Practice Makes Perfect

Julia usually takes an afternoon nap but sometimes we do quiet time in the morning...half-hour or so where she sits in her bed with a book, lays down, reads, talks whatever.

Over the past couple of days she's been a little sick and her schedule is a screwy. She's taken morning naps and quiet-time/nap in the afternoon. Today, I listened while she did her typical singing and humming and, of course, babbling and I heard her say "mommy", "daddy", "daddy", "mommy" over and over. She was practicing.

I've heard her repeat things but its usually while she is reading or talking near us or imitating us. This is the first time I have heard her do what sounds like practice repetition.

Kinda cool, huh?

Always a Concerned Mother

Again I don't remember all my insightful words from weeks ago ... I think I realize that there is always something to be concerned about as a parent. Julia doesn't get sick often which is wonderful. She's rarely fussy, usually she's cranky when hungry or tired. Julia gets hurt most of the time when she's playing and running and bumping into things. But there's always concern about how's she's doing - physically, emotionally, mentally. How is she developing? How does she compare to other young children? I know she's an individual and will do it her way, that I definitely know! We know she's developing on pace, regardless of when she walks, talks, runs, stacks things, feeds herself, picks up her toys, not matter how she relates to other kids. Julia is happy - that is the most important quality. She is doing fine.

15 Months & Pushing the Envelope

Julia is 15 months old. What does that mean? She's growing and getting smarter. She's fine tuning her skills and becoming more aware of the world and herself.

You always hear stories about parents having eyes in the back of their heads. I think Julia has eyes in the back of her head b/c she doesn't seem to miss ANYthing. Part of it is the completeness of her senses. Neither Tara nor I hear or see as well as we used to, Julia is still new and incredibly sharp. She sees things out of the corners of her eyes, she hears the slightest noise from across the house. Its a little frustrating when you are trying to get her food ready before she realizes its time to eat and she hears the refrigerator open.

She's been doing so much that its hard to talk about what's different this month. She's getting better at climbing the stairs but she doesn't understand the going backwards down the stairs. Her babbling has gone to a new level with more word-like sounds, a stronger repertoire of sounds, and, of course, more words. She has recently figured out how to climb onto things and into cabinets. She likes to be chased by people and Johnders.

BREAKING NEWS: The day before yesterday she grabbed my finger and walked me to the refrigerator for a snack.

She is a master mimic. She loves imitating her Uncle Joel as well as dogs. It really is an onslaught of activity with her.

On the bad side: She is teething again and thus quite fussy. She is more specific about her wants and gets that much more agitated when we don't get it right. Mealtime can be a CUSS (if you saw "Fantastic Mr. Fox" you know what I mean)!

It continues to be a wonder and a joy to watch her grow and develop. I think I sound like a broken record about that but she continually amazes.

A Mind of Her Own

Tara and I have joked since Julia was born that she was gonna do things her way. She, at the last minute, flipped into the breech position forcing the c-section. She is a very distracted nurser and she's gaining weight about as slowly as you can.

As she's grown she's started to exhibit other "do it my way" traits. She is very quickly moving towards walking - she holds her balance unassisted for several seconds, she's cruising and pulling herself up from all sorts of positions - but she has yet to crawl on hands and knees, she's only about the commando crawl. She didn't start showing teeth until about a month ago and her first two to erupt are her top front instead of the bottom four.

Over the past couple of days, but I especially noticed today, she gets extremely upset when you take away something she is enjoying or remove her from a situation that she's enjoying. This afternoon she was playing with the phone, her new fav toy, and I took it away so we could do something else and she SCREAMED and let loose a flood of these huge movie tears.

Again, the changes are amazing to watch.

I'm 9 months old!

Today is 09-09-09 and I am 9 months old.

How cool is that?

I'm sure there are tons of couples getting hitched at wedding chapels in Vegas or families anticipating the arrival of a new baby... to have this date marking a momentous occasion.

Sometimes I cannot believe that I am 9 months old - well, really I hear my mom & dad say it often. I continue to grow (longer mostly, still light & lean) and explore my surroundings. I'm a master cruiser, especially enjoy moving around my crib and Pack-N-Play. My nickname is Spiderwoman - I climb up the sides all the time!

I am really enjoying food, too. I am "my mother's daughter" as the expression goes. Banana has been my favorite; slimy, but delicious. Then I tasted yogurt ... even plain soy is yummy. My taste buds are open to new discoveries. I've also tried sweet potatoes - YUM-O! Yesterday dad fed me some applesauce. Good stuff! Dad talks about the day when he can introduce me to "real" bacon... turkey bacon is not real to him.

I am talking as much as possible - the "b" sounds are fun! Babblish is what we call it. Cute, huh? : )

I also enjoy laughing, especially when my mom & dad start and then we cannot stop! My mom gets really tickled by my laughter. I know she misses me while she's at work all day. Thank goodness I have dad to keep me company until she comes home.

My best bud is Johnders. He loves to lick me, especially my face, but mom & dad don't like it. It really tickles! I like touching his face and there's all that hair to grab! We enjoy staring at each other, usually from the opposite sides of the mesh when I'm in the Pack-N-Play.

Until next monthiversary ... always ready for the next adventure!

P.S. I forgot that I can wave. I really get excited and wave to Johnders when I go up the stairs with mom at bedtime. I also get excited & wave when I see other babies, especially at Las Maracas - very family-friendly restaurant!

and the shrieking has begun!

Julia really enjoys her mouth. She is having a blast exploring all of possible sounds and fluids that can be made with her tongue, throat and entire mouth. Mostly it is hilarious as are lots of things she is discovering. Sometimes it is confusing as she sounds distressed, but usually is not.

Typically Julia makes the most sounds when she is laying in her Pack-N-Play; she tends to be more quiet and serious when sitting up. However, yesterday she put on a show at Easter lunch at our friends' house. We have a performer amongst us!

Then today she took it to a new level. Julia got LOUD, I mean really loud!!!!!!! Seriously I am concerned about her throat getting raw and sore.

However, seeing the world through a baby's new eyes is a glorious thing! Definitely reminds you to keep it simple.

4 months and Basically Brillant

Today I am 4 months old. I weigh 11 pounds 5 ounces which makes mom very happy! My head grew another 1 cm and I am 1 1/4 inches longer since last month. Basically I am growing everywhere I'm supposed to.

My doctor likes my social smile which my parents think is normal and kind of flirtatious; lots of people notice how fun I am. I'm personable. You smile at me; I'll smile at you.

I am meeting lots of milestones for my age and actually impressed Dr. Robinson with my book handling skills... might be advanced. Not surprising given my parents... Wellesley and Sewanee... I've got brains! My dad described how I pay attention during story time and hold the book and really seem to want to turn the pages. My cloth book "Colors" is always with me in the car seat and I turn those pages... also, I like to put them in my mouth.

I sit with assistance in the Boppy and in the bouncy seat obviously.
I love to grab my feet and even put my toes in my mouth.
I've been on my tummy and rolled over to my back.

I go back to the doctor in 2 months. I should definitely be double my birth weight (13 pounds 2 ounces), probably more. I hope to demonstrate some new tricks. Maybe I'll be rolling over (from back to front), crawling some and sitting up more on my own.