11 Months

Dear Gracie,

Little girl, you are a not so little 11 months old.  Your smile and giggle light up the room.  I think you are becoming aware of how charming you are, and are using that to your advantage…already. 

 

You learned how to clap your hands this month, and the first few days were hilarious because more often than not, your little chubby hands would miss each other and hit your face or some other body part.  You thought this was absolutely hilarious, and we agreed.  One morning while clapping along to your favorite show “Yo Gabba Gabba”, Daisy decided to come lay down near you.  Your clapping got super aggressive, and poor Daisy ended up with an open palm slap to the cheek.  Of course, you thought this was the funniest thing ever.  Basically, you think EVERYTHING that you do is the funniest thing ever.  You are quite the comedian, and while Daddy and I think you are humorous, you are definitely your biggest fan.  Throwing your sippy cup off your high chair at dinner elicits a belly laugh from you every time – as does sitting through our meal time prayers, but that’s a totally different story.  I love that you think this world you live makes you so happy.  I never tire of hearing your giggles – except when it’s 5 AM and you are awake and laughing at who knows what in your room.  You must already have imaginary friends.

You’ve loved being read to since you were a tiny tiny little thing.  We read before naps, at bedtime, during bath time, and pretty much any other time.  Every morning after breakfast, I always grab a few of your favorite books and sit down on the living floor with you.  It’s easy to tell which books you like because the ones that don’t hold your attention get slammed shut and shoved to the floor.  One morning as I was collecting a few of your favorites and getting comfortable on the carpet, you crawled over to your book basket, selected one more book, and crawled over to me.  Then, you handed me the book, and without any help from me, crawled up into my lap.  I know in the grand scheme of your life that the first time you crawled up into my lap to be read to doesn’t seem like much, but tears quickly sprang into my eyes, and I had to blink furiously to keep them from spilling over onto my cheeks.  I remember how it felt to be curled up with my mom reading a book, and now here you were, patting my arm with your little hand ready to hear about that silly catepillar’s adventures again.  We must’ve read 15 books that morning with my head stacked on top of yours, sneaking kisses and tickles, and it will be a memory that I never forget.

There is something that was very difficult for me this month.  I found a teaching job and went to work, leaving you at home with Daddy for part of the day.  We still spend mornings together eating breakfast, catching up on the local news, and saying good morning to every single one of your stuffed animals.  Then, when you start to get sleepy, I put you down for your morning nap, and I slip off to work.  When you wake up, Daddy takes care of you until your afternoon nap.  When you wake from that, I’m usually home to pick you up out of your crib and we tackle the rest of the day together.  I hope that you are proud of me for moving forward with my career/life goals.  I  do everything for you.  Each time I put together a lesson plan, read an article on a new teaching technique, or sit in on a school meeting, I think about how this can help you.  Will this help you learn?  Will this help the educational system that you will be entering in a few years?  I don’t think that you even notice that I’m gone for those few hours every day.  Daddy is a pretty fun guy to hang out with, and we’re so lucky to have him.  Everyday I come home to stories of how well you ate and slept that day.  It’s like you know you need to help us out, and that we’re all in this together, and for that, I think you my darling girl.  I know that we can accomplish anything together as a family.

You are becoming more and more independent each day.  You stand alone for several moments without any support and have taken a few tiny and very tentative steps.  Daddy and I always try to stay in the shadows and encourage you quietly so as not to startle you, but we really want to grab you and spin you around in our arms.  When you fall down, you just pull yourself back up and try again – jabbering and laughing the entire time.  There is rarely a time that there is not a smile on your face, and you beam confidence.  You’re like “hey, guys, I got this.”  And you do.  You’ve got it, kid.  You’ll be walking soon, and then probably running circles around us all. 

Your love for life and all other living creatures is infectious.  We could all learn something from you and your little dimple.

xoxo,

Momma

p.s. Here are some behind the scenes shots from your photo shoot.  Daddy is the official "Grace Wrangler" for all monthly shoots.  He makes sure that all of your demands are met and that you are on your marks for all of the poses.  His job is hard, and we don't pay him much, but he loves it!

 



Dog Hair

Dear Gracie,

I constantly worry about you having dog hair on your clothes or face.  All of your toys are made out of materials that have crazy dog hair attracting properties.  I vaccuum and dust like crazy, but guess what?

 

 

I really don't think you mind.

 

 

xoxo

Momma

10 Months

Dear Gracie,

You are ten months old, lovebug.  Where has the time gone? 

 

 

It took me almost 15 minutes to take ONE picture of you lying (sort of) on your back this month.  That's a pretty typical expression you've got on your face.  "Mom.  Just stop." 

 

Daddy and I decided that you said your first official word this month.  You've been babbling "momma" and "dada" for a while now, but you defintely don't know what you're saying.  They're just fun sounds that we smile and clap for when you say them.  When you say this first word, you absolutely know what you're saying, and you use it in the correct situations and context.  I am just really nervous that this word might be providing us with a little bit of foreshadowing of what we can expect from you.  Your first word, my darling, is "uh-oh".  Your favorite use of the word is when your are sitting in your high chair while Daddy and I eat dinner.  You raise your sippy cup way over your head, make total eye contact with one of us, drop the sippy cup to the floor, and whisper "uh-oh".....all without breaking eye contact.  You. Little. Stinker.  Uh-oh, indeed.

 

During this month, you graduated from army crawling down on both or sometimes just one of your elbows, to crawling up on both hands, to crawling to the middle of the floor and attempting to stand up by yourself.  Sometimes you make it and stay errect for a while, balancing with a Little People in your hand or a mum-mum wrapper, and sometimes you end up in a small heap of little arms and legs on the floor.  The latter has led to an awesome collection of bruises in varying shades of color all over your body.  To say you inherited my clumsiness is an enormous understatement.  There's usually some delayed crying after you fall, and Gracie, you look absolutely pitiful when you cry.  You push out that bottom lip and hold your breathe for what seems like forever with your face growing extremely red until the wails finally start coming.  I have to admit that the whole thing makes me giggle sometimes.  The best part is that you make sure someone is watching before you launch into 100% beast mode.  It makes me ponder - If Gracie falls in a room without anyone to see her, does she make a sound?

 

While we're on the subject of crying, I must tell the story of your eye appointment earlier this month.  Due to your (now ex) pediatrician thinking she may have possibly saw something not completely totally cool in one or possibly both of your eyes (can you tell how happy I was about this yet?), we made an appointment for you to see a pediatric optamalogist for a full eye exam.  This was an awful experience from start to finish that I'm glad you will have no recollection of, but you won an award that day!  You were the MVP of not opening your eyes for eye drops!  We were forced to hold down your little arms so that the nurse could pry open your eyes and get the drops in there.  She said, "I have NEVER had this much trouble with a baby before.  She has strong eyelids!."  I think it's more that you have a strong will to not doing anything you don't want to, and that you were hungry, but we'll go with strong eyelids.  The award for the strongest baby eyelids goes to, Grace Fleming!!  The crowd goes wild!  My poor baby.  I wanted to swat that nurse's arm away and rock you in my arms, but you made it through.

 

Oh my, how could I forget?  This month was your first Christmas.  We love Christmas, and we put you through a lot of travel and four seperate family functions, but you made the rounds like a champ.  You ripped wrapping paper, played in boxes for hours, smiled for pictures, and made 150 laps around Grandma and Grandpa H's island in their kitchen with your hippo walking toy.  You got a wagon, your first set of pearls, a bike, and more toys than you know what to do with.  You ate ham, beef, kielbasa, noodles, and a bite of cookie that I totally regretted later that night.  My favorite moment was when you put Little People Jesus from your Nativity Scene on the toilet in your Little People Dollhouse and flushed.  Everybody has to go, right? 

 

You spent New Years Eve with Grandma and Grandpa F because we were at the hospital visiting YOUR NEW BABY COUSIN!  Yes, Gracie, you are officially the older and wiser cousin on The Fleming side.  You love baby Carolyn, even though you cried the first time you met her and kind of punched her in the face (on accident...I think).  You love to touch her little hands and pet her head.  After spending most of your days with Daisy, you pet everything.  I can't wait to watch you two grow up together and get into all kinds of trouble (that doesn't involve the police).  I think if you had one piece of advice for baby Carolyn right now, it would be, "let Mommy and Daddy sleep so that they are nice - no sleep = mean Mommy and Daddy."

 

Eleven months will be here before you know it.  You've officially been outside in the big bright world longer than you were taking up residencny in my stomach.  I'd like to say you've already moved mountains in that time.  I love you, little lady!

 

xoxo

Momma

 

p.s.  After months of loving hats, bows, headbands, and anything else we stuck on your head, you've jumped ship.  Nothing is allowed to touch your head for longer than 60 seconds anymore....even if it is adorable.  Believe me, Momma would never make you wear something ugly!