough ones this month. You fell and hit your eye, you tumbled into your play table and hit your nose and upper lip which resulted in A LOT of bleeding, and you fell at school and gave yourself a fat lower lip. This is all part of toddlerhood. Overall, you are very coordinated and stable on your feet, partly because of your general cautiousness.  
• You have successfully used the potty on two occasions and I couldn’t have been more excited!! You are so interested in watching us use the potty as well. You like to watch the bowl flush and even attempt to flush it yourself. You’ve also become aware that we like to keep the lid down so you will always walk over to it and look at me to put it down, if it isn’t already. If we ask you to go to your potty, you will walk into your bathroom and sit down carefully, albeit in your clothes. If we smell a dirty diaper, we'll ask if you've taken a poop and you will shake your head yes.  These are all great skills for you to have and will come in handy once we officially start potty training.
• You enjoy using a spoon and fork when eating but you still prefer your hands since they are much more efficient. We can finally give you plates and bowls, and you no longer throw them immediately.  You will eat what's on them first and then try to throw them. 
• You are great at following directions of any kind. It is amazing what you comprehend!! This includes helping us clean up your toys. It can be a lengthy process but it is fun to do together when you cooperate.
• You love to point out things in books and point to family members in photo albums.
• You had the opportunity to go into your first bouncy house this month and you just loved it!!  I went in with you and Mitchell, one of your neighbor friends, and we had a great time bouncing and giggling.  You like to recreate the experience on our big bed as often as you can.  
• You have really begun to enjoy the playground.  Previously, you weren't really interested in swinging but you are learning to love it....but not as much as the sandbox.  You LOVE the sandbox.  
• A couple of things you doing love?  Diaper changes!!  Oh my goodness, how painful they are.  It’s as if you think we are going to stab your eyes out.  You arch your back before we even put you down on the changing table, and then you proceed to kick, scream and roll over trying to get away from us.  Potty training can’t come fast enough!!  Another thing you hate?  Eating at home.  You eat like a dream at school and always clean your plate, but as soon as it is meal time at home, you refuse almost everything.  I often tell your teachers that it is a good thing you are at school 4 days a week because if you weren’t, you would whither away to nothing.There are some aspects of toddlerhood that are tough and this is one of them.

We have a busy month ahead filled with birthday parties, watching the leaves change color, pumpkin carving, and your 2nd Halloween!! Yay!! 

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

15 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 15 months old!! What a big girl you are becoming!! You’re Papa and I can barely keep up with everything you are learning these days. You are a sponge just ready to absorb as much information as possible. We are so lucky that we get to watch you grow and explore everyday. You become more fun as each day passes and we are never at a loss for laughs when we are together. Your language, many expressions and gestures are constantly putting a smile on our faces. If I could bottle you up and save every moment, I most certainly would. We just love you to pieces!!

Some highlights from the past month include:

• The biggest milestone of the month hands down was, WALKING!!!! You are making so much progress everyday and Papa and I constantly catch you walking behind our back. In a couple of more weeks, I wouldn’t be surprised if walking is your preferred mode of getting around. You already have ants in your pants so when you are more comfortable with walking, Papa and I will have serious problem on our hands!! Uh Oh!!
• You were visited by both Grandpa and Auntie K, complete with trips to local farms to see and pet lots of animals. You just love animals of all sizes and get so excited when you see them.
• You have been “pointing” with your thumb or entire hand for months now but you have now started to isolate your pointer finger to point.
• We have been working on improving your sign language and you will now sign more for things other than food, such as kisses. It is quite adorable. You also will sign milk when you are thirsty. We continue to work on signing “Water”, “Thank You” and “Please” as well as the signs for many animals.
• You will raise you arm in the air to mimic an Elephant trunk, thump your hands on your chest like a Gorilla, and put your hand up when the train is going by as if you are pulling the horn.
• When you are hungry, especially before dinner, you will make your way over to the pantry, try to open the doors and sign eat so that we will give you a snack. You are pretty smart!!
• You can show us where your head, ears, tongue, mouth, hands, belly button and feet are, and you can show us where our noses are.  
• You have started to shake your head for “Yes” and you will point to yourself when we say “Mine”.
• Your favorite word is “Hieeee”. Not sure if you are saying “Hi” or if you just like the way the word sounds.
• You love playing in water, but loathe the bath (again!). Go figure.
• Your favorite place to be is outside.
• Sitting in adult chairs or climbing on the couch is an addiction of yours. You cruise on over and fuss until we pull you up. Once we have helped you achieve your goal, you smile and become so excited. You actually were able to climb up onto the couch on your own a couple of times on your 15 month birthday!! We could be in some serious trouble soon.
• You LOVE playing peek-a-boo, grabbing our hands to encourage us to row and sing “Row, row, row, your boat”, and successfully gesturing to “The Wheels on the Bus”.
• You understand so much of what we say, it is truly amazing. I often wonder if all of a sudden you will start blurting out actual words in between all of your constant babbling.
• You have entered a phase of picky eating and boy oh boy, is it a pain. Many of your favorite foods are flung to the floor within seconds. Broccoli, strawberries, blueberries, quesadillas, waffles….all get tossed. I have found that you enjoy Turkey Dogs so I’m hoping they remain on your will-eat list. Luckily, you still love milk, yogurt, cheese, raspberries and oranges….for now.
• You are much cuddlier these days, giving us lots of kisses and hugs. You are just so sweet.
• I’m sure I’m forgetting something!! 

I’m looking forward to the next month, witnessing your improvements with walking, going to local farms, apple picking, watching the leaves change color and enjoying beautiful Autumn in New England. 

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

Simple Pleasures

Dear Evelina,
You are still too little to realize that Mommy is always coming after you with the camera.  I lovingly call myself the Mamarazzi.  You are just too cute for words and I don't want to miss one second of you growing up, revealing your personality, or doing something new and fun.

These are two of my favorite photos from August.  Neither of them were taken in the best lighting and they are both blurry or fuzzy but they are still my favorites.

In this picture (taken by Papa), we were napping in the living room on a warm Sunday afternoon.  You were very cranky due to the arrival of your 1st year molars, and I was attempting to rest my back, which I had hurt on our vacation in Pittsburg, NH.  You very rarely will sit still these days when we hold you and napping with us hasn't occurred since you were itty bity so this was such a treat for me.  I'm looking forward to more of these moments to come (minus teething and back pain).  

In this picture you are pushing Mimi and Poppy's doggy, Lilly, around in your wagon.  Your expression is priceless.  I'm not sure what you love more, doggies or walking around with your wagon.  Put them together and you have pure excitement, complete with your tongue sticking out and eyes crossed. 

You continue to teach me that the simple pleasures in life are what makes life worth living.  I love you sweet pea.  

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

14 Months!!

You are 14 months old!! Last month came in like a lamb and went out like a lion….thanks to three of your 1st year molars making an appearance. OUCH!! You were NOT happy during the final days of your 13th month. Fevers, endless night-waking, a lot of fussing and clinging, decreased appetite. Teething is no fun. Your papa and I wish we could make the pain go away but we know it is just part of growing up, until then we will continue to give you lots of extra cuddles and the occasional dose if ibuprofen. I keep saying to myself, only 9 more teeth to go!! 

You are turning into a little girl more and more each day, even though you aren’t walking yet and still don’t have much hair. I am getting anxious for your first steps. We are positive you are ready and could walk if you put your mind to it but you are a cautious little one. You will walk until your hearts content with your wagon, walk as we hold both of your hands or just one hand. You will even stand and balance for minutes at a time while clapping or playing with toys, BUT, you just don’t want to take any steps on your own. I’ve been trying to convince you that life would be easier if you walked but you aren’t interested. Why would you be when you are such an efficient and fast crawler (studies actually indicate that the longer babies crawl the more coordinated they are, this may be to your benefit…hmmm…maybe you know this)? As for your hair, there has been some growth over the past month; soft, light brown hair with a little wave in the very back. Maybe by the time your 2nd birthday rolls around, you will be able to wear cute hair clips. 

