After celebrating Laurel’s birthday with a party on July 21st, we did also take the time on her actual BIRTHDAY of July 24th to celebrate with her. We enjoyed an afternoon at the Dallas World Aquarium and came home to cake and gifts! Laurel seemed to be in complete amazement at the moving creatures we saw at the Aquarium. She barely said a word. I think her senses were overwhelmed! Below are a few photos and as usual, more photos are on William’s Flickr page.
Today we are visiting the National Civil Rights Museum as part of our family reunion. This picture is taken outside to Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
Dear Laurel,
Today you turned 11 months old and the countdown has begun to your first birthday. You are growing so fast and it seems like new things are happening each day. You are pulling up on everything and moving around pretty well. You are standing on your own for several seconds before losing your balance and have even taken a few steps!! There have only been 3 or 4 occasions where you have taken some steps, usually 3or 4 before you fall, but of course you refuse to walk once we grab the camera or video camera. It definitely seems like you will start walking by your first birthday. It’s very exciting to see you take your first steps, but it means you will be walking everywhere and getting into EVERYTHING! You already crawl your way into trouble now. You still love water bottles and have learned the location of the recycling bin, which has become a toy chest for you full or bottles and cardboard to play with. Your eyes light up like you have discovered gold when you start pulling out the contents. It’s quite hilarious.
You are beginning to discover table foods and you seem to like most foods. Your favorite by far are Mum Mums, which are specifically made for babies your age. They are rice rusks and taste like rice cakes or rice krispy treats (minus the sugar). It’s a healthy snack, so I am glad you enjoy them so much. You start going crazy for them at the sight of the package. You start smacking your lips and raise your hands with excitement. Even the people at daycare are surprised how much you enjoy them. Just this past week we introduced Cheerios and you seem to really enjoy those also. You are still learning to appreciate textures, but little by little have started tasting more foods.
Your personality is starting to come out a little bit more now. You seem to be quite the comedian. You are often laughing and smiling and you love people watching just like mommy. You do not seem as quiet as your daddy, but I guess that’s ok. You enjoy music and often clap and bounce when you hear it. You are a bit mischievous and pretend not to understand the word “no” when you are doing something you are not supposed to do like pulling on the blinds or messing with the tv components. When daddy or I say “no” in our stern voices and stern faces, you just smile and keep going. I hope you understand no soon!
You have one more week until you get your Doc band off and we are very excited about that. The only thing I am not excited about is you hitting your head on everything no that you don’t have anything to “protect” you from getting hurt, but I am sure you will quickly learn. I just hope there are not too many bumps and bruises along the way.
You have not really starting saying any new words yet, but you are starting to vocalize more. You definitely understand your name also, which is very cool.
So as I mentioned, the countdown begins to your first birthday. We plan to have a small gathering at home with family and a few friends, but it will definitely be a memorable event. Can’t wait to celebrate with you!!
Love you dearly!
Mommy
Dear Laurel,
Another month has quickly gone by and this week you turned 9 months old! Only 3 more months until your turn 1 and I can hardly believe it. Over the weekend, you met a new milestone… crawling!!! You have been doing what daddy refers to as the “military crawl” for several weeks now, but just this weekend, we noticed that you pushed up and can now support your weight and crawl. Now that you have learned to crawl, you are moving all over the place. Another milestone for you was that you graduated to the Infant 2 room at daycare! You went from being the oldest in the room to being the youngest, but you seem to be fitting in great. I was a little bit nervous because we had become very comfortable with the teachers in Room 1, but Room 2 has some great advantages. First, all of the babies in your new class are crawling, so it encourages you to move and “explore the world”. I’ve also noticed that the teachers seem to spend more time interacting with you and your classmates on the floor, which is great. You are adjusting to your new classroom very well, so that definitely makes me feel a lot better.
You are still enjoying food although you still seem much more interested in paper and non edible items. You haven’t quite figured out what to do with table food yet. We have put a few things in front of you, but you tend to play with them or just stare, you haven’t been very interested in eating table food.
You are sleeping much better recently and have had a couple nights of sleeping through, but it’s not consistent. I thought last week perhaps you were teething and a tooth would emerge and I could say that was the culprit of the , but still no teeth.
