Jelly Boo Boo,
I can't believe this is my second to last monthly update for you. I so vividly remember writing your first month update. I remember sitting at the computer and feeling so overwhelmed and tired. I felt like a fat, tired failure. I remember knowing it would get easier, but feeling sad that your first month was done, and like I had spent the entire first month trying to get you comfortable. You had a hard start, and Daddy and I worked so hard to get you to even feel content.
I remember writing your second month update, and being so proud that you were already smiling. I remember writing your third monthly update, and feeling sad that when I wrote your fourth update, I would be back at work. I remember writing each and every update. And now all those months have added up and you are now almost 1 year old! I was so sad when I saw the last monthly sticker.
You are such a character. Daddy and I call you our small but mighty Jelly Boo. You are tiny, but you are mighty. Last week I was feeding you hummus off a pretzel. Every time I took the pretzel away to put hummus on it, you threw your head back and cried. You have such a distinct cry. When you are very, very upset, you don't even cry. You silently hold your mouth open for a few minutes, then let forth an ear piercing cry. You can be a huge drama queen when you don't get your way. However, you have become much more obedient this month. You will stay off the stairs when I tell you, and you keep your headbands in your hair now.
You are very social, and love to toddle around stores and greet everyone you see. You are always smiling, and we always get many compliments about how adorable and well behaved you are.
Your sleep has really declined this month. I was just telling Daddy what a pleasure it is to put you to bed. We would read stories, nurse, and cuddle, and you would go to sleep. This month you decided to follow in the footsteps of your sissy and become a stinker with sleeping. You now fight each nap until you are literally falling down because you are so tired. You then will go though the story, nursing, and cuddling routine. Then you will start loudly humming, or pushing on me with your feel, or making the "don't sell" motion with your hands, or you will just start talking loudly. You laugh with glee when you realize you've won, and your nap has been delayed.
This month you've also started to really "play". Last night you had the entire family laughing hard with your rousing game of "peek-a-boo". You kept covering up your face with a dish cloth, then reappearing to our delight. We were all belly laughing, and you loved being the star. We also play chase now, and you love the game. When you hear, "you better run", you look back and laugh. Sometimes you run right to me, and sometimes you like to be chased. Yes, you run. We haven't seen you crawl for a while now.
You are now wearing mostly 6-12 month clothes, with a few 3-6 month still in the mix. You wear a size 3 diaper. You take 3 or 4 naps each day, that are around 30-60 minutes each. You go to sleep around 9 or 9:30, and I usually wake up you up for the day around 7:30. You wake up regularly to nurse throughout the night. This was the first month you stopped taking a bottle for our nanny. Mommy was elated to throw the breast pump in the basement with the other baby things!
You love to eat. Meatloaf seems to be your all time favorite. You also like cottage cheese, Daddy's pancakes, crackers, and bits from Mommy's soup. You love your sippy cups! You like to go out to eat and to try new things. However, sometimes you love a food one day, and won't even try it the next. This has been the case with applesauce, baby puffs, and green melon.
You love your sissy, and I often catch you two playing nicely together. However, she has gotten much more comfortable with picking you up. You are quickly learning how to dodge her. She always is telling you "no", and now you just argue back at her with your babbles. When you are really upset, you still try to explain your woes to me. Last night you were up with a stuffed up nose. You were crying and pretty miserable. I kept trying to nurse you or cuddle you. You kept pulling back, looking in my eyes, and telling me your tales of woe. I hope you never stop that.
Jelly Belly Boo Boo, you are such a joy. We love you more than you will ever know.
Love,
Us!