It is amazing to us how much you now understand. We can ask you to do so many things and you follow through. “Go get your baby and give her a bottle,” and you will go find your baby doll and start to “feed” her. “Where’s the doggy” and you will “point” to a picture of Violet or other dogs. The list goes on and on. This comes in handy when I have to do something and you are right at my heels. Asking you to go get something and bring it to me gives me a little bit of free time. 

Speaking of pointing, you don’t actually point with your pointer finger yet. Yes, this is something that your worry-wart mom is concerned about and I shouldn’t be. You either point with your thumb or your entire hand. I’m sure that your pointer finger will be the finger of choice soon, but for now, you favor that thumb of yours. 

Goofy smile

You can now show us where you belly button is. Sometimes you will lift your shirt up and other times you will pull it out by your neck and look down your shirt. It is hilarious. It doesn’t stop there; you can also show us where our belly buttons are by lifting our shirts. Pointing out your head and mouth are your other favorites. We are working on other body parts, too, such as, your nose and feet. You did start to stomp your feet this month!! When we sing, “If Your Happy and You Know It”, you will clap and stomp your feet at the right time. It is lots of fun!! 

Your Papa and I both limit the amount of time the television is on during your waking hours. Up until a few weeks ago, you were more interested in the remote then actually watching TV, but recently, we have started to let you watch Sesame Street in the morning for a small amount of time and you just love it (don't worry, you still love the remote)!! You smile and giggle at Big Bird and Elmo, and you thoroughly enjoy monster time. I wonder if you actually know what Elmo is saying with his strange voice but I don’t think it matters to you. They are your buddies. 

You are obsessed with blowing kisses, walking with your wagon, pulling the leaves off your soft lettuce toy, dropping food from your high chair (still, when will this phase end?), helping me empty and load the dishwasher, doing belly flops on our big bed while giggling or saying “Ahhh”, looking or going outside to see the flowers, doggies, the sound of the train, Gigi (both your giraffe lovey and the word), opening your mouth really wide and putting your hand up to it as if saying “Ah Oh”. 

You remain a very sweet and shy little one, but you have spurts of being very mean. Biting and clawing at us instead of being gentle or going after your friend’s hair. It isn’t very nice but we are working on it. You have even become cuddlier over the past month which has been nice. It may be due to your molars but we’ll take it. 

Monthly photo shoot, behind the scenes

You are proficient with signing more, eat and all done. We attended a signing play date last month and learned some tips and tricks to teach you to sign, so we’ve been working on improving your skills at meal times, when we read books or when we see something that I know the sign for. It has even been fun for me to learn signs for animals and other things that you love. We will keep practicing and maybe you will pick up some others in the next month. You understand so much of what we say that it would be nice if you could communicate by signing until you can actually verbalize the word. 

Smiley and happy are two words we use to describe you and so many people agree. Be it family members, friends, your teachers, strangers at the grocery store/target/etc. or restaurants. Everyone loves to see your smile and even your mean face. Smiles are contagious and you always make others smile right back. Even though you are shy around new people and will always put your head on my shoulder and give shy smiles, there are some strangers that must exude some kind of different vibe to you. With these strangers, you will immediately wave and smile. I wonder what is going on in that brain of yours!!

I’m dying to know, will you walk this month? Learn some new words or new signs? Please, please, please!! 

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

13 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 13 months old!!  Another month has come and gone and you continue to change and grow each and every day.  Excitement can be heard emanating from our house almost daily as you learn and explore new things.  We've been having a lot of fun...even though you have developed a few tough toddler behaviors.

