Week 75

Dear Jorie,

Pink eye! Again!

What a week! You had pink-eye again and were out from daycare Thursday and Friday, and you've been fighting some sort of cold, which I'm sure your father caught from you. Your father has been sick the past few days, Monday he was sick enough to stay home from work! Needless to say, that's thrown our lives into quite the frenzy.

Dinner at Wegmans is serious!

Mostly this week has been just hanging on, making sure we got your eye drops in (you really hate those!) and trying to keep things running as smoothly as we can.

The only thing we did this weekend that was unusual is we had brunch at your Aunt Becky and Uncle Michael's new house. It really is a great house, and it was really nice and relaxing to have brunch there with them (and not to have to worry about clean up was great!) We think we're going to do it again this weekend.

nap time for "baby"

Things you've started saying lately: "Boo!" (after pulling a sheet off your head), And all the time "What is this?" or "That is there." Of course it doesn't sound that clear, more like "At it is?" or "At it air." But we get the gist of it. And always "Eat" "Bottle" (which right now sounds like "Bah-ol") and Recently, "Da." which we think is you saying yes.

You are so full of energy these days, you've stopped taking more than one nap a day. You refuse to acknowledge the time change too, so you're ready for bed around 7:30 no matter what we do, and up early. Nap time has slipped earlier too, you want to nap around 10, instead of the usual 11. It's made for some frustration on my part, since we've been trying to get you settled back into a normal schedule, and you really don't want any part of it. You get really crabby when we keep you up past when you want to sleep!

Most of the time you're a blur of happy activity, tearing through your toys and "reading" books. You love running around the living room at my parents house, and riding the stuffed monkey rocker we named Mocha.

You're getting really good at feeding yourself, you even use a fork and spoon (mostly successfully) now. It's really nice to be able to let you feed yourself your breakfast while we get ready, although yesterday that ended up requiring a bath after breakfast, you were so covered in oatmeal!

I love you so much baby girl.

Weeks 73 & 74

Dear Jorie,

Oh my! Somehow I forgot to write you a letter last week! I'm not sure how that happened. I'm so sorry! My only excuse is that the time is flying by!

Eating at the Table

We've moved your high chair into the dining room, and are having meals in there now. It's really nice being able to spend the time sitting at the table with you and your Father. For our first dinner at the table, I made a really yummie frittata. Your father likes having you at the table for breakfast, he told me it feels more relaxing to be able to sit with you at the table while he eats his cereal and you eat your oatmeal.

Reading on the couch
with Nannie and Grandpa

Oh yeah! You've been feeding yourself (mostly) with a spoon lately. We give you the spoon and your oatmeal and you go to town. Most of it actually gets in your mouth too!

The weekend before last, you managed to get yourself out of your crib. Your father went to get you up on Saturday morning, and you met him at the door! It was a good thing we had managed to get the gate up at the top of the stairs already!

Who wore it better?

You have so many words now, it's hard to remember which ones are new. Your new thing is to call everything a baby. You point at everything and say "Baby?" Me and your Father spend a lot of time correcting you. This morning we were working on "Blueberry" which kinda sounded like "booboooie."

You're still teething something fierce right now. I haven't been able to coax you to open your mouth long enough for me to get a good look at what's coming in, but you've been chewing on everything you can get your hands on.

You went through a brief hitting phase last week, where you would slap and kick people. It wasn't malicious, but just because you thought it was funny. Luckily that seems to have subsided. You still slap every now and then, but you get a swift "time out" and a stern "no." Now it only seems to happen when you're over tired.

Trying to get your shoe
on Daddy's Foot

You're still a handfull. You love to test the boundaries and I think we're getting a preview of how the "terrible twos" are going to play out. I'm still holding out hope that this is the worst of it, you really like to ignore us when we tell you not to do things, but based on feedback from other parents, it's looking like it's going to be a rough couple of years.

Teething...so much teething

You are totally worth it, though. No matter how frustrated I am, or how many times I tell you not to feed your food to the dog and then watch you do just that, Your smile melts my heart.

The other night at Nannie and Grandpa O's, my mom jokingly said "Soon she'll be saying 'Why?'", to which you instantly piped up "Why?" which made us all burst out laughing. You now think "why" must be a really funny word!

I'm sorry this is such a scattered letter. I'm having a hard time remembering any stand out moments to relay to you. Most of the past two weeks were made up of those tiny awesome moments, like giving you a bath this morning and playing with you in the living room.

I love you so much baby girl.

