12 Month Update

Evangeline turned 15 months old yesterday so it's about time I finally finish up these monthly updates. I think I've said this with every stage in her baby development so far but being her momma just keeps getting more fun! This girl has loads of personality. Of course there are still many challenges...

 (Why does she have to say the word "no" with such enthusiasm?! And why can I not leave the house without first making multiple trips out to the car to make sure I've got all the "essentials"?!)


...but every day I am blown away by her beauty, her sweet affection, her humor (this girl knows the art of timing!), and her brilliance.

It is true what they say about life. It goes by so fast! Much too fast, in fact, when you are watching the first year of your child's life whiz on by. I tried to soak up as much of this beautiful time in our lives as I could. I took way too many pictures. Captured just a hint of how adorable she is on video. Wrote down as much as I could so that I can always remember even the littlest details. And tried to enjoy every last moment no matter how sleep deprived or overwhelmed I was. And although I miss so many of the things that have already changed about her, I am beyond excited for what this next year will bring.

P.S. I think I’ll calm down with these monthly updates. Maybe I’ll do them quarterly or something, but for now, here is what month 12 looked like around here:

12 months old - Happy Birthday Evangeline!

-- This month we had another well baby check up and everything went great. You now weigh a tiny 16.5 pounds and are 28 inches long.  You are wearing mostly 6-12 month clothes but you’re still not filling them out and your tiny feet are a size 2.

-- You’ve started stacking your blocks this month and so far can make a tower 3 blocks high. Your daddy is thrilled about this! He’s been trying to teach you how to stack your blocks for such a long time and is so proud that he taught you this trick.

-- Clearly you have noticed me on my phone a time or two, or twenty-thousand because when you get your hands on a cell phone you know just what to do. You put it up to your ear and start babbling away.

-- You are really starting to show how much of a daddy’s girl you are. You light up as soon as you hear the garage open when he gets home from work, you love to hear his voice over the phone and you get so excited when you see pictures of him, pointing and saying “Dadda!” over and over.

-- We got you a wooden push toy for Christmas that seems to be a big hit. You have quickly learned how to walk behind it and are getting faster every day. Daddy and I always cheer you on saying, “Go! Go! Go! Go!”. You must have caught on because now you call your push toy your “Go-Go”.

-- Throwing food on the floor has become a daily occurrence and I must say this really bugs me! I hate sticky messy floors but I hate cleaning them even more! Daddy taught you to keep your food on your tray by tapping on the tray of your highchair saying “on your tray” when it seems like the chosen food item of the night might go flying. We definitely know you understand because many times after you throw a piece of food, you’ll then shake your head no and tap your tray. Watching you learn these lessons can be a little frustrating but is usually just pretty funny.

-- You have really taken an interest in your books. It seems like most days there are books strewn all over the house. You love to flip through them and babble to yourself as if you are reading, and you never turn down story time. I’m so glad you finally seem interested in books!

-- Your hair is now long enough to be pulled back into low pigtails. Just when I thought you couldn’t get any cuter…

bed head on the left, adorable piggies on the right

-- You learned how to say and wave “bye bye”, can do the spider motions for The Itsy Bitsy Spider song and ask to see Elmo all day long (we have a few apps on our phones with Elmo in them that you love).

-- You learned how to turn light switches on and off this month as well as how to balance things on your head. Items from your toy picnic basket, your sippy cup, etc… you’re such a smarty pants!

-- You climb all over everything! I’m amazed at how strong your legs are even though you are not quite walking yet. You like to try to climb into your dresser drawers, in the fridge and up the back of the couch.

-- This month we celebrated your first birthday, Daddy’s 30^th birthday, Great-Grandmother Carol’s 80^th birthday, and Christmas! I’ll save the birthday details for another post…

New Foods This Month: cupcakes & chocolate (for your birthday of course!)

Favorite Toys: picnic basket, Twinkle Twinkle Little Violet, Go-Go, Zoom-Zoom, lantern, books

11 Month Update

Happy Leap Day! Squeezing one more in for this month...

