Year in Review

I have been a bit of a slacker with my blogging - however, with a good excuse! I was working on planning 2 parties for Jennie's first birthday! Both parties were a success, and although she was exhausted at the end of the weekend, Jennie seemed to have a great time.

Of course, I cannot believe that she is 1! how did this year fly by so fast? Where did the time go? And seriously... when did Jennie get so big? She is not walking yet, but she is close. She babbles all day, throws her food when she's all done, and belly laughs when she gets tickled. She has come along way from her newborn days!

In Jennie's baby book, there is a spot to write a letter to Jennie "from Mommy" and one "from Daddy." We haven't got around to doing it until now, so we figured we'd write letters for her birthday. Rather than blogging about the whole "year in review," I figured I'd share my letter I wrote to Jennie:


Dearest Jennie,

You just had your first birthday, and I can't believe how much you have changed in only one year. At 6:51 in the morning on a snowy, cold day you arrived with drama; a cord wrapped a few times around your neck and shoulder was enough to scare us all. The doctor whisked you away before even telling us if you were a boy or girl! Very quickly though, me and Daddy found out that a precious baby girl would now be the center of our lives. When I first saw you, I loved you more than I had ever thought possible. I held you in my arms, and knew that my world was forever changed and my heart permanently altered. And now, a year later, my love for you continues to grow with every giggle, every new thing you learn, every cry, and every Cheerio you throw on the floor!

Even before you were born, I had great expectations for you. I want you to be smart and do well in school; get a good job that you enjoy. I hope that you will love sports and enjoy the outdoors. I want you to find good friends that will support you and be there for you. I hope that you are determined and committed to the things that are important to you. I want you to be generous and caring and kind. I want you to be strong; love your self enough to stand up for your convictions. I hope that one day you find your true love and get to feel the indescribable joy of being a mother.

To be honest, I am scared! I know that so much of your beliefs, choices, and behavior depend on me being a good parent - making the right decisions to help you grow up to be your very best. I promise you, Jennie Anne, that I will always try my very hardest to do the right thing (which will not always be what you want, you know!). I promise to do everything I possibly can to help you chase your dreams. When it all comes down to it, everything I want you to have and to do and to accomplish - none of it really matters. All I really want is for you to be happy, and I promise to spend my whole life working towards building you a life that brings you happiness, joy, and love.

Happy Birthday - I love you baby girl,
Mommy

The beginnings of Independence

As Jennie's abilities and talents increase, so does her budding sense of independence. She likes to do some things herself, and likes to do lots of things her way!

Most of this new sense of "independence" comes during meal times. I think this is because she has figured out that she can exert a little control over the situation... she can refuse to eat things, throw them, and blow raspberries instead. I am pretty sure there are no foods she has tried that she dislikes, but certainly there are times when she doesn't chose to eat them! Besides food choices, she certainly has other demonstrations of independence during meal times. She often likes to grab for the spoon coming at her mouth, and gets a little mad when I don't give it to her. She will then decide that she will not continue to eat unless she gets to hold a spoon on her own. I personally can't wait until she can feed herself. I really don't mind that she is into her own spoon! Jennie also likes to take off her bib. It is so funny to see her do it. She looks you square in the eye, grabs the bib, and starts to pull it off (pausing about half way to see your reaction). This morning, I said the big-bad "N" word - "No Jennie, keep your bib on." She then put her hands down and cried. To me, it was kind of funny, because she clearly had no reason to cry other than not getting her way.

Jennie also starting to "get it" with dressing and undressing. At bath time, she always pulls her own shirt off once Justin or I get her arms out. When getting dressed, she knows where to put her legs and arms to get into her clothes. I am a little nervous for the inevitable stage where she only wants to wear clothes that she picks out herself.... well, maybe I am a little curious, too! I mean, I am sure the outfits she selects will be more interesting than the matchy-matchy ones that I pick out!

Nothing really says "growing up" and "independence" like up-right mobility! Jennie has this adorable scooter/walker that she has started bombing around the house in (see video below). At first, she needed us to hold it a bit to keep it from going to fast, but now she has enough balance to push it around on her own. It is surreal to see her "walking" around our apartment - she looks so little, but like a big girl at the same time!  She'll be walking all on her own in no time I think.


In only a few weeks, Jennie will no longer be our little "infant." She will officially be a toddler! Every day that goes by will reveal more and more "independence" - from eating, to getting dressed, to going to bed, and on and on! Along with that will be tantrums, but I am sure it will be fun and exciting to see her do things on her own... that is, until she is about 12 or 13 and thinks she can do everything on her own, and whatever she wants... and will hate me, and want to borrow a car, and... oh my. I'm going to enjoy her childhood as much as possible. Teenage years are too scary to think about right now!