Here is the rundown of your likes and dislikes, along with some new skills you've developed at 13 months: 

• Balancing when standing without holding on for support, while continuing to play with your toys; not for an extended period, but it's a start!!  
• The strange crawl is no more, your preferred method is on all fours.
• Going upstairs; but only when you are attended!! 
• Walking with your Radio Flyer wagon or when we hold your hands;  you will always look up at us and smile.   
• When asked, you will find your dolly, Lucy, and give her hugs and kisses; it is quite possibly the cutest thing.
• Kissing and hugging Papa and I, or other family members, when we ask you for love.
• Practicing being gentle (by petting) to your stuffed animals and most importantly, to the ones you love; although, your mean streak does still appear frequently, especially when hair is involved.  
• Making faces, especially to strangers. 
• Being read too or "reading" your books.
• Waving "Hi" and "Bye", or shaking your head "No", when looking at the appropriate pages in your "Baby Talk" book.
• Stacking one block on top of another block, stacking 1 or 2 cups on top of each other or nesting the cups.
• Playing with your cone sorting stacker and trying to put it back together; sometimes you are successful with certain pieces.
• Successfully putting shapes into your shape sorter; the circle being the easiest as expected.
• Putting objects on your head as if they are hats or giving objects to me and Papa to put on our heads.  
• Playing with your musical instruments and venturing out to a new music class.
• Looking at pictures of your family, especially your Papa; as soon as you see his picture you will say Da or Dada and point with your thumb.    
• Occasionally helping us dress you by raising your arms or placing shoes on top of your feet.  
• You are quite vocal and have lots of stories to tell, but you are sticking with Mama and Dada as your primary "words" for the moment.  I have heard "Hi", "Bye Bye", and "Ball" but not consistently. We are also certain that you say "Gigi" since you will always say it when Gigi, your lovey, is around.  You will also mimic a "Moo" sound after we say it. 
• Favorite foods this month are berries, watermelon, peanut butter on mum-mums, chicken quesadilla with mango or spinach, cheese, nutragrain bars, whole wheat pasta with turkey bolognese, broccoli, grape tomatoes.  Of course, this all depends on your mood during meal times. 
• Bath time has been extremely frightening over the past few weeks.  You will cry and cry, stand up while pulling on our shirts to get out.  It has just not been very fun lately. We are hoping this is just a phase and you begin to enjoy the bath again soon. 
• Diaper changes are impossible, if you could walk around naked, all of our lives would be so much easier.  
• Throwing tantrums when we put you into the car seat....LOOK OUT!!
• Throwing things; food, cups, toys...you don't discriminate and you get a kick out of yourself.      
• Sitting in the grass has been quite unpleasant, although over the weekend, you finally started being okay with standing in the grass with no shoes and crawling around in it for short distances.  

You should be very proud of yourself little lady since I'm sure I'm forgetting so many things!!  I love seeing how much you have accomplished and I especially love seeing your personality develop more and more.  You love to smile and giggle and can be heard giggling at yourself very often.  You are sweet, cautious, quite possibly a perfectionist (like your Mama), impatient (like Mama again), stubborn (oops, just like Mama), and remain a consummate observer.  You tend to be shy around strangers at first and will stay close to me or your Papa, but after a little while you open right up and can't help but flash your pearly whites or make faces.  You are seriously the funniest person that your Papa and I know.

I can't wait to see what the next month reveals.  Will you stand up on your own without using an object for support?  First steps?  New words?  Will you learn to love the bath again?  The suspense is killing me!! Until then, we will continue to have fun and share lots of smiles, giggles, hugs, kisses and fun. 

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

12 Months :: Happy 1st Birthday Evelina!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 12 months old, ONE YEAR OLD!! How did the first anniversary of your birth arrive so quickly? I have been thinking about this day for months and each time I would get misty-eyed as I re-lived your momentous birth in my memory. It is still so vivid yet often seems like it never actually happened. You are no longer a sleepy infant who lives for eating or being held. You have transformed into a beautiful toddler who lives for learning, exploring and bringing so much laughter into the lives of all who know you.