11 Months

-- On the night you turned 11 months, when Daddy and I were getting you ready for bed, you looked right at me and perfectly clear and slow said “Mommy”. OH.MY.GOSH I about died! This was officially your first word and my heart melted. By the end of this month your vocabulary included: mommy, daddy, apple, baby, puppy, ball, cup, owl, nose, Addie… your best buddy.

-- From the time you started sleeping through the night at about 2 months old we have followed a fairly predictable routine. That routine has adjusted as you've gotten older (3 naps a day turned into 2 and introducing solid foods adjusted your nursing schedule), but everything got thrown out the window this month! You seem to be able to go with the flow but I think I'm the one having a harder time without a more predictable schedule!

 

-- You are learning the different animal sounds and so far have a dog and an owl of all things mastered. Dogs definitely seem to be your favorite animal so far.

-- You know where your nose, eyes, ears and have learned how to sign “more”

-- You are starting to mimick some of the things we do. My favorite is when you tickle your belly and say your version of “tickle, tickle, tickle” with such anticipation. It sounds more like “tic, tic, tic”… so cute!

-- It feels like it took forever to get you to laugh but now your belly laughs are a regular occurrence. You still make us work pretty hard to get you to laugh though, except for Tawni… she always makes you laugh. Tawni also taught you how to say “Ha! Ha! Haaaaa!” and now when she gets home that the first thing you say. 

-- When we sing to you it seems like you are so intent on trying to sing along. You also are constantly babbling and even will whisper to yourself while you play. My favorite is when you say, “Dubba dubba dubba dubba duh”

-- This month you learned how to brush your hair

-- You are starting to play more independently this month and I must say it is so nice for me. I love watching you pick out which toys you want to play with and being so imaginative as you babble things to them. It never lasts long, but at least I can get a load of laundry folded sometimes!

Birthday buddies! Daddy turned 30 and Evangeline turned 1!

-- Whenever you hear even the faintest music you immediately start bopping your head and swinging your arms side-to-side… whether we’re at home, in a restaurant, at church or in a store, you never miss a beat!

-- You have a very particular smile that you flash to strangers while we are in public. It’s sort of a courtesy smile – quick and to the point - but it’s totally contagious and seems to get you a lot of attention. It’s almost as if you are saying, “Yep, I know I’m cute. Have a nice day!”

-- You are becoming quite the snuggle bug these days. You love to rest your head on my shoulder and snuggle up after your naps and even just randomly throughout the day. There really is nothing better then your kisses and snuggles… I love that you are at an age when you can express your love!

Favorite Toys this Month: non-toys (my makeup especially), clicking doll and kitty-cat, balls, & baby dolls

New Foods: Spaghetti (your new favorite), crackers, mandarin oranges (another favorite), bananas (I'm sure there are more that I can't think of...)

10 Month Update

Still getting caught up... here's what was going on back in October!

10 Months

-- This month you have learned how to do crazy tricks with your tongue and it cracks me up! You know it gets you lots of attention so you do it all the time but I love it!

-- You started wearing 6-9 and some 6-12 month clothes, size 2 shoes and cut three new teeth this month.

Happy Halloween from our little pink crayon!

-- Now that you have mastered giving kisses, we’re working on teaching you how to blow kisses bye-bye and you’ve picked up on it quite quickly.

-- Your crawl quickly changed this month from your crazy face-pushing crawl to an army crawl to a traditional crawl. You’ve gotten faster and are getting around a lot more.

-- You can easily pull yourself up onto things like your crib, dresser drawers, the ottoman, coach, chairs, my legs, etc.

Hanging out with Uncle Jason & Ayantu during their short trip to Utah

-- You don’t care for your jumper much anymore, which makes me sad because it was so fun to watch you jump your little heart out, but I don’t think you like being contained anymore.

-- You love to tear through my purse, the coat-turned-toy closet, or the pantry and can empty them in no time flat!

Just one of the many messes you made while I got ready for the day.