In your "indian hat" from
daycare

Week 72

Dear Jorie,

The highlight of the week this week was the Halloween party we went to on Sunday. We got to dress you up in your Ewok costume early and show you off. We also dressed you up in a super cute pumpkin sleeper on saturday when we visited my parents. It's just a little bit small, so you walked with this cute little peg leg walk, which made it even more adorable.

Not much else to report this week. I'm not even really sure what else we did, other than the normal every day stuff.

You've started saying a couple of new recognizable words, "Hi" and "Up" being the most distinctive. I'm pretty sure you've been saying "Binky", but it sounds so much like "bottle" I'm never really sure.

I'm sorry this letter is so short. It seems like this week just flew by, and I barely remember it.

I love you baby girl.

Week 71

Dear Jorie,

Another week that flew by. I have to think and remember everything!

On Saturday, when we went and bought you new clothes. We got four pairs of pants, three shirts, one dress length top, two pairs of socks and two pairs of shoes. We bought you 18 month sized clothes, and size 5 shoes. It was hard to believe these giant clothes would fit you, but they do. You're getting so big!

Sunday we helped some friends move for a bit. Well you and me sat in our friends son's room while your father helped move things. We really weren't much help, but your father was able to help a good deal.

Also we decided to start bringing down some of the toys you got for your birthday that you weren't quite ready for then. Your father brought down the big pirate ship that your Grandma and Grandpa Ross got for you. As soon as you saw the box, you started doing a little excited dance and reaching for it. By the time we freed it from all the packaging you were all over it. You were so cute, and so serious as you explored all the things you could do with it. You played with it for a solid half hour, and it's still one of your favorite toys this week.

Another thing you've started doing lately is carrying stuffed toys around. The other day you saw the stuffed puppy that I bought on your first valentines day, and you wanted it. You carried it around for a couple of days, hugging it tightly and refusing to give it up. It was really cute.

Yesterday when I picked you up from day care you had an incident report. You had tried to take a toy from another kid and that kid had bit you on the arm. It left a nasty bruise, but it doesn't seem to bother you. Maybe it'll deter you from trying to steal other kids toys in the future!

You also had Picture day at day care this week. Your father and I completely forgot, but luckily he had cash on him when he dropped you off, and we had dressed you in new clothes, and Miss Darcy did your hair for us. I can't wait to see the pictures, although Miss Darcy said you refused to smile for the photographer!

I'm having a hard time thinking of the new things you do this week. You have more words that are starting to become evident. It's hard to tell what are actual words and what are just things I think I'm hearing some time though. Miss Darcy at daycare thinks she's heard you say her name this week.

You're still working on that molar right now...and boy can we tell when it's bothering you! It's funny because you still haven't gotten all of your front teeth, so this molar is definitely coming out of order.

I love you so much baby girl.

Week 70

Dear Jorie,

What a week! It went by in a blur of happy times and laughter. Your Father's birthday was this past week, so there was a lot of celebrating.

I actually went out with Jaimee (just the two of us) on thursday night for a bit. We spent a good amount of our time talking about you and Zetta!

Friday we celebrated your Father's Birthday with a low key dinner at Red.Robin. You ate your pizza like a big girl, holding the little slices and taking bites from them. You really seemed to like all the lights and sounds and people there. You even started to warm up to our waitress by the end of the meal.

On Saturday we went to the Genesee Valley "Hunt Races". It was a big agriculture festival with horse races and a track where people raced their dogs. We tried to see the weiner dog races, but after waiting for half an hour after the race was supposed to start, we gave up. You had a good time, although you were more interested in everyone's dogs than any of the animals in the petting zoo!

Saturday night instead of having dinner with my parents, Your father and I met some of his friends out to celebrate his birthday, so you stayed with Nannie and Grandpa, although you were ready for bed by the time we dropped you off. We got back really late, and didn't want to wake you up, so we spent the night there. You only woke up confused once, and all it took was hearing your Daddy's voice and you were back to sleep.

Sunday we had dinner at Nannie and Grandpa O's, you sure did see a lot of them this weekend! You even called my mom "nana" for the first time! You did it twice, then refused to do it again. But that's the way you are with things.

Tuesday at family dinner, you and Wes were tearin' it up in the living room! Wes is standing and just about to start walking, and you are finally getting to the point where you want to play with him. You love running up to him and giving him hugs and kisses. It's really adorable. You spent a lot of time picking up toys and handing them out to people, and climbing on the couch with your Grandma Ross.

Recently you like to say "Mama" a lot, and "Baby" and "Belly". You've said "hi" a few times, and You started using "Eat" lately. You're getting really good at manipulating drawing instruments, like pens and crayons. You still love having us read books to you, and will go get a book (saying "book" which always sounds like "boouh"and always said like it's a question), crawl into our laps and sit while we read, or sometimes while you "read" to us.

