July 23, 2012 - 14 months

July 23, 2012 Fourteen months old You have fast become my world, my silly little girl! The love I have for you is nothing that I have ever felt before. I thought I knew love before you...unconditional love, but that was a joke. Before you came along, there were things that mattered to me then, that as I look back I wonder what the big deal was. It's funny, and a little crazy, how completely my world shifted when you came along. When we spent that first week in the hospital with you in Houston I never had time to stop and think about everything that was happening. I mean, I was worrying constantly about you, but the full weight of it all never set in. Once we were allowed to come home from the hospital, it all started to hit me, and I cried the entire way home. I was so scared that I had almost lost you. I was sad that I had lost a week of your life, because I had barely been able to hold you. I was scared that you wouldn't like me. I was scared that I would be a horrible mom. I was scared... :) And...a little emotional :) Hormones will do that to you :) I didn't want anyone to take you, hold you, sometimes even touch you because I wanted you for me and only me...so that I could protect you from anything and everything!!! Nothing was hurting my baby!!!! I was a little overprotective...but, I think I actually hid it well because many people came to visit you and I put on a brave face :) Thinking back now, I was just so emotional from the roller coaster of the week before...all of the people that came are WONDERFUL people who will be there for you NO MATTER WHAT as you grow older!!! Mimi and Em were there all the time! Abuelo and Abuela came by to see you (and brought Mommy and Daddy some food!!! Yum Yum!!!) Nini and Saki were constantly wanting to hold you and love on you!!! Gigi was so excited to hold you! Your Tias came for some cuddle time!!! Aunt Linda and Stephanie came to visit and were so excited to get to hold you too!!! There were so many friends and family that came to see YOU!!! :) Mommy and Daddy felt so blessed to be loved by so many, and to have those love you right away!!! :) As you have grown, you make me laugh everyday!!! You make the funniest faces!!! People come up to me all the time and say that you make the cutest, silliest faces :) You make faces when you eat, when you play, when you are just sitting...and especially if you can catch someones eyes..you silly! You found your belly button in the past few days, and sit there and poke yourself in the belly over and over. It makes me laugh. You love to play peek-a-boo and we usually sit there and play and giggle for a good while. Mommy loves to tickle you and listen to your giggles! And, Em used to pick on Mommy...aka pull her leg. Mommy picks on you sometimes...and you are starting to understand and will pick on Mommy and Daddy too :) Mommy will sometimes take you paci out of your mouth and then pretend to stick it back in your mouth, or then turn the other side around and put it in her mouth. You will then take it out and put it back in yours. You have gotten to the point now that if you know Mommy or Daddy are going to reach for something you will grab it and giggle and then give it to us...you are taking after your Em :D * Weight: not sure * Length: not sure * You wear Size 3 diapers * You wear mostly 12 months clothes. However, you are wearing some 18 months clothes because you are so tall. You are a very long baby! :) * You have 6 teeth now!!! And you are getting much better about chewing your food :) nom nom nom * You sleep in your play pen every night now. Although sometimes (because you are teething or not feeling well), you sleep with Mommy. She loves to cuddle with you, though sometimes you kick and punch her :) * You eat 3 times a day. But, also snack 2 times a day. You usually eat breakfast sometimes between 7:30 - 8:30. You usually eat a cereal bar or something of that nature along with some fruit. YOU LOVE FRUIT!!!! No more bottles for you, big girl!!! You drink milk from a sippy cup or straw! You have gotten really good at it over the past couple months! Snack around 9:30 - 10:00 usually consists of Cheerios, or something of that nature. Lunch is usually eaten around 11:30. Again, big people food it is!!! You don't want none of that baby stuff! ;) If fact, no you usually want what's on Mommy or Daddy's plate. Dinner is around 5:30. Right before bedtime you usually have another sippy cup of milk while Mommy reads you a few stories. * You have gotten a little bit more picky about what you eat; however, you are still a good eater. Without a doubt, fruit is your favorite food! You would eat fruit, and only fruit, all day long if Mommy would let you! Foods that you don't like: Ravioli, eggs, meat sometimes, pears (The only fruit I have found that you are not too fond of). * We still have you sleep in pj's that have pants. No matter how cold it is, you will NOT sleep with covers. Mommy usually leave the covers off of you when she lays you down. Then when she goes to sleep, and you are in a deeper sleep, she will cover you up. However, usually within 30 minutes to an hour you have kicked the covers off. * You will usually sleep for 8-12 hours every night * You usually take one nap a day. Usually right after lunch I will lay you down. You sleep for about 2 hours everytime. (Sometimes Mommy will lay down and take a nap with you too...Shhhh! Don't tell anybody!!! ;)) * Mommy had surgery on her foot on March 23, 2012. As a result, she has been home with you since then. Mommy has loved getting to spend that time with you!!! School will start in the next month, and Mommy wishes she could take you with her because she doesn't want to leave you!!! * You love to play!!! You do not crawl still! You scoot on your little bottom and can get places faster than Mommy can blink! Sometimes, Mommy will pick on you and come rushing up behind you while you are scooting, and you start moving so fast that you end up on all fours and crawl JUST A BIT, but not often. You love to sit on the floor and play with your other toys. Your favorites at home are your Fisher Price Ferris Wheel (like Weeble Wobbles), you love balls, and Mommy just got you anew drum set that you are liking too. * You talk all the time now, although Mommy can only understand some of it. You like to yell sometimes too (especially in restuarants). Mommy is working on teaching you sign language so that you can communicate better, even before you learn to talk well. You have "more" and "all done" down to a t. We are working on "eat," "please," and "thank you." * You wave bye bye sometimes, although you are not consistent :) You usually just smile when someone says bye, and then wave as we or they are walking away. * You have started showing separation anxiety, and sometimes only want to be held by Mommy. * You are really ticklish below your chin, on your ribs, and under your arms and Mommy can usually get you giggling non-stop when she starts tickling you there :) * You took swimming lessons the past two weeks. During the lessons we eventually built up to the point where you were going underwater for up to 5 seconds. Your little eyes would get so big under the water :( You were so scared! That scared Mommy too! But, today we were swimming, and you accidentally flipped your float over. You were underwater for about 5 seconds, and when I picked you up, you weren't choking or anything. The lessons served their purpose! We wanted to make sure that if you ever did fall in to the water accidentally or anything that you would have a fighting chance at saving yourself. Of course, at 1 year, you will not be able to save yourself. But, teaching you how to hold your breath, like those lessons did, will give an adult some extra time to get to you. And, they give you a good base for more lessons to come...and so that eventually you can swim and could save yourself if you fell in! Mommy loves the water, and loves to swim! She wants to pass that on to you!!! She wants you to love the water, but also respect it and understand that too much of it is not a good thing! Chrissly - I need to say again: This past year has been the best year of my life! I have never felt more loved and blessed! I believe that God puts every person on this earth for a reason, and I believe the reason I am here is to be your mom. Thank you for being the best little girl a mother could ask for! I love you with all of my being!!!!