Week 59

Dear Jorie,

This week was all about recovery for you (and unfortunately for your cousin!) We got you back to day care on Friday, and things have been smooth sailing (so far) since then. You're almost finished with your medicine, so hopefully that will be that. 

This week we started trying to let you use a spoon. It's a messy process, but you do occasionally get some food in your mouth.

We reaffirmed that you love tofu, and will eat tons of it if we let you. In fact, I think you ate more of the tofu I made this week than we did! One thing you are not, you are not a picky eater.

Speaking of eating, you've been doing a lot of that lately! It seems lately like we can't feed you enough. You've gotten very proficient at the signs for "food" and "more", and use them constantly! Your father and I are convinced you're going through a growth spurt, since you're eating about the same amount of food as we are.


We went to the consignment shop this weekend to get an umbrella stroller for our upcoming trip, and decided to pick you up some clothes while we were there. We got you a bunch of cute shirts, some new shorts and some pajamas. Good thing we did too, because I'm sure we're right about that growth spurt, one of the shirts we got you (which looked awful big when I bought it) fits you almost perfectly. I'm sure we're going to have to go through your clothes and do another culling soon.


On friday, you got to spend some more time with Nannie and Grandpa O, while your father and I went to a concert. Your grandpa said you let them know around 8:00 that it was time for bed by pulling a toy over and resting your head on it. You've gotten into a good groove with your schedule lately. You wake up, nap, and sleep right around the same time every night. We try to feed you around the same times too, and it seems like it makes everything smoother when we stick to the plan.

Since you managed to climb up on that chair the other week, you've been a climbing maniac. You climb anything and everything you can get your legs up on. You've even learned to use pillows, toys and anything else you can grab to stand on to get up on something. 

The other day you were climbing up into the rocking chair by standing on the gray fuzzy pillow. So your father took the pillow away and put it on the floor about four feet away. You went, got the pillow, and placed it back where you needed it to get into the chair again. Your father then hid the pillow for a good couple of minutes before both of us forgot about what you had been doing. As soon as your father brought the pillow out again, and we weren't paying attention, you took the pillow back to the chair. Talk about persistence! 

You've even managed to climb up onto the couch with me a few times to get my attention. This is always adorable, as you then crawl into my lap and demand I look at you, however it can be nerve wrecking as you then proceed to crawl around on the couch and occasionally try to go over the arms. I'm sure a fall off the couch wouldn't do too much harm, but I'd rather not chance it. It's a good thing your father already secured the book case in the living room to the wall!



Your father and I continue to try to get the house in order, this week it was rearranging the furniture in our bedroom so we could put the mirror up over one of the dressers. Your father has tried a few different times to get that mirror up on the wall, He's very happy it's finally done. I can't believe we've been living in this house for almost a year and we're still unpacking! Hopefully next week we'll get the book case in the back room together, so we can give the drill we borrowed back to my parents!

I'm enjoying every step along the way as you grown and change. I know I ask you to slow down a lot, and lament the fact that I feel like I miss so much, but it is truly amazing watching you learn. Knowing that in a few short months you've learned to walk, sign, climb, and say a few words amazes me. I can't believe that only a year ago you were this tiny little thing curled up on my chest. Now you are a ball of energy, always moving and laughing and playing. I hope you keep that joy, that throw your head back laughter over some joke none of us grown ups seem to understand. I hope life is always an amazing adventure for you.

I love you baby girl!

 

Week 58

Dear Jorie,

This was a week of ups and downs. You've continued to grow and change and continually amaze everyone around you. 

There was swimming at your Nannie and Grandpa O's, a day of playing at the play ground with Your Aunt Becky and Cousin Wesley. The weekend was full of fun and play. 

At the play ground, there was a kids birthday party going on. You were enthralled with them, and seemed to want nothing more than to go play with them. The kids were mostly much older than you, around 7 or 8, but there was one 18 month old little girl, who at one point came over to say hi. You got all excited as she toddled over, but as soon as she got close, you became suddenly, inexplicably, shy. I've never seen you get shy around other kids before! You did try to follow her around a bit, but when she started doing things like climbing stairs, and climbing around the big kids (one of whom almost landed on you at one point), I decided the swings might be a better place for you to play.

Your father and I were exhausted by the end of the weekend. So much so that I ended up with a migraine on monday, and had to stay home from work. I was just starting to feel human again when I got a call from the day care. You had a high fever, and I had to go get you. I made an appointment with your doctor and brought you straight in. Good thing I did too, you had an ear infection and a sore throat. Both most likely caused by whatever virus you had. So, we got a prescription for antibiotics, and lots of advice on keeping you comfortable. 

Yesterday, you spent the day at your Grandma and Grandpa R's. They said you played boisterously all day, stopping only for a massive 3 hour nap. We had dinner there, but you fell asleep long before we ate, going to bed around 6:30.


Today you spent the day at your Nannie and Grandpa O's. You haven't had a fever all day, so hopefully you'll be able to go back to day care tomorrow.

One of my favorite moments this past week was when you decided that you wanted us to laugh, so you started fake laughing, which was hilarious, and caused us to start laughing, which made you laugh. We just kept going back and forth making each other laugh for a good 10 minutes. 

We also finally got plates on the new(ish) car, so no more van rides for you! The new car is much smaller, but has working A/C and an awesome sterio. It'll be much more comfortable for our upcoming road trips!

You still only have two teeth, but you use those teeth with gusto! You're very good at toddling, and climbing and pulling wires and pushing buttons. Right now some of your favorite toys are the ones that play music. You love to push the button on this one book we have that plays classical songs. You play the same song over and over and kind of bop back and forth to it. It's amazingly, heart breaking-ly adorable.

You say Mama now, and Dada, and your favorite "Uh oh." You wave hello and bye bye. You use the signs for More and Milk and Eat consistently. You can find your head and your nose, and are working on actually using the shape sorter to sort the shapes. You know how it's supposed to work, you just can't figure out why some blocks won't go through some holes yet. 

You are incredibly persistent and (even when sick) almost always cheerful. Your father and I have gotten decently proficient at reading your moods, so we can tell when you need to take a nap or when you're getting hungry. Now that we can tell when you're starting to get tired, putting you to bed (or down for a nap) has gotten much easier. If we catch you at the right time (when you're tired enough to want to nap, but not so tired as to be cranky) you go to sleep without any fuss. 

You've started getting attached to this sock monkey stuffed animal that my parents got you. It's kind of an odd looking thing, with blue, black and white stripes, and black button eyes, and red buttons down it's front. But you seem to love it, so it stays in the crib with you.

I love you baby girl. I hope you're feeling better by the time I get home!
 

Week 57

Dear Jorie,

The only pepper from our pepper plant!

This week flew by in a hot blur. The temperatures have been up up UP! We did manage to get a good long swim in at Nannie and Grandpa O's on Sunday. Your cousin Wesley and Uncle Michael even joined us!

Not much else happened of note this past week. We're just keeping on keeping on. Your father and I did spend a good deal of time cleaning this weekend though, just trying to get the house back to a decent shape after the disaster it became over the past few weeks.

I did want to say that you are getting so very big. I think you're about to outgrow another round of clothes! I was watching you walk around and play this morning and I was just amazed at how much you've grown and changed, especially in the last few months. 

You are so independent, and so determined! You love to explore and climb and once you decide you want to do something, you try until you figure out a way to do it! This can be a very frustrating trait for your Father and I sometimes, especially when the thing you are determined to do is something we are determined not to let you do.

You are a very happy child, and you have an amazing laugh. Every time you laugh it makes me smile. I love hearing it. Sometimes you will laugh when we do silly things, and sometimes you'll laugh because of something you did that we don't understand. A lot of the time you laugh at the puppy.


One of the things you've been doing lately is eating the little packets of baby food all by yourself. I open the packet and hand it to you, and you suck it all down, quickly usually. Sometimes I feel like a lazy parent for doing that, but you're so happy to be able to eat at your own pace that it's really worth it.



I love you Jorie bear. I can't wait to see what's next!  

Weeks 55 & 56

Dear Jorie,

I know, I'm terrible. But for every letter I miss, it's because we're out in the world with you. Having fun, doing many many new things! These past two weeks have been jam packed, as it seems every week this summer has been.

You were healthy for about a week after you got over the pink eye, and then this past weekend spiked a random fever. I was able to stay home with you on Tuesday, which made me feel much better about not being home with you on Monday. 

Thursday ast week was the 4th of July, and we got to take you to see some fireworks. We camped out in the parking lot of the Day Care, which was close enough to enjoy them, but far enough that they weren't too loud. You seemed to enjoy them, but you got bored quickly, and were more interested in the kids sitting near by. 

That morning I ran a five mile race, and your father and you played on a play ground while you were waiting for me. Later that day, while I was recovering, you and your father went to a party with his family for his cousins birthday. Even later, we went over to Nannie and Grandpa O's and you got to go swimming for the first time! You really seemed to enjoy it, although mostly it was just us holding you and you splashing the water. Your Grandpa O got you a pool floatie, but you're still a little unsure about that.

Saturday we were over there again for a cookout with both sets of grandparents and the Girshes. You got to swim again, and you seemed to have a good time. Unfortunately Sunday you got sick, so the past three days have been all about getting you healthy again.

The big news is that you're climbing. Everything in sight. It started last Wednesday when you randomly figured out how to climb onto one of our chairs. Since then, if you can climb it, or climb into it, you will.  

I'm sure I'm missing some things, but we've been so busy, it's so hard to remember everything. So I'll just fill in the rest with photos. 

I love you baby girl!