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Daddy and Jennie horsing around in the leaves

Jennie is now 11 months old. She has been developing quite the personality over these last few months, and it seems to be really taking shape lately. I can't get over how such a little girl can have such a big personality. Jennie is expressive, determined, curious, bossy, independent, loud, lovey, coy, outgoing... I could go on forever!

I love that she tries to hold back her giggles when we tickle her, but always busts out with giant belly laughs. She now knows that when Daddy gets home in the evening, it is time to horse around. Jennie can't get enough of bouncing in Daddy's arms, "falling" backwards, and getting tickled. It is so cute to see her look at Justin while in his arms, waiting for him to "drop" her. She even throws her own head backwards and giggles if he takes to long!

Mom, does this thing work?
How do I get the Wiggles??

Jennie's curious streak is definitely coming out big time! This combined with her determination (....determined to get what she wants, that is) have created quite a busy girl. She is speed crawling all over the apartment to get her hands in what ever she can - pulling up and down on all furniture and climbing on everything. She pretty much loves anything that she is not supposed to get into - like tearing apart the shelves of Daddy's night stand, or emptying the recycle bin. She frequently gets up on her tip-toes to try and reach objects. I find this simply adorable! She also already has that tell-tale sign of when she is doing something she shouldn't - she gets very quiet! It is so funny how all kids seem to do that. One day, some generation of tots will learn that becoming silent is a parents first sign of the kid getting to trouble.

Yes, Mom?

Jennie also has the best "Who, me? What? I'm not doing anything wrong" face (see next pic). This one was taken when she was crawling behind the recliner in our living room, digging through old magazine and such. I said, "Oh Jennie, what are you doing?" and she looked up at me with that face, smiled, and went right back to her business! So cute! Jennie also knows what the word "No" means, but rarely acts accordingly by stopping her action that caused the "no." If you say, "Jennie, no" when, for instance, she is trying to knock over the kitchen trash barrel, she looks at you, takes her hand away, pauses, and then tries to touch the barrel again (of course looking back at you to see what will happen). After a few rounds of this game, she them will sit and pout (and sometimes fake cry) because she can't have what she wants. Oh Jennie, the first of so many things that you will want and we'll say, "NO!"

Perhaps my favorite part of Jennie's personality these days is how she acts when we go to the grocery store (or Target, or the Mall...). This girl LOVES to shop! I mean, she is such an outgoing little flirt at the store. She sits in the cart, and waves at everyone she sees, usually adding a "Hi" as well. She does her happy yelling (or singing, as I call it) up and down the aisles. Jennie tends to be the "life of the party" when we go shopping. She delights other Mommies out with their kids, and all the elderly people who are out and about mid-day on a Monday. It simply amazes me that she smiles and laughs at all the strangers! She even gets coy with the check out clerk - when they say hi, or tell her she's a pretty girl, she smiles, giggles, and looks away. Look out boys.... she's got this down pat already!

Jennie has so many great characteristics already - ones that I hope she carries with her as she grows up. I mean, who doesn't want their little girl to be curious, independent, and determined? But, above all, I am just so proud that she is happy - that will always be my number one priority!

Hmm.... what is this....  almost there....!

Growing like a weed... or like a daisy?

To a baby, Halloween must feel like complete torture. Their parents dress them up in bulky, uncomfortable (but adorable) costumes, and parade them around the office, the neighborhood, grandma and grandpa's house... etc. Then, they are dragged door-to-door in chilly weather for more pictures, flashes, and oohs and ahhs. To top it all off, they don't even get to eat any of the candy that they get in their completely-for-show treat bags. Oh, to be a baby...

But hey - the parents all have a great time! On Thursday the 28th, Jennie ventured out to Justin's company party that they have every year for the kids. Then on Halloween, she went to trick-or-treat around Watertown and saw her great-grandparents, her great-aunt and uncle, and various cousins, including her best-bud Owen. Amazingly, our dainty little flower was A-OK with her daisy hat - she didn't try to rip it off once!

I realized on Halloween that Jennie's "first holidays" are quickly coming to a close! She's got Thanksgiving coming up, but then she will be 1 year old! How on earth did that happen?? Christmas this year will be her second... our little flower is growing up so fast - after all, she is well nurtured, watered regularly, and gets plenty of sun ;)

Details

Everyone who has their own children tells us new parents, "Enjoy it! They grow up so fast!" And you know what? They do! I never doubted this phrase, but to see my little girl getting bigger, smarter, and more adorable every day really takes my breath away. I feel like if I blink to many times, she'll be off to the school bus, or packing for college!

I've taken so many measures to try to document her "baby-hood," but am afraid I have missed some of the precious details in the pictures and baby book. I mean, how can I possibly get a record of everything? I'd love to tell my self that I would never forget exactly how Jennie scrunches her face up when she's happy these days, or how she can't keep her socks on those adorable tiny feet for more than 30 seconds... but to be honest, in a few years I think those little things will slip away.

I got to thinking about the details yesterday when Jennie got the hiccups. From the time she was born, and for the first few months, she got the hiccups about 10-15 times a day... this is absolutely no exaggeration! I realized that the hiccups were a funny little quirk about Jennie that I had never written about in her baby book. Then I got to thinking about other little things (some details) about Jennie that I might want to hold on to...

Shoulder snugglin'

As an infant, Jennie LOVED to fall asleep on your shoulder. She would snuggle up and pass out easily when perched up there. It was cute during the day, and not-so-cute in the middle of the night when you had to let her fall asleep like that before putting her back down. =) Later on she grew to love being up on a shoulder so she could look around. She especially like being on Papa Cole's shoulder because he is so much taller than the rest of her family! We would give anything to have her snuggle up and fall asleep on our shoulder these days. She is so "on the go" that those moments are rare.

Happy Feet

Jennie used to really go nuts for her mobile. She had a rain forest one that the animals spun in circle, the tropical leaves went up and down, and there was music. She would get all excited, and do her "happy feet" dance. Whenever she was excited, she would kick her feet like crazy, and bounce her legs in the crib. She would wake up from naps sometimes and just giggle and kick at her mobile.

For a few months, Jennie sucked on the same fingers that I did as a baby - the middle and ring fingers. I didn't realize such habits were genetic, haha. Eventually, however, she stopped doing it. When Jennie was a newborn, we frequently bundled her up in many layers of fleece - she seemed to love being super warm! At night, she was in a onesie, fleece footie pj's, a fleece SwaddleMe wrap, and had a fleece blanket put over her. We called her our "little burrito." She likes to snuggle with blankies now, too.

Just a few days old

Also as a newborn Jennie was so small you could easily carry her with only one arm. In fact, her little bottom didn't even make it to your hand! Recently, Justin and I went to go see a friend's new baby. She was one month old when we met her. Justin and I were both thinking, "Oh, wow. She is so small!" We thought at first she had been premature... then we found out she weighed 7 lbs at birth, and was close to 9lbs at one month! We already had forgotten how tiny and fragile a little newborn looks (Jennie was even smaller at birth - only 6lbs 8oz).

There are so many details that I want to remember forever.  However, I know all these moments are flying by at lightning fast speed and I won't be able to recall every thing as well as I'd like. So, I guess that means we have to enjoy every second as it happens (and blog about some of the precious details so we can remember in the years to come!)

Firsts

Jennie has had so many "firsts" already. Everyday it seems like there is something new that she can do. Some recent examples:

Jennie can "answer the phone." This is the first thing that she imitated that we did not try to teach her... she picked this up all on her own from watching Justin and I use our cell phones.

For those of you who haven't seen her do this, it is hysterical. If you are talking on your cell phone, she puts her hand to her ear, and starts yelling and babbling. Also, if you look at her and say "Jennie, who is it?" she will also put her hand to her ear and have this look on her face like she's saying, "Yeah, I'm listening." (See pic). When she first started doing this, I thought she had an ear infection or something because she was pulling her ear - but oh no... I realized she was copying me when I was on the phone. So cute! She plays "phone" with just about anything that remotely looks like a phone - including (but not limited to) actual cell phones, remote controls, baby monitor, camera, etc.

Just yesterday, Jennie clapped her hands for the first time! I feel like we've been saying the obligatory "Yaaaaay!" and clapping our hands when she did something cute or good for a long time. But yesterday, she did it all on her own. By the way, why is it that clapping and saying, "yaaaay!" always go together for babies??

Yesterday Jennie had another first... she bit her mommy for the first time! And no... she didn't bite my shoulder or something. When I yelled out "OUCH!" and pulled away, her face was priceless. It was a little shocked, and seemed to read "Uh oh... I'm in trouble..." Only two months of nursing left. Hopefully she slows down on the acquisition of those teeth (although I am pretty sure numbers three and four are a work in progress; the drool is out of control right now).