I never in a million years thought I could love someone as much as I love you. You have changed my life and you have changed me for the better. At the very moment of your birth, you provided me with the greatest gift of all, the gift of motherhood. All of the pain that accompanied each contraction during labor, the adrenaline rushing through my body to allow me to keep striving toward the ultimate goal, and the pure force required to push you into this world, all disappeared the moment I met you, my daughter, for the first time, and laid eyes on your beauty and perfection. I still gaze at you in amazement wondering how I got so lucky to be your Mama.

This past year has been an incredible learning experience, but has not been without mistakes. Despite the many challenges the first year of parenthood can present, I’ve always discovered what you needed, and how to get through each twist and turn. Although, at times, this year has been extremely exhausting and difficult, it has been the most rewarding 12 months of my life. And, with each day that passes my ultimate goal is to continue getting to know you, to teach you, and to learn how to be the best mother I can be just for you.

Sweet Evelina, you have come so far since your first screaming moment. You can smile, laugh, giggle, roll over, sit up, crawl, pull up and sit back down, sleep for 11-12 hours straight, feed yourself, explore with your tiny fingers and pick up the tiniest spec, babble and “talk”, wave, clap, high five, blow kisses, play peak-a-boo, show us where your head is, and so much more. You have accomplished so much in only 52 weeks of life.

Your Papa and I couldn’t be more proud of you. Just as we’ve enjoyed your first year and watching you grow each step of the way, we will continue to celebrate each moment of the upcoming year. We are looking forward to witnessing you succeed at the many milestones that are just waiting in the wings for you to accomplish, but most importantly, we are excited for you to just be you. 

You are a blessing, a treasure, brighter than the sun and stars, and although you are still too little to make a wish for yourself on this, your first birthday, I will wish for you. I wish for a year full of happiness, love, fun and new discoveries, family, and friendship. You're Papa and I are lucky enough to be along for the ride with you.  We can't wait!!  

Happy Birthday Evelina Marie-Claire, Evelina Bambina, Bean, Beanette, Peanut, Sweet Pea, Sweet Buttons!! I love you more than words could ever say.

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

11 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 11 months!!  I've said it before and I will say it again, time is just zooming by.  With each blink of my eyes, another month goes by and you move closer and closer to becoming a toddler.  One month closer to celebrating your first birthday milestone, one month closer to walking and talking, one month closer to becoming more independent.

Last month had to be one of our most challenging months, but it brought forth one of the most fun months with you, sweet Evelina. The past month was full of so much happiness, so many giggles and smiles, so much excitement and so many accomplishments.

Your fun-loving, jovial personality has really shined through over the past month and you are feeling more and more comfortable about sharing it with others, including strangers.  You still remain a constant observer but you have really enjoyed opening up to others by flashing your pearly whites and waving at anyone (including your reflection in the mirror or Prince William and Kate while they were waving to on-lookers in preparation for their big kiss on the balcony after the Royal Wedding) and anything (trees, the grass, the sky, your toys)

You can now officially crawl on your hands and knees, but you often prefer your unique crawling technique which involves dragging your bum across the floor in a swift fashion.  Either way, you successfully make it from point A to point B with a smile and determination all your own.  You especially enjoy crawling toward shoes, they are most definitely your favorite non-toy, even if they don't taste very good, yuk.  Along with crawling, you can easily transition to a sitting position from laying down and have been known to fall asleep while sitting up and then hunching over, it could quite possibly be one of the cutest things, although, I can't imagine very comfortable.  You are an expert at pulling up to your knees and have completely pulled up to standing on many occasions.  Even though you love to stand and play, if you can only make it to your knees, you are happy, it doesn't take much to please you...well, sometimes that is.  Your other new skill, clapping.  You will clap when you are happy, when you hear music, when I say "Yaaayyy!!!" and clap with you, or just if you feel like it...in between all of your waving.

