Scarlett Letter #9

Dear Sweet Scarlett,

You are now eleven months and two weeks old! When will this end!??! You are much like a sponge these days, just absorbing everything we teach you - and things that we didn't realize we were teaching you! Your latest surprise was the hand gestures for The Itsy Bitsy Spider. I sang the song to you twice one morning and that evening you were motioning those little hands all over the place. My heart nearly doubled. It is amazing - to say the least - watching you becoming YOU. Your personality is nothing short of awesome. I love your silliness, your ability to understand when something is funny, your devilish grin and animated eyes. Let's face it, I love everything about you.

What you love most: 

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - mainly Pluto, the little puppy Bella and the "kitty-cat" Figaro. You always get excited to see the beginning of the show and you always, always dance to The Hot Dog Dance and wave bye-bye as the characters all go home.

Brody - You love to watch him walk around the house and play rambunctiously outside in the back yard. You've recently started to enjoy watching him eat and drink. He's pretty noisy so it always attracts your attention.

Being outside - We put your Around We Go entertainer on the deck the other day and you were loving every second of it! We've had to keep you away from your pretty, pink swing lately because we've had a nasty bee problem. Daddy and Brody were stung several times and Daddy tried spraying them away but they were stubborn! Mama ended up calling "the bug guys" and they took care of those bees for you. It's time to swing again, babygirl!

Exploring - I think your favorite thing to do is to roam the house. In and out of the rooms, zooming around, bruising up your little knees. (You won't wear the heart/band-aid knee pads I got you!) I make sure to sweep up and vacuum the dog hair before we let you loose. You love playing in the hampers- pulling out all of your clothes. You also enjoy the air that comes out of the humidifier - even as I tell you, "no-no" you just smile. You love standing up at the deck slider looking out into the yard at the big tree and watching Bro. And for some reason you have a thing for straps - so you like to stand at your highchair and fiddle with those for a while. You giggle and giggle and giggle as we chase you with stomping feet down the hallway. I hope we can always make you giggle that way.

Vegetables - I am SO SO SO happy that you've been such a great eater so far. I realize that can (and most likely will) quickly change. But for now, when I spread out a variety of food on your tray you always grab the greens first. Broccoli, asparagus, green beans, etc. You love sweet potatoes too. And I tried peppers with you again this week and you ate them right up! You have a very healthy diet and I'm very proud of that. I promise to always try to give you 90% healthy and 10% treats.

Your room - Daddy and I spent long hours dreaming up and creating that beautifully sweet room for you. It makes me so happy to see your face light up each time we enter it.

The beach and pool - You've had a wonderful first summer! You really enjoyed going in your inflatable pool at Grammie's house and we even brought it to the beach! I'm so happy that you seem to love the beach! I could've done without the handfuls of sand in your mouth but ... it happens. You didn't even flinch as the waves came hurdling toward you, crashing on your little legs. It may not have been very relaxing for Mama or Grammie but you sure had a blast and that's all that we care about. Daddy and I will take you a lot more next year! You also had your very first taste of Aunt Carrie's clamcakes and chowder!

I guess I could go on and on writing about the things you love - you seem so happy all the time, it appears you love just about everything. Although I can say with conviction that you do NOT love: teething and cherry tomatoes. You've handled your teething remarkably well considering but tomatoes... not so much. Ha Ha.

Mama has been very busy planning your very first birthday! We want everything to be special for you. You're the most special thing in our lives and you've brought us all so much joy - we just want to honor you the best way that we can on your big day. Apparently, to me, that means lots and lots of rainbows. I've been busy making cupcake toppers, signs, invitations, thank you cards, favor tags, flag banners, etc. And Daddy has been spending his weekends working in the back yard - painting the shed and renovating the deck! We are hoping for an outdoor party so keep those little fingers crossed for sunshine!

Today we may have bought your very last tub o' formula! Oh, how the months have just flown by. This past year has been amazing. I hope the next twelve months bring us even more happiness together. Love you "sooooooooooooo much!" xoxo

Mama

I love you more today than yesterday - but not as much as tomorrow. 

No, chef.

Once in a while I wake up just knowing what I'd like to make for lunch. Luckily, it's normally something that is Scarlett-friendly as well. So, today I felt like having an egg-white omelet with peppers and onions in a tortilla with cheddar cheese and cherry tomatoes on the side. Perfect! All morning I felt like I had this big surprise coming for Scarlett (she'd never tried peppers or tomatoes) and I couldn't wait for lunch. Little did I know, Miss Priss had her own surprise in the works...

Scarlett Letter #7: 7 months old!

April 24, 2012:

Happy Seven Month Birthday, Scarlett!! 

I cannot believe seven months have passed since I first saw your beautiful, little face. A face that's accumulating more character every single day. A face that only gets sweeter with each ticking second. My sweet girl. 

What you've been eating: 

Lately you've been loving plain yogurt. I just add mashed up banana or some pureed peaches and you gobble it right up! You've also been good with trying new meats and veggies. Newest have been pot roast with celery, carrots and potatoes. And chicken with celery and carrots. All pureed of course. Spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, peas and butternut squash are some of your favorite vegetables. Pears, apples, bananas, mango and peaches are some favorite fruits. You tried some teething cookies but they're still a bit too much for you, you were getting very scared and choking! So Mama found you some new ones today that are just perfect!

 

What you've been busy with:

You have mastered sitting up and playing. You spend anywhere from a half hour to an hour on the floor with your toys. We spread out a sheet (with colorful polka-dots that you love) and sprinkle toys all around. You move from one to another, happy as a clam, giving each a little attention. You love your Fisher Price play kitchen - turning the faucet on and off and putting the spoon, soup pot, milk and carrots in your mouth. You also love your Zany Zoo with its four sides of activities. And you're still going strong in the doorway jumper. I think you're going to be so sad when we have to take that down! You've also been VERY vocal this month - cracking up everyone around you. Squawking and "singing" with that babydoll voice that I can't get enough of. Did I mention you rarely cry? Thank you, love.

When you sleep:

Well, you don't take great naps during the day but you still sleep an average of eleven hours each night. Usually around 8pm - 7am. Your naps are anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. One around 10/10:30am and the other around 2pm.

How you measure up:

At your last appointment, your six month visit on April 3 - you weighed 17.13 oz - and were 27.25" long! You tend to grow out of your clothes a little fast due to your length. Your shirts are short! A lot of times I put dresses or baby-doll tops on you with jeans or leggings - hey, it looks cute!  

Favorite books: 

We always read a little bit everyday. How The Grinch Stole Christmas has been a favorite since you were born (maybe even before) because I always recited it to you. I know most of it by heart and you like when I randomly break into verse while you're on the changing table or any other odd place. Your favorite lines? "Oh, the NOISE, NOISE, NOISE, NOISE!!!" These days you're also loving: Goodnight Moon | Nighty-Night | Bubbles, Bubbles | Eyes and Nose, Fingers and Toes | Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? | Squeak Squeak | Counting Kisses | Yawn. I pick up books here and there when I'm out, I'm a little obsessed. But a few of these faves were bought for a dollar each at Target! Love that dollar section.

 

New places you've been:

We took you to the playground at the beach last week and you had so much fun on the swings!! We walked along the beach and gave you your first real glimpