Happy Birthday, Squish!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 Months

Well, little Ms.Squish, not sure how we're here already, but we are now a baby-less home because we have a...ONE YEAR OLD! We have loved this twelfth month with you...

• (Official weight coming soon). You are still in size 3 diapers and 12 month clothes.
• Sleep schedule is still pretty similar. You wake for the day anywhere between around 7-8:30, until naptime anywhere between 11 and 1. You get one decent 2-3 hour nap or the occasional two short cat naps. Bedtime is usually around 8:00 now, after your brothers are asleep. You still wake once a night, but no long need to nurse to go back to sleep. You and Daddy have been enjoying some middle-of-the-night-bonding time this month, while Mommy is catching up on 12 months worth of sleep.This week, you have slept through the night 3 different nights.
• You are love to feed yourself...with spoons and forks too. You are somewhat of a picky eater, and don't love your fruits and veggies so much. But carbs and treats, bring it on! Oops - you may have gotten that trait from your momma, sorry sister! (You had a taste of ice cream this month and it was an instant love connection!) 
• We have cut back on nursing the past week or two. After a brutal injury involving four very sharp teeth, it seemed like it might be time to start the weening process. You still nurse in the morning, before bed, and sometimes in the middle of the night. This has been a good transition though. You have started using sippy cups this month and haven't missed your bottle once. We have also stopped heating up breast milk, and giving it to you cold, as you prepare to transition to whole milk soon.
• We feel like you are on the cusp of a language explosion. You are grunting and making new noises when you don't have the words or signs for it. You also are pointing even more to express what you want. You are also signing like crazy this month. You have learned "please" gets you what you want, so you assume, "I just have to sign and I'll get whatever I want." Taking you through the store the other day, you would point to just about everything you saw and signed "please" to me. 
• The tooth count is still 4 - two top and two bottom. 
• You are a climbing machine - steps (when the gate opens up), step stools, bar stools, attempting to climb on couches. If it's in reach, you will climb it!
• You give the best hugs - with your tiny arms wrapped all the way around our necks with the sweetest little squeezes. You are very affectionate and will seek hugs from all. When every I am down on the floor, you immediately come over, turn yourself around, and back into my lap for extra loving. 

One year later and we are still so thankful for you! You are so incredibly content and happy. Your sparkly eyes light up the room. You were the final piece to this family, Ms. Charleigh Jo. We are so blessed that you are our's and that we get to watch you tackle this great big world. I have a feeling you will do incredible things, Little Jo, and I can't wait to watch your story unfold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11 Months

I can hardly stand it...today we start our final month of having a baby in our house! How has this happened already?! What a fun eleventh month we've had too. Cousins birthday parties at a fun gym; your first snow and sledding experience; first trip to the zoo of the year; first stomach bug (along with everyone else), which was accompanied by your first real horrible diaper rash; going to lots of Uncle Kye's basketball games; Mommy's birthday and the Super Bowl; plus so much more in between!

• Still no official weight this month, but you are still rocking the size 3 diapers and wearing 12 month sizes now. 
• Sleep schedule is still pretty similar. You wake for the day around 8:00, until naptime anywhere between 11 and 1. You get one decent 2-3 hour nap or two shorter cat naps. Bedtime is anywhere between 8-9, with you still waking once or twice each night for a quick ten-minutes to nurse.
• You are a pretty good eater and love to feed yourself. The stomach bug this month had you put a pause on solid foods for about a week. However, once better, you were sure to make up for lost time! You are at the stage where everything goes straight into your mouth - food or not - so you're willing to try everything. But you let us know if you don't like something (i.e. - Spanish rice!). A simple, matter-of-fact shake of your head no, closed mouth, turned head, and straight refusal to eat it. When non-food items make it into your mouth, you've learned how to say "ahhh," and show us so we can get it out. (This has been particularly scary with older brothers, who have smaller toys. It's been a little more comforting now that you know to spit things out.) 
• You are communicating so much this month! You are continuing to sign for "more," but have now added, "please" and "all done" to your signs, as well as practicing "thank you." Aside from signing, you try to speak a lot of words already too. You imitate the "m sound" and "p sound" when you sign more and please to us. Your spoken word count is now 5: mama, dada, hi, hello, and your favorite, uh-oh. You attempt to say "down," "up," and "out," when asked to, but they aren't words you are using on your own yet. You also wave hello, goodbye, and point (the cutest, daintiest little point) to things you want.
• The tooth count is now 2 and two-half teeth! You have sprouted your top two teeth, but they are still slowly coming in. We know they are there though because we hear you grinding them on your bottom teeth all the time.
• Not only are you walking, but this month you've begun running too...especially when you hear the gate to the upstairs open. I have never seen such a speedy baby. You can hear that gate from any room in the house and instantly take off, wanting so badly to climb the stairs. And if denied the opportunity to climb, it's complete deflated devastation.
• Since you perfected climbing up the stairs last month, we've begun learning how to climb down this month. You want to just stand up and head down like your brothers, which you can't do. However, you think it's a riot scooting down on your bottom. And with very close supervision, you are getting better at scooting all the way down.
• You love to play tag, build with your blocks, knock things over, and take every item out of cabinets and drawers. But your favorite toy is whatever toy Ry and Wy happen to be playing with, especially their Paw Patrol cars and pups! Since day one, you have so badly wanted to be big enough to hang with your brothers.
• You love giving kisses and have perfected the sweetest little pucker this month. As soon as you wake up, it's hugs and kisses for everyone. You are a very cuddly, love-bug, who will come up to us all day, laying your head on us for hugs and kissing us all day long. 

Happy 11 months, sweet girl. Here's to soaking up our final month of having a baby in our home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Months

10 months already and what a tenth month it was! Your first Christmas with many Christmas celebrations throughout the month and your first time being sick (and on Christmas weekend too!). This month we stepped up your solids intake and you ate it up! You moved up this month too - literally, upstairs and into your own room (excuse me, I'm still crying over this one). We are in awe of just watching you grow and change before our eyes!

• No official weight this month, but I imagine you're still in the 20 lb, maybe 21 lb range. You are still in size 3 diapers and wearing 9 and 12 month sizes now. 
• This month you transitioned to your bed, in hopes that you would self-soothe since you wouldn't be staring right at me when you wake. While it was a very smooth move from pack n play to crib, it did not solve our nighttime wake up call. You still wake at least once a night, sometimes twice. There's no real consistency either. Last night you went to bed at 9 and didn't wake until 5:40, but the night before you went to bed at 8:30 and woke at 12, 3:30, and 6:30. On the bright side, you nurse for about ten minutes and are then right back asleep with no fuss. So, while I'm sure we could "train" you out of this by letting you cry it out a little more, it's just much easier for my sleep's sake, to feed you for 10, instead of listening to you cry for 10 and then still having to feed you for 10 minutes. Plus, I'm sure this phase is almost over and I will definitely miss our middle of the night meetings and your sweet little tickles while you nurse. 
• You are still getting a solid nap a day, lasting anywhere for an hour and a half to three hours. On your brothers' two school days, it's a little trickier to get a nap in because you're traveling to pick them up during prime nap-time. So you tend to catnap on the way to and from drop-off and pick-up.
• You are officially over baby food and now eat soft table foods. This is my favorite stage of eating! Life is so much easier when we can simply scoop something off of our plates onto your plate and you can feed yourself. You love yogurt, scrambled eggs, green beans, carrots, and of course bananas.
• You are still signing for "more," but now do so on your own. We don't have to ask, "Do you want more?" If your plate is empty and you are hungry, you will tell us "more." We are still working on "please," stubborn little peanut, although tonight I think you may have finally signed it at dinner! You have added "hi" and an attempt at "hello," to your list of words you speak (making the grand total four words now).
• The tooth count is still at two adorable little bottom teeth.
• You are a professional walker. You'd never guess you were only 10 months by the way you walk. We can't help but giggle as you toddle around.
• You are playing a lot more now. You have learned how to put the rings on your new toy, paly basketball, and love pushing your stroller around. However, your most favorite toys are those for 4 year olds and up! You watch your brothers play and want in on the action and want to play with their toys. You recognize your brothers' names and love to play with them. Today, we caught you and Ryan in an adorable game of "Tag! Hide and seek!" (as named by Ry). There you were squealing, giggling, and even trying to speed walk as you chased him around the kitchen and living room. 
• You love music and start to dance and clap whenever a song comes on. 
• Being able to walk has really upped your level of curiosity. You are into every cabinet in the kitchen - pulling out food, pots, and pans on a daily basis. I guess it's time to better baby proof!
• This month you mastered the stairs as well, and boy are you quick! Baby gates are now back out and up. You strongly dislike these and don't want to be hindered from exploring. Your playpen has also become more of a dislike for you. Sometimes you'll stay in there, happily playing, but if you catch a peek at me or you dad, you want out!
• You love bathtime and had your first official big girl bath with your brothers! How are you this big already?!
• You have adopted this cutest little head turn when we are talking to you. You give us a look and tilt that head communicating so much with that one little look. It is adorable and cracks us up. You like to shake your head at us too. 
• You give us all the best, most slobbery, open-mouthed kisses and big hugs. I love when I'm holding you and you'll occasionally just lay your head down on my shoulder for an extra little snuggle. 

I say it every month, but this family is so in love with our little Jo! You are such a happy little thing and we can't get enough of your sweetness.