You've outgrown most of your clothes again, so this weekend I think we'll have to make a trip to the consignment shop to get you some new clothes. It seems like you barely get to wear any of your clothes before you outgrow them. You're getting longer and leaner lately. I think you'll be tall like your father. I'm still holding out hope that your hair will get curly, but so far no curls.

I love you baby girl!

Week 69

Dear Jorie,

Another week full. Full of family from out of town, full of fun places to go, and full up on sickness.

Your Great-Grandma Ross was in town this weekend, along with your Great Aunt Jean. On Saturday your Great-Grandma Ross (GGR) joined us at my parents for dinner. Sunday morning Jean stopped by for a bit to visit and then we all went over to your Grandma and Grandpa Ross', and had Sticky Lips BBQ for dinner!

Sunday you were running a low fever, so your father stayed home with you on Monday. You were coughing a lot, so we ran the humidifier which seemed to help a little. Your father said he had a good day with you, and we even got a chance to go visit over his parents on Monday night.

You were still running a low fever so I stayed home with you tuesday. And boy was tuesday rough. You were not a happy camper. You were coughing so much you woke yourself up from your (way too short) nap. You didn't eat much, and were just generally cranky. The fever went away, but the coughing was so bad I decided to bring you in to see the doctor.

We left a little early for the doctors, and I made a pit stop at a play ground near the doctors office. You seemed to be in a much better mood while running and playing on the slides. You did some swinging, and played in a "bouncy" car. You even went down a couple of the big slides (on my lap.)

At the doctors office you found some weebles and spent a lot of time lining them all up together. You seemed very amused by them as they wobbled around. The doctor said everything looked good, it's just a really bad cold, and should clear up in a few days.

You were still coughing a lot, and so very cranky tuesday night at family dinner, so we called my parents, who are watching you today. Hopefully we'll be able to send you back to day care tomorrow.

One of your new words, and new obsessions, is "baby" (although it sounds more like "Bee bee".) You find and point to every picture of a baby, proudly telling us you found a baby. Since we don't have any baby dolls at home, I dug out the lovey your Grandma Ross bought you, which you had no interest in before. It's kinda like a baby doll, but the body is a blanket. So you've been carrying it around, proudly saying "baby!" You will go find it if we ask you where your baby is. And you like to get a blanket and "tuck" the baby in.

The tucking in is a new favorite game of yours. If anyone lies down on the floor, you find a blanket and spread it over them, pat their back and say "nigh nigh!" You will do this for a long time too. The other night you were "tucking" your father in for almost half an hour! I've been told you do this to the other kids at day care too!

Even though this week has been very stressful for  your father and I, and you've been sick, it's also been full of a lot of fun memories. I'm so glad that you're growing up with such a loving, close knit family around you.

I love you Baby Girl.

Week 68

Dear Jorie,

This week was a lot more fun than the last one! Your father and I ran around like crazy people this weekend! Not much of it was of interest to you though.

Saturday morning we took a trip down to the Ellwanger.Barry Park playground, which is about two blocks from our house. You had a great time running around, and going down the small slide all by yourself. You even did some swinging, both in your own swing and on daddy's lap. Your favorite part I think was playing in the sandbox. You spent a good deal of time burying your legs by dumping sand in your lap.

Sunday was the busy busy day. After brunch with Farley, Your Father and I borrowed the van from Nannie and Grandpa O, left you with them, and went and bought a sideboard for the living room, to keep you from getting into the electronics. Then we went to Powers Farm Market so Aunt Becky and Uncle Michael could get pictures of you and Wesley in the pumpkins. We also took you guys on a "haunted" hayride (which was non scary enough for you.) There were also animals! You liked the goats, but weren't too sure about the Llamas. I think they were a little big for you.

Tuesday we were over Nannie and Grandpa O's again, we had a birthday dinner for Grandpa R there so everyone was there, Nannie, Grandpa O, Grandma and Grandpa R, Aunt Becky, Uncle Michael and Wesley! You didn't last much past dinner, and I think you were asleep upstairs by the time Aunt Becky and Uncle Michael showed up.

This week you've started saying Bubbles a lot. You do this really cute thing where you take a spoon and your ball (the one with holes all over it) and you "dip" the spoon in the ball and then pretend to blow bubbles with it. You were also doing that and then pretending to feed whatever was on the spoon to the dog this morning.

I love you so much baby girl. I'm so glad you've been healthy this week, and that we were able to do so many fun things with you this weekend (it doesn't sound like it listed out like this, but honestly, the best time is just playing with you on the living room floor sometimes!)