-- You love to give high fives

-- You have learned where your nose is and can point to it when we ask

Enjoying all the sea creatures at the Living Planet Aquarium

-- You still aren’t attached to any sort of lovie or blankie and you definitely do not like when we rub your face or back when you are tired. All you want is your thumb and to rub your earlobe and you’re set. I have NO idea where you get this! ;)

-- You have such an animated face. Whether you are happy, sad, mad, tired, confused or curious; your face says it all.

New Foods This Month: Broccoli, Turkey, Bread, Spices

Favorite Toys: drum, plush tea cups, touch & feel books, balls, Benny the Sing-a-Ma-Jig

9 Month Update

9 Months

-- You measured just under 15 lbs and 26 inches at your 9 month check up… still our little shrimp! Our doctor thinks your lack of weight gain (only a few ounces in 3 months) is from when you were sick last month. However, you moved up to size 3 diapers and got 4 new teeth. Ouch!

-- You’re starting to eat more table foods and really like to feed yourself, especially green beans. You put the whole cut bean in your mouth, mash it all up and then spit out the shell every time.

-- We dropped the mattress in your crib lower at the beginning of the month and it was a good thing we didn’t wait any longer because by the end of the month you were pulling up on the crib rails all by yourself during naptime!

-- You’re getting better at crawling and have gotten a little faster but you still use a quite unconventional method. You seem to prefer pushing your face and chest into the floor instead of holding it up like a traditional crawl. It’s quite entertaining to watch! But despite how difficult and even uncomfortable it looks, you still manage to get around.

-- You have discovered where I store the wrapping paper (under my bed) and love to pull out the rolls and tear pieces off while I am in the shower or getting ready for the day… sneaky baby!

-- Your fine motor skills are improving and you have learned how to point your finger. You don’t seem to point at anything in particular yet but you love to stick your finger out until someone points back and your fingers connect.

-- Pat the Bunny is your favorite book and I am amazed at how well you can do each page (playing peak-a-boo with Paul and putting your finger through mummy’s ring are your favorite pages).

-- Daddy taught you how to throw a ball this month.

At the UW vs Utah Football Game with our friends Trey & Carrie

-- You have taken a special interest in the hanging mobile that I made for you when we were putting together your room. It hangs above your crib and you love to point at it and reach for the little pomander balls when I pick you up from your nap. I can’t tell you how happy I am about this because that thing was a pain to make!

-- Last month we had our friend Tawni move in with us. You absolutely adore her and find everything she does intriguing. No one can make you laugh quite like she can!

-- Your interest in music is growing and you especially seem to love it when we sing to you. “Ma Belle Evangeline”, “Bushel and a Peck”, “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”, “This is the Way We…” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider” are some favorites.

-- We’ve had to start doing a little bit of disciplining this month as you don’t like to lay still during your diaper changes anymore and you’ve noticed that shouting gets you attention, especially when I am preparing your food. You are definitely one tough cookie and often times aren’t even phased by our attempts. I have a feeling that you’ve inherited my stubbornness… here we go!

-- You have mastered giving kisses on command and are even starting to initiate them too. There is almost nothing better then seeing you reach your face out with anticipation waiting for your kiss. You’ve got the “Hitch” kiss mastered (“I said come 90 and I come 10! You don’t go the whole 100!” - hilarious!).

Visiting Daddy at work

New Foods this Month: Blueberries, Eggs, Beef, Noodles

Favorite Toys: drum, plush tea set, Pat the Bunny book, non-toys (my nesting measuring bowls from the kitchen, the t.v. remote, my cell phone, laptop, paper, etc.)

Jump Jump Jump-a-roo!

One of Evangeline's favorite toys is her Jump-a-roo. (Well, it was, before she started getting so mobile. Now she doesn't want anything to do with being contained. This is what I get for being so behind on blogging...) One of my favorite things was watching her jump her little heart out. It kept her contained and entertained longer then any other toy and made getting things done around the house a possibility for me again. When we first bought the jumparoo, Evangeline was too short for her little legs to reach the ground, even when it was on the lowest setting. So we put a roasting pan underneath it, and then as she got a little taller, we used a thick book. Worked like a charm...

