July 4, 2009

• Happy Independence Day, my love!

  I'm sitting at work right now and I can't stop thinking about you.
  Today would have been PawPaw Smith's 93rd birthday.  He passed away May 19th, 2009.  He absolutely loved you.  No matter how confused he was, he would always ask, "How's that baby?"  No matter how sick he was, he always had a smile on his face when he could see you.  "She sure is growed" he'd always say... Here's you and PawPaw when you were 5 days old.

  

  You've been showing us so much more of your personality these last few weeks.  You have strawberry blonde hair coming in and a firey temper to match it!  We got daddy a reclining leather couch for his first Father's day.  Pretty cool... except that you keep trying to stand up underneath the foot while it's extended and you bonk your head.  That makes you pretty mad.  The worst is when I walk by you and don't pick you up.  (Gasp!  What a horrible mommy!) Your little face turns red so fast when you're screaming...  You seem to think the world has ended... drama queen. *sigh*

  Cute things you're doing now:

  Walking all around the furniture
  Pulling up on everything in sight
  Standing alone for 30-45 seconds (while clapping for yourself)
  Opening your eyes really wide/squeezing them shut until someone mimicks you
  Making really really cute surprise faces
  Fake laughing anytime you hear anyone laugh
  Holding toys out for Snoopy to grab and laughing at him
  Chasing Snoopy around the house
  Crawling so fast that sometimes your arms can't keep up... and you face-plant.
  Gasping/Squealing/Flapping your arms like a bird when you're excited...

  You're finally sleeping at night un-swaddled... that's such a relief.  Still only about 10-10.5 hours at a time from about 8:30-7.  You're putting yourself to sleep for naps now too.  It only takes about 5 minutes of whining before you stick your little bottom up in the air and drop right off to sleep, usually with your paci in your hand.  You're down to nursing 4x/day: 8:30, 12:30, 4:30 and 8:30.  I think you would still like to nurse more often, but you're doing really well eating oatmeal for breakfast around 7:30.  You like cinnamon in your oatmeal. 

  You have your 3rd ear infection from teething.  The doctor says you're trying to cut 4 at once.  Blah!  You just have 2 bottom teeth now, but we're waiting on 2 top + 2 more bottom teeth to break through any day.  I can hardly wait 'til all of your teeth are in and you don't have to hurt like this anymore. We're going to have you all checked out when we go for your 9 month visit next week.  I can hardly believe you're over 9 months old already!!  Time really does fly.   

  I've started planning your 1st birthday party already.  I mean, hey, it's less than 3 months away!  It's going to be bright pink, lime green, polka dots and alligators.  We've got favors, decorations and utensils already.  We are going to put alligator bath toys and mini beach balls in green polka dot boxes for favors.  I'm imagining a pull-apart cake in the shape of an alligator face... I wrote a poem for your invitation and David Welday is designing it.  He's going to make an alligator into a "1".  How cute!!  Maybe I'm going a little overboard, but I'm really excited about your first birthday party, kiddo.  I really hope it'll be nice weather at the end of September because we're planning an outside splash/cookout bash for you.  I know you won't really care (or even remember) but I sure will.  I'm sure you'll enjoy looking at pictures later... and laughing at how ridiculous your mama is for doing all this for a one-year-old.  I can't help it.  I'm totally enthralled in my baby girl.

  I love you so much, Aider Gator.
  See you in a few hours.
                                                                  

   

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