Your favorite things at 9 months are:
People at daycare are constantly telling us how happy you are and you definitely are. Today when you came home, you were smiling and giggling… it was so much fun to watch! I hope you always remain this joyous and I certainly look forward to the fun the next few months will bring!
I love you!
~Mommy
Today, despite the poor weather and tornadoes, we celebrated William’s birthday.
Happy Birthday William!!
In case you were wondering…. yes… Laurel still wears her helmet, but she wears it 23 hours a day and gets one hour with it off each day to clean the helmet and bathe her, so these photos were taken during that time. Below is a picture with her helmet. We are getting designed wrapped this weekend!
Dear Laurel,
On Saturday you turned 8 months old. Daddy and I are shocked at how quickly the time is passing. We have already begun discussions about your first birthday!!
There have been a few new developments since you turned 7 months old. You started saying “mama”!! You said it for the first time while daddy was out of town. I knew he wouldn’t believe me, so I recorded it to have proof! You still babble quite a bit, but have not said many other words besides dada and mama.
The other new development is that you are beginning to like food more and more. I can actually get you to open your mouth for food now. I am trying to get you to a solid 2 meals a day along with your milk. You usually have oatmeal and fruit/veggies at daycare and then veggies or a “dinner” at home in the evenings. Your favorite veggie so far seems to be squash and pears or apples are probably your favorite fruit. We just started the “dinners” last week and you seem to love them! You could not get enough of the chicken and rice dinner. We also started green veggies. Initially it seemed like you were not interested in the peas, but I think it was just a new taste for you. When you taste something new, I usually smack my lips and say “mmmmm” and you smile and keep eating, but there is always that initial pause 🙂 You are a very messy eater. You like to stick your fingers in your mouth while you are eating, so your hands and face get so messy. Then the food on your hands gets all over your high chair try and then on your arms and sometimes your clothes. But… that’s ok because you are eating and enjoying food!
You are still not crawling yet, but you can scoot to where you want to go very well. Daddy and I think you have made a couple attempts to crawl, but you’re not quite there yet. It doesn’t seem like it will be long now. You still roll quite a bit also. I thought you would have trouble adjusting to your cranial band, but it does not bother you one bit. The one advantage of the cranial band is that your head it protected when you start rolling and hitting your head on things. The helmet protects your head so you can’t feel it, which will be a problem when it comes off! Speaking of your cranial band, you are getting it decorated in 2 weeks on Good Friday. It will give it some personality instead of the plain white band.
You are making much more noise these days. You like to scream and “sing in the car”, and you know how to get our attention when you are hungry or uncomfortable. Much different than newborn Laurel that barely made a sound! 🙂
You are still not sleeping through the night. In fact, you tend to sleep a 4-5 hour stretch when you first go to sleep, but then you decide to wake up every 1 1/2 to 3 hours after that. I am hoping it’s a teething phase or something and you go back to only waking up once during the night or making it all the way through!
Your favorite things at 8 months are:
I love you and look forward to what month 8 has in store for us!
~Mommy
p.s. I will work on getting some videos and pictures posted this week.
Laurel turned 7 months old this past Friday and William and I are still trying to figure out how we have a baby that old already. She seems to be growing so fast!
Laurel is still rolling quite a bit, but she is a much better roller than she was a month ago and her arm doesn’t get stuck like it did before. She is also sitting up on her own quite well. She can sit up for anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes without tumbling over and even if she does, she just rolls and looks for something to play with. She doesn’t seem to mind playing by herself, but certainly enjoys for mommy and daddy to play with her.
She is still not going crazy over food yet, but this weekend I introduced her to peaches and she seemed to enjoy that more than other foods she has been eating recently. I sent some to daycare today and they said she tolerated eating the peaches more so than any food they have fed her, so perhaps we are making progress. I am hoping that if we can at least find something she likes, it will get her used to the concept of foods and she will eventually want to try more. Most of the other babies her age are loving food, but she seems to be ok being different.
We have still not noticed any teeth yet, but she is continuing to drool quite a bit and loves putting EVERYTHING in her mouth… clothes, paper, toys, phones, straps from her carset, … EVERYTHING… except food 🙂 William did give her a cracker which she did actually lick on for a while, but the moment it broke in her mouth, she looked quite confused and disappointed. It was actually pretty funny.
She is babbling more and more each day and has perhaps started to form her first word, which of course is not mama, but yep.. you guessed it….dada. She makes a continuous sound of da da da da da da, but William is of course convinced she is saying dada.
She is still pretty mellow and laid back and still loves watching football. This weekend the NFL scouting combine was on television and William was watching at one point. She began to gaze at the television and seemed mesmerized. I am not sure what it is about football… maybe all the action, but she really enjoys it. We did watch some Sesame Street on Saturday and she seemed to enjoy that as well. She also still enjoys being read to, although she is very interesting in seeing what the pages taste like… seriously… everything goes in her mouth except food.
Her sleeping is still a bit off. She’s had a few 4 or 5 hour stretches, but I can’t seem to get her back to those 7-8 hour stretches. Last week was pretty brutal when she woke up every 2 hours with a few 1 hour stretches mixed in. It was either a huge growth spurt or she was teething. She fussed and did not want to go back to sleep unless I fed her. That was fun.
It’s hard to believe I have made it through 7 months of breastfeeding without having to supplement with formula. There were some stretches in the beginning where I wondered if I would make it to 3 months, and now I can easily see myself going 10-12 months. I do look forward to her weening soon and eating more solid foods. It will be nice to have some freedom back without looking for a baby or a pump every 3 hours.
Laurel did have a first this month, although we didn’t expect for it to happen this early…. she had her first haircut. William and I had no intention to cut her hair, but we unfortunately did not have a choice. We have been watching her head growth and shape since about 2 months now and noticed some flattening pretty early on. Despite efforts to reposition her when she slept or let her sleep on her stomach during the day when we could watch her, her head is still pretty flat. Her pediatrician recommended she be evaluated for a cranial band, sometimes referred to as a helmet. The evaluation revealed she could benefit from the cranial band and we agreed to proceed. However, in order to get good measurements for her custom made cranial band, they asked that we cut her hair. Because her hair is so thick and curly, it did not lay flat enough against her head to get a good measurement. We almost considered not going forward. Neither William or I wanted to cut her hair. Although it was kind of wild and crazy, it seemed to be a part of her personality and give her some character. However, we realized that her hair would grow back and we didn’t want her to question why we didn’t try to correct her head shape. I shed a few tears when we called to schedule her appointment and they reminded us “there is a note in the system that says she needs a hair cut”. I know it seems silly. If someone told me they were going to have to cut their baby’s hair, I would have said it was no big deal, but it’s so much easier said than done. Despite our hesitation and sadness, Laurel did great and was not phased at all by her hair cut. We gave her some toys to play with in her high chair while William carefully took the scissors and cut her curly locks. I had no idea how long her hair was until he began to cut. I miss her hair, but it seems to have grown some in just a weeks time.
She will get her cranial band next Monday and I am praying that it will be an easy adjustment for her. It seems most babies do not mind wearing the band, but I am very anxious to see how well she will sleep in it. The band has to be worn 23 hours a day, essentially all the time for 8-16 weeks. I am hoping it will be closer to 8-12 weeks, but we’ll just have to see how quickly her head adjusts. I guess if all goes well, she should have it off at the beginning of July, just in time to take pictures of her perfect head in preparation for her 1st birthday!
Well… that’s the update for now. William and I will try to post more frequently, but being full time parents and having full time jobs outside the home has definitely made free time a bit of a luxury. 🙂
Below are a few pictures. I will post more including pictures of her first hair cut over the next few days.
Dear Laurel,
It is hard to believe that 6 months have already gone by, but like the saying goes… time flies when you’re having fun! You have certainly generated tons of excitement for daddy and me. 6 months ago, we had no idea what to expect and how different our lives would truly be, but we have quickly adjusted to a new “normal” and being a family of 3. When I came home from work today, you were hanging out with daddy on the couch. When you looked up and saw me, you gave me the biggest smile that lit up my entire day. It’s such a great feeling!