Here she is jumping away...



One afternoon, she was playing in her jumper while Jeremy was laying on the couch watching golf. This was his view...

8 Month Update

8 Months Old

-- You got your first cold the day after turning 8 months old. You had such a hard time trying to breath through your stuffed up nose and suck your thumb at the same time – you were miserable. I hate being sick but seeing you stuffed up and miserable was worse then any cold I’ve ever had in my life!

-- You’ve learned how to put your blocks in the bucket! Daddy has been trying to teach you this for weeks but you didn’t seem to care until now. He was pretty excited.

-- You’re really into playing peek-a-boo these days. You’ll use a blanket, Daddy’s hat or your own hands to hide. One night Daddy was covering his face with his hands playing peek-a-boo with you and you would put your face right up against his hands so when he moved them and said “Peek-A-Boo!” you were nose-to-nose. Pretty much melts his heart… and mine too.

-- You’ve started reaching for us when you want to be picked up and I kinda love it.

-- When you first wake up in the mornings you take your time before making any noises to let us know you are awake. It takes me a while to fully wake up and get out of bed too so you must get this from me. We can always tell when you wake up because you kick your feet against the crib, tapping the zipper of your sleep sack. It makes us laugh every morning. Is there any better way to start the day?!

-- You are saying “momma” and “mom” clearly as well as ba, th, and ta sounds

-- You love to go to the neighborhood splash pad and play in the water. Cold water and getting sprayed in the face don’t seem to bother you at all. I can’t wait to go there next summer once you are walking!

-- Two more teeth have popped up! So far teething doesn’t seem to be bothering you too much but I sort of miss your goofy little one-tooth grin.

-- You have discovered what an asset your feet can be and when you are laying down on your changing table or in the bath, you grab for toys with your feet like a little monkey. You’ve even figured out how to unplug the bathtub drain with just your feet… smartypants!

-- Gram-Gram taught you how to make motorboat noises with your mouth and now you do it everywhere we go. It gets you lots of attention and laughs, which you seem to love!

-- You have discovered a new view standing up on your feet and try so hard to pull yourself up on things but you’re so short you have a hard time reaching for something to pull up on. It’s only a matter of time before you start cruising!

-- You’re just starting to crawl, however, it is quite non-traditional and humorous to watch. I’m not sure how to describe it – something like a cross between an inchworm and a wounded soldier, with an added leg kick every now and then. Well, here, see for yourself…

-- You have learned how to turn the pages when we read books but you still don’t seem interested in sitting still long enough to actually get through them. I look forward to when reading becomes part of your bedtime routine.

-- And if having your first cold wasn’t bad enough, this month you also got really sick with some nasty virus. We took a road trip to visit family in Colorado Springs and the InstaCare dr. there thought it was rotavirus but you had already been vaccinated for that. Whatever the bug was, it was a nasty one. High fever, diarrhea that made you scream, constant projectile puking (all over great-grandma’s freshly cleaned carpets)… you were so lethargic and couldn’t keep any food or fluids down. We made it almost all the way home before you couldn’t take it any longer and threw up all over the back seat of the car! The whole thing was just awful. You actually lost a lot of weight and your adorable chubby cheeks and popeye arms are not nearly as squishy anymore.

-- You love music and whenever you hear a song come on you have this funny head bop that you do. Sometimes you’ll even throw in some twisting at the waist if you really like the song a lot.

-- You’ve added pursed lips to your adorable scrunchy smile. Look at those amazing lips!

New Foods this Month: uh, I don’t remember! I think we started dairy this month (cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt), as well as beans, chicken and applesauce. I wasn’t really keeping track anymore.

Favorite Toys: Jumparoo, Laugh ‘n Learn Puppy, Drum (I have no idea why Amazon has this priced so high. Maybe because it's an older model... I found ours at a Thrift Store for $1.50!), O-Ball Rattle, mini soccer ball

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