So, as our little princess gets older, she is sure to have many, many more "firsts" - some that we will look forward to her repeating and building on, while others we will hope that she never does again ;)

Everybody Poops

There are so many things that babies can do that turn into funny stories, rather than gross ones if it was anyone else. Baby poop seems to fall into that category. I'll get to the poo eventually, but first, a little history:

Jennie has always loved bath time. In her newborn days, she happily bathed in her "bucket" tub...

Can you believe how small she was??

For any new moms or moms-to-be, I can't say enough about how awesome these bucket style tubs are for little babies. They get to take a bath in warm, chest high water and they fit nice and snuggly inside in an almost fetal position. Jennie was always so relaxed and happy in her bucket tub. This is the point in a blog where I am probably supposed to mention specific products, and get the company to pay me for it... haha.

One time when my dad was over for bath time, Jennie let out a little of her newborn liquid poo in the tub - which lead to the "emergency evacuation" from the bucket, and a rinse in the sink, etc. My dad said, "Well, talk about relaxed and uninhibited!" She only did that twice in the bucket tub, which was pretty impressive considering she took a bath every day from 4 weeks old and on.

Eventually she grew out of the bucket, but her love of bath time continued. She graduated to a blue tub that we can put in the sink. She loves this one because she can play with her toys in it. One of her newest "tricks" is that she likes to try and climb out of the tub (which isn't dangerous at all). 

 

It is so cool to see how curious she is about everything - to the point of having no sense of self-preservation. Just as she tries to climb out of the tub to investigate a dropped toy, she will also try to superman off our bed to see what is on the floor. Good thing she has parents who pay attention!

Just this weekend, we were at Grammie's house for an overnight visit and did tubby time in a plastic wash bin in the sink. Jennie was loving it, playing and enjoying herself. Just as we were saying, "Jennie, time to get out," Grammie calls out, "There's a floater!!" Jennie squeezed out a few little poops in the tub. So I stood her up, and we removed the water (and poops). As we did this, two more poops came on out! I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go. It was quite a circus trying to get the poop out of the sink and wipe her off, and then give her another quick wash down... meanwhile we were all rushing and hoping that she didn't let loose any more! The whole time, Jennie was preoccupied with her toy and trying to reach the things that Grammie had on her window sill. So again, totally relaxed and uninhibited. Oh, if only we could all be so care-free =)

I think that every baby ends up with his or her own funny poo story... I think this one might be Jennie's. At the least, when Jennie is 10 or so and learns that I posted this online she will be completely horrified. And then, one day Justin can really embarrass her by showing it to her first boyfriend... although, he has stated more than once that she is not allowed to date until she is 35. But really, what's the big deal? Everybody poops!

Mosca Mommy in Miami

This past weekend, I went away to Miami for my sister-in-law's bachelorette party! I packed up my bag, left Jennie's schedule with Justin, and off I went! The trip was amazing - we had great weather, and a really nice time.

The only unfortunate thing about going away for the weekend is that it was not very restful. Between travelling and staying up late, I came back from my "break" more tired than I was before. However, it was worth it! You just can't beat time in the sun and out with the girls. Besides, the bride-to-be had a great time, and in the end, that is what really counts.

... And Jennie did great without her Mommy! Justin stayed home with her, and they had a great time together. She continued her antics of standing up at nap time, but eventually surrendered and got much needed rest. Justin called in a few local friends for company and a shower break, but otherwise he handled full time baby care like a champ. Daddy and daughter has a fun weekend together, and everyone survived with minimal scars ;) I guess no one told Justin that babies can't have soda though...

When I got home, we enjoyed a quiet day resting up at home, and staying local. Sunday night, we crashed early - I was exhausted from a lack of decent sleep, and Justin was beat from playing "stay-at-home dad" all weekend. I think a little role-reversal is good for everyone once in a while! It is so good to be home though... I swear she got bigger while I was gone. Now, it is back to the daily grind, and I couldn't be happier.

Well, that was fast!

So Jennie-the-Wonder-Baby started crawling on Friday. Then, two days after that she decided to drop the pushing off her foot because she could go faster in two knees (see 9/25 "Jennie is on the move!" post). By Tuesday, she figured out how to get on both her feet, grabbing onto low objects.

Then, just yesterday, when Owen and I went into her room to say hello after she woke up from a nap, she decided to pull herself all the way up in her crib!

So, WOW! This progression from a baby who I could leave sitting on the floor while I took a bathroom break to the lean, mean mobile machine has moved along a bit faster than I expected. I mean, I have always known that Jennie was genius baby. Before being a stay-at-home mom, I was a math teacher and track and field coach - so I recognized her talents early on and obviously enrolled her in Calculus for Babies and secured her a try out for the USA national track team. But this... this is amazing! I am no expert in baby development, but clearly she is gifted (from an obviously unbiased, proud, mommy's opinion). Now, if only my wonder baby could figure out how to get back down so that nap time isn't a 45 minute game of up and down...

If your heading to Vegas, let me know what the over-under is for when she'll be walking. My guess is next week. ;)

Fall Festivities

It is my husband Justin's birthday today, and so as a little celebration, we went out apple picking yesterday. The weather was perfectly fall like - which was a huge relief considering our original plan was to go on Saturday. But seriously, who really wants to apple pick when its 85 and humid outside? Sunday was definitely the better day, and apparently Jennie + nice weather + apples + vineyard at the orchard equals a big draw because not only did the three of us go, but lots of extended family too! Some of Jennie's grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all came along. 

It was a great group, and we had lots of fun getting apples, buying wine, and enjoying the outdoors. However, it must be said that apple picking is probably the biggest rip-off ever! It's a great fall family activity, but the cost is a bit ridiculous.  Sure, compared to other family activities that we eventually will be forking over money for (I am thinking torturous things like the circus, Disney World, and Wiggles Concerts), apple picking isn't so expensive. But I could have bought those apples for about one tenth the cost at the grocery store... oh well, its all about the event, right? Jennie had a good time, and so did we.

As you can see, Jennie loved apples! We bit off sections, and she sucked on the flesh. It was very cute. Every time she dropped it, she would look all around for the apple. Then, Justin or I would grab it off the ground, wipe off any bits of nature that landed on it, and hand it back to her (shhhhhh) - no need to waste! Its so much easier to be laid back about those kinds of things. Besides, give her another few weeks and she'll be eating piles of dirt on her own anyways, right? Since the weather will be getting colder as Jennie becomes more mobile, she will probably start by eating the dust bunnies she finds in the corners of each room in my apartment. I can't seem to keep up with them and I am willing to bet that Jennie will be GREAT at finding them. 

After apple picking, we went out to dinner. It was Jennie's first time sitting at the table at a restaurant. In the past, she was so little that she just chilled in her car seat (we keep asking her to stop growing so fast, but she isn't listening - the first of many things she will not do that we ask her to!). But this time, she was in a high chair throwing Cheerios and peas all over the place while simultaneously grabbing for menus, reaching for forks, drinking from her cup, and entertaining the whole family with her antics. I think that kids are born with multi-tasking abilities these days. It must be part of evolution...

All in all it was a great day, and the first of many fall festivities that we will do as a family in the years to come!

Jennie is on the move!

Jennie, my 9 month-old baby girl, has just started to crawl. She is going slow, but boy oh boy she is going! She is working the crawl with two hands, one foot, and a knee (pushing off on the foot - see below).

People have been telling me that "life as I know it will never be the same." While I know this means I will be chasing her around now, and using the word "NO" a lot more often, I am not sure how much I really knew about my current life anyways! It is changing so much all the time that I never really feel like I am keeping up. I mean, forget even thinking about the pre-baby life (did that ever really exist? It doesn't seem like it). Being home with Jennie is amazing for lots of reasons, but the number one is that I don't miss a thing. Nothing beats getting to see all the little changes in her every day. I have been able to witness her gradual progression towards mobility - everything from her barrel rolling around the floor, to sitting herself up, to scootching on her belly, and rocking on all fours in frustration. And now, after weeks of preparation, off she goes! I can't wait to see her get better at it and be able to chase around her cousin, Owen, who is a very adept crawler. So yes, life will never be the same - but I don't want it to be!

Owen (4 weeks older than Jennie) comes over to play with Jennie and I four days a week while his mom is at work. The two babies playing together and interacting is so adorable! Some people said I was crazy for watching another baby - but it really isn't so hard. They play together, entertain each other, and both take two naps a day (probably the biggest contributor to my belief that its not so hard...). They even make up "games" to play with each other. Just last week, Owen found great amusement in crawling in circles around Jennie on the kitchen floor. He just went around, and around, and around... they tackled each other occasionally, and had a great time. He better watch out though... Jennie might be crawling circles around him come Tuesday!