As we countdown to your first birthday, I can't help but think about how far you've come since your first moment on earth, how much you have learned and grown, and how much I love you.  I can't imagine life without you. There are still moments that I need to pinch myself because I honestly can't believe you are our daughter.  That we were lucky enough to be blessed by you each day. To be the recipients of your smiles, laughter, waves, hugs and kisses.  To be able to experience every day through your eyes, all the while making me want to be a better person...for you.  Happy 11 months sweet girl. 

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

10 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 10 months old!! You’ve entered double digit territory and in only two short months, we will be celebrating the big O-N-E!! I must admit that the past month has been the most challenging since your birth. Even though your Papa and I love experiencing life through your eyes and find so much joy in watching you grow and develop, the past month was far from filled with sunshine and roses.

The month was plagued with your ever-present cold which caused a cough and runny nose, contributed to you being extremely fussy and clingy, and prevented you from sleeping very well in your crib without being propped up in your car seat (thank goodness you still fit it in!!). Papa and I can’t be certain, but we think your cold also heighted your reflux symptoms and made for some extremely difficult bottle feedings and may have even caused you to stop enjoying even your favorite foods. To top it all off, you cut SIX teeth…OUCH…my poor little baby.

Despite your cold, congestion, coughing, teething, eating challenges, and reflux, you find joy in so many things. Some of your favorites include dismantling your play mat and chomping on the parts, shaking your maracas or banging together objects, deliberately throwing things to the floor while in your high chair, splashing and watching me blow bubbles during bath time, listening to stories, turning and touching the pages in your books, running around your entertainer, sitting and scooting to grab something fun to play with, standing at your Zany Zoo or activity table (or anywhere…you LOVE to stand), dumping out bins of toys, trying your best to get a hold of the laptop, our phones, remotes, glasses (both drinking and eye), listening to me and your Papa play music on your entertainer keyboard, my favorite being Papa’s version of the Rocky theme.

You always flash your biggest smile when I sing the ABC song or the Hello song from our Mommy and Me class. You love when I make animal sounds, especially the monkey sound. Even when you are in the back seat of the car in your car seat, I will make the monkey sound while driving and see you smiling away in your mirror. It is just too cute. I can’t wait to bring you to the zoo to see real monkeys!!

Even though we’ve had challenges during meal times over the past few weeks, you love broccoli, all fruits, pancakes, pizza, grilled cheese, graham crackers and yogurt. You eat much better for your teachers at school then you do for me and your Papa. What’s up with that?

In other developments, you are a chatter box and continue to be a razzberry blowing addict. I don’t *think* you have officially said your first actual word yet, but I have heard “Bye”, “Hi” and “Yeah”. I’m tough, so until I hear a word more than once in the correct context, it won’t be your official first word. Until then, we will enjoy all of your rambling, complete with Mama’s and Dada’s, and continue to teach you all we can.

You are also working on perfecting your pincher grasp and army crawl. Your favorite place to army crawl is on the bed, rushing toward the edge to peek over, which isn’t very safe my darling. You are also determined to pull up to standing, but you haven’t quite figured out that you must get on your knees first. I wouldn’t be surprised if you can pull up before actually crawling on your hands and knees. Either way, you are quite a bundle of energy and are constantly moving….you must have ants in your pants!!

Of course, you continue to be Miss Fuss-bucket during diaper or wardrobe changes, and when we wipe your nose, face or hands…LOOK OUT. You also haven’t been enjoying being on your tummy these days since you would prefer sitting or standing instead. But, it’s Mommy’s goal for you to learn to crawl so practice is required!!

Your cold seems to be winding down, and so far, no new teeth are cutting through so we are hoping this month is full of many new milestones that don’t include getting into the Guinness Book of World Records for the amount of snot mucus a baby can produce!!

I love every little bit of you and look forward to seeing your sweet face each day and being blessed by your smiles and giggles. I can’t imagine a day without your version of hugs and kisses…even if you do pull my hair and pinch my neck.

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy