Dear ladybug,
You are the busiest little bug I ever did see my Cheerio eatin', wall climbin', danger seekin', early mornin' screamin', mess makin', hug givin', drawer openin', crab crawlin', food stealin', Einstein watchin', head shakin', shoulder bitin', smile flashin', water splashin', dog pettin', love spreadin' munchkin. Every month when I sit here in front of the computer to relfect on the past four weeks it all seems like a whirlwind of activity....but one theme comes to mind this month.....MESS. You are like an F5 tornado ripping through the house leaving behind little piles of debris. I wish I could call FEMA to come clean up but unfortunately it's all me. You, my lady, are an F5 mess (and I mean that in the most loving way possible :)) Month 10 to 11 has brought about the most drastic changes....you are now walking, talking (kinda), and becoming more I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T everyday. Let it be known...you are growing up! It's happening too fast!!! We've now reached the warp speed zone. I can just imagine you reading this as a teenager...15 years old, sitting in your room doing normal teenagerish things....well my sweetheart if you're reading this, I love you, I love you, I love you. Love, Mom. P.S.- do your homework and oh yeah, boys have cooties. ;)
See what I mean: MESS ;)
Let's see, what to start with......how about food? You would crawl to the ends of the earth and back again for a "nana" or a cup of Cheerios. You associate great aunt Lisa's house with "nanas" and you just have to have one while you are there. While I went to a therapy course last week you spent the day in Enid with Lisa and her friend. I hear you got all of the "nanas" you desired. So I can imagine your surprise when you requested a "nana" yesterday and she was fresh out of your favorite yellow fruit. You didnt' seem too disappointed when offered a tube of banana puffs. You have mastered the removal of the lid using your teeth and are a pro at shoving your chubby arm down the tube to grab a more than large handful of puffs. We don't go anywhere without your cup of cereal....as a result you are now sitting on a hefty pile of Cheerios in your carseat....we oughta clean that out soon, huh? You have started meats regularly now...but in a jar though. I'm not brave enough to attempt homemade meats. Gross. You have tasted about every table food imaginable....still haven't met a food your didn't like.
"The least they could do it make baby friendly packaging..."
Popsicles are one of your new favorites as well....
You don't discriminate when it comes to trying new things....you love to explore nature by tasting it.....
Ants are a good source of nutrition, right?
Ya can't enjoy all that food (and nature) without a good set of chompers. You are the proud owner of six pearly whites. The top four have been making their entrance for awhile now....they have recently began to torment you during their slow descent. Hurry up fellas...leave my baby alone!! The bottom two are little teeny tiny and your top four look pretty big. You still chew on just about anything....even human beings. My shoulder was the lucky recipient of a love bite from you the other day....dada was pleased to have you test out your chompers on his nose. Oh what fun! The dog's tail, coffee tables, cribs, toys, and lots of kitchen utensils have also fallen victim to your bite. My question is....are you a vampire... or a cannibal?
Summer is here and you are loving every second of it. You love going outside when it's warm...in fact you gravitate toward the door at all times....maybe it's because you aren't used to sunlight in our little cave. Hehe. Sunshine, water, popsicles, Limeaides, bathing suits, and pools...you love it all. Well except for your hat and sunglasses...you rip those off within seconds. Your Irish skin does very well in the sun to my surprise...you have spent half of the summer slathered in sunscreen but it works like a charm and you don't mind at all. Unless it gets in your eyes....then we have a different situation. A stage 5 meltdown ensues. You love cruisin' around in your pool patrol boat....
We have a love-hate relationship with sleep. I love it, and you hate it. Well maybe you just dislike the act of falling asleep...once you get there you stay asleep all night long. You hit the hay around 8:00 and wake up around 7:00 (sometimes you bless us with a 7:30 wake up time). You are very "night and day" when it comes to sleep....sometimes naps are the best thing since sliced bread, other times it seems as though your crib is a torture chamber. Oy! You are taking two naps each day still....although there are those days when you are just too excited to sleep. I love to find you snoozing away with your little booty stuck up in the air.
Princess Baby Hallie, as you are so lovingly referred to by Miss Jennifer and her kiddos. You have been spending some extra fun time with Miss Jennifer over the past couple weeks. It is safe to say that you have had a ball with the Mudd family. Her youngest son Nicholas is appalled that little princesses do in fact poop. Lol. Although he somehow still enjoys being around you.....
Princesses should always know how to cook
Jennifer is all about filling the day with lots of fun...swimming, craft projects, trips to the library, taking walks, and lots of reading and playtime. What a special family we have found...they adore their "Princess Baby Hallie"....especially when you are napping.....
ZZzzzzzZZZZzz
zzZZzzzzzzZZzzz
zzzzzZZZzzzzzz
You have bonded with her daughter Cass as well....
Soakin up the sun
There you are the background supervising (aka feeding your face)
While spending time with Miss Jennifer in the church nursery over the past five months, you have become friends with a sweet little nursery pal named Harper. She has claimed you are "her baby." Her momma tells me that she goes home talking about you and looks forward to the next time she will get to see you. She likes to help take care of you, feed you and give you kisses. You two girls are just too much preciousness in one room.....
This picture makes me smile :)
"Here's your binky baby Hallie"
This week you return back to your normal schedule with Miss Linda and Nanny. Nanny has the pool and popsicles all ready to go for ya girl! I think it's safe to say she has missed her Hallie Grace while they have been away. Nanny, Papa, and Kylie returned tonight from their trip around the world and we went over so they could get some Hallie time. You were full of smiles as they ran out the front door to come grab you! And right inside the door you had a pile of the best souvenirs a baby could ask for.....a furry pink backpack from New Zealand, a pair of sheep skin shoes, a Hawaiian outfit and hair flower, and a Hard Rock Fiji shirt. Mom and dad got some pretty cool gear too! Although it was way past your bedtime you managed to wow everyone with your walking and piano playing skills. You never cease to amaze me. :)
One month away from the BIG ONE and you decided it was time to say "bye bye" to your "ba ba." This is you holding on for dear life on the last night you drank from a bottle.....
"Maybe I'm not ready to let go..."
Sippy cup trials were a little more challenging than I had anticipated. You started "trying" to use a sippy a couple months ago. It was a lot of biting and no sucking. The day came and we had four different cups to test out. Surprise!!.....you didn't like any of them. Lol. One cup drenched you while another one was like trying to suck blood from a turnip...the others just wouldn't do either. Miss Jennifer sent a "special" cup home with you a couple weeks ago and it seems as if you and this cup were destined for eachother. ;) No spillage, no drippage...all drinkage. You are now able to use all of your cups but some still result in an outfit change. Wanna know the best part about tossing out the bottles? Duh, no more washing with bottle brushes and having bulky drying racks on the counter! You are a BIG GIRL!!! Pretty soon we will be putting real milk in those cups sissy!!
"Are you sure I'm old enough to throw my bottles away?"
Vices, vices. You just can't beat that darned binky. That whole nonsense about getting rid of the bink awhile back was just a bunch of hocus pocus. You are not letting it go....and honestly we haven't tried that much because I'm a lil afraid of the repercussions. Bedtime wouldn't be nearly as pleasant. Your beloved bink is a must for now I guess. Although you do share with mama from time to time. You offer up your bink and let me bite at it....this obviously hits your funny spot because you let out the biggest giggle. Maybe we will know it's time to hide the binks once we run out of them once and for all....after all, we lose on average about one bink per day to binky heaven. The odds are good that binks could be extinct very soon (cue the ominous music).
You took your first steps two weeks ago during playtime. Ever since that day we have been practicing though you still prefer your crab crawl for the fastest form of locomotion...this sparks plenty of laughter from others watching because you hike your bottom up high in the air and take off. I finally got a video of you doing your cute waddling this past weekend....it does in fact take three people to get a video of a walking baby...two to entice and one to film. Thanks Heather and Ashley for helping me get some prime walking footage ;).......
You fill any room with your smile and your silly cackle. I love the way your blonde (slightly red) hair glimmers in the sun. I just shake my head as I watch you bang your head against windows for fun. I love the way you look at an object and point so seriously while babbling as if you know exactly what it is called. I usually response with a "wow, how did you know that?" If a person got paid for opening and closing things, you would be rich and already have your career set in stone. This includes menus, books, newspapers, drawers, cabinets, shower curtains and doors. Just yesterday you were splish splashin' away in the bathtub when dada came home. He hollered your name and you got so excited as you reached for the edge of the door from inside the tub to pull it back so you could see him coming around the corner....yes, you ended up slipping because the door was out of your reach...but you knew what you wanted and how to get it. Your goal in life is to escape out the front or back door. The refrigerator is one of your favorite objects...it's like a beacon calling your name. Obstacles schmobstacles....nothing stands in your way of demolishing a kitchen....not even an 80 pound Golden Retriever. You crawled over Lucy like she was a big pillow. She didnt' seem to mind much....
Who needs instruments when you can use your own arm to make good music? Your arm has become your new obsession at times...you blow and make silly noises and can hit your hand over your mouth to make the indian noise. But let's not write off all instruments because you LOVE the piano. During our stay at Nanny and Papa's house I have found you banging on the keys often as you stand on your tippy toes to reach.
There are three universal truths in your life:
- Dada is the coolest
- Mama is the sweetest
- You love your family just as much as they all love you
We are in birthday party mode and you have caught the planning bug from mama. Dada has been watching from afar as I've been shopping online nightly for party supplies, invitations, and other essential items....as always he thinks I'm a little crazy when it comes to planning. And he's right!!! There is nothing more fun than planning something special for someone as special as you are my sweetpea!!! I've got you to jump aboard the party train so you have been busy preparing your birthday invitations....
"maybe I need to narrow my list down a bit...this is a lot of work"
"I hear carpal tunnel is common in infants mom...can you do these for me?"
"Ok, I'll address a few I guess"
There's something you should know. When you are tired, smelling yummy after your bath, and all jammied up, I feel like the luckiest person in the whole wide world while I sit with you on my lap in the chair (this also applies to when you are covered in sunscreen and have blades of grass sticking to your juice-covered belly). You have always fit so perfectly in my arms even as you grow....you were made for me. I can take one look in the mirror and say that I'm not the same person I was before I became your mommy. I dare say that I looked a bit younger (hence someone asking me if I was your grandmother the other day), a bit more put together, and a lot more well rested. But guess what girl? For every new wrinkle that I have or every sleepless night, I now have a hundred memories and smiles to go with each one. Can I ask you a favor? Will you always be my BFF???
I love you Hallie Grace Fanning
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