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!

Week 53 & 54

Dear Jorie,

Oh my baby girl. We've been so busy I haven't had time to catch my breath, let alone sit down to write a letter to you.

Since your birthday, we've gotten you a new car seat,  you came down with pink eye, we traveled down to Connecticut so you could meet my side of the family, You've started saying some real definate words (like dada, mummaa, uhoh, and geee), and you've gotten really good at signing more. 

It seems like we are always on the go these days, and you more than us. You never sit still, it seems, unless you're strapped into the high chair or car seat, or you're asleep. You crawl and walk all over the place, and you've started trying to climb everything you see. 

Last weekend was all about Fathers day. You got your dada a bottle of nice whiskey and glasses to drink it in. I'm sure he'll need it after some of the days we've been having!

You came down with Pink Eye this past Friday, right before we were going to leave for Connecticut. So we had to get you eye drops, and for the first half of our trip you looked like you had gotten into a fight with another baby and lost. You were still a charmer, and got to meet my friend Matt from college, as well as most of my side of the family.

The worst part about you having Pink Eye was giving you the eye drops. You didn't seem that put out by the Pink Eye, but as soon as we started putting the eye drops in you would clamp your eyes shut and scream like we were murdering you. It was heartbreaking. The good news is it seems to be all cleared up now, so you'll be able to go back to day care on Thursday. 

We had to do the sitter-shuffle with both sets of grandparents this week, since neither me nor your father could take off from work to stay home with you. You were with Grandma and Grandpa R on Monday, and Nannie and Grandpa O Tuesday and today. I hate not being able to stay home with you when you're sick. 

I have a lot of pictures to upload soon. I'll have to do a post full of just pictures to catch up.

I love you baby girl.

 
   

Week 52! One Whole Year!

Dear Jorie,

I can't believe it. This week was your first birthday. It's been an incredible year little one. I simultaneously can hardly believe both that an entire year has passed since you were born, and that it's only been a year since I first saw your face. You have grown and changed so much since they first handed you to me and you looked up at me with big blue eyes. 

This weekend was all about your First Birthday party. We had the party on Sunday at your Nannie and Grandpa's house. Your Father and Grandpa helped me decorate. There was a desert table with lots of rainbow themed treats, Jelly beans, candy buttons and rainbow cupcakes made by Cakes by Karen. I made you a small rainbow smash cake. There was lots of food, hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza, and a bunch of side dishes, and every one seemed to have a good time. There were a LOT of people there! Close to 50! You are a very loved little girl. Even though we told everyone that gifts were not necessary, since you're so little you won't even remember this when you get older, almost everyone brought you something.  The party seemed to rush by for me, as I was running around most of the time talking to a million people at once.

mmmm. caaaake.

The cake smash went alright, although you seemed kind of stunned by all the people watching you, and just kinda slowly ate the cake while staring out at everyone. I was very happy with the way your cake turned out. The colors in

Cake. Smashed.

the cake were nice and bright, once you started actually eating it! You did share with Zetta a bit, which was really cute. 
 
A little while after the cake smash you were playing with a toy phone and you held it up to your ear and very clearly said "Hewwo" I heard it, and so did your Grandma R. You haven't done it again since, but I'm so sure you said hello! Monday we had round two with Nannie and Grandpa, and actually opened the gifts everyone had left you. So many cool things! Some of it is still a little old for you, but we'll hold onto it all for when you grow into it.


Tuesday (your actual birthday), we sent in the rest of the rainbow cup cake to day care with you. They were a big hit with the staff, and I hear they even let the kids in your room have some for snack!  Ms. Darcy put your hair up in these amazingly adorable pigtails. The really funny part was that you still had them after we took the rubber band out! In fact, you still had two doggie ear looking tufts of hair sticking up this morning! For dinner on Tuesday, we were over to your Grandma and Grandpa R's for dinner and round three, with some more presents and lots of love. 

The only down side to this whole slew of parties and dinners is that our schedule is thrown completely off. You've been a little cranky in the evenings and very very clingy. You just want me close all the time. Whenever I get more than a few feet away from you, you wind up to full blow sobbing. 

This morning we spent a lot of time just cuddling in the rocker in your room. It reminded me of all the late nights and early mornings spent feeding you when you were just born. We weren't in this house yet, but I remember, a few weeks after you were born, waking up with you and sitting on the couch in the old apartment, watching the sunrise while I nursed and cuddled you.

You were so tiny then. You've gotten so big so fast. Watching you and Zetta toddle around after each other at the party, I couldn't believe you were the same two tiny babies that used to sleep through two hours of your moms having coffee.

You have changed our lives completely little one. In the best ways possible. I may not have enjoyed every step of the way that got us here (I could have done without the ear infections, the allergic reaction, and having to go to work every day), but I would not trade one single second of this past year. 

I can't wait to see what the next year will bring, how you will grow, and how your personality will continue to emerge. I can't wait to hear you start talking, and to be able to share so many new things with you. 

I love you so much Jorie-bear. My little monkey.

Always in motion.

 

1st Birthday!

Happy birthday baby girl!

One day old

One year old

  You are one whole entire year old today. I cannot believe it. I love you so so so very much.