You are growing and developing fast these days. We’ll know exactly how fast later today at your doctor’s appointment, but according to my scale, you are 16 pounds.
You have almost mastered rolling over. You can do it, but sometimes you can’t figure out how to get your arm from underneath your body after you have rolled over. You certainly have determination though because you keep trying. You also like to reach overhead and grab things when you are laying down. This can be particularly interesting when you are laying on your changing pad and decide to clear off the whole dresser when you reach up and start pushing things around. You are trying to sit up by yourself, but you’re not quite there yet. I would give it another couple weeks, but I am not rushing b/c the next step will be crawling and daddy and I won’t be able to keep up with you!
You are just beginning to explore foods, but still haven’t shown huge interest. We’ve tried rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and bananas and nothing seems to be a favorite yet, but I’m sure it’s coming.
Your personality is also slowly beginning to emerge. Overall, you seem to be very mellow and I have nicknamed you “mellow yellow”. Daddy thinks the yellow is in reference to your skin color, but it’s not! You are generally very content and happy. You usually will only fuss if you are tired or hungry, which is easily managed. Another clue that you give when you are tired is to put your hands up to your ears like earmuffs (I put a photo with an example below). Recently you have also done this when you hear loud noises. It’s pretty funny!!
You are still putting everything in your mouth…burp clothes, toys, daddy’s finger, and you like to chew on your pacifier backwards. You probably have some teeth coming in, but nothing that has broken the surface. You received two jumperoo’s for Christmas and that seems to be your favorite pastime… oh wait… and watching football. You still love football, so daddy is concerned about what will happen in a few weeks when the Superbowl is over and there is no football for you to watch.
You were sleeping 8 hour stretches at the end of last year and first week in January, but now you seem to be back to waking up every 3-4 hours. What happened?? Please feel free to return to the 8 hour stretches 🙂
You have brought daddy and I so much joy over the past 6 months and I know that will continue for years to come. As fast as these 6 months have gone by, it’s already time to start planning your 1st birthday party! What fun that will be!
I love you!
Mommy
William and I have had some busy weekends and last weekend was no exception. We traveled to my birthplace of Cleveland, Ohio for my cousin Shannon’s wedding. She was a beautiful bride and I enjoyed being a part of her special day! It was also Laurel’s first time in Ohio and her first time seeing many of my family members, including my dad. He had surgery right before she was born and did not get a chance to come down with my mom. My mom hadn’t seen her in a few months either. It was an exhausting, but fun weekend. Click here for photos.
Yesterday, Laurel turned 5 months old, and today she celebrated her first Christmas! It was a great day. William’s parents were in town to help us celebrate. My parents were not able to make it down, but we will see them in a few weeks when we go to Cleveland for my cousin Shannon’s wedding. We started the morning by checking out the goodies in our stockings. William loves to be in charge of stocking stuffers, and does a great job every year. He fills them with our favorite candy, and some small trinkets. Laurel’s stocking was filled with things like new teething rings, and fun toys. She sat in her Bumbo seat and played with her stocking toys for quite a while. We then began opening gifts. Laurel had some great gifts, but was much more excited about trying to eat the wrapping paper. 🙂 She became a bit tired midway through opening her gifts… yes… she had that many, so she took a nap and we continued later. After enjoying some blueberry Belgium waffles using the batter William picked up at Williams-Sonoma, I began my cooking. The spread for the day included turkey, ham, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole, corn on the cob, greens, rolls. I also baked a sweet potato pie and chess squares the night before, so we had some sweets in the house (although my mom sent chocolate chip cookies she baked, so I was already on a sugar high). It was the first time I had done that much cooking since Laurel was born and I really enjoyed it. My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew joined us later for dinner. After a failed attempt last week to feed Laurel rice cereal, which she had absolutely zero interest in eating, we tried offering her sweet potatoes today so that she could join in on the Christmas dinner, but did not seem interested in those either and actually made a face as if to say she did not like them at all. So… perhaps we will try again another day. We have both photos and video, so we’ll get those posted as soon as William gets them downloaded on his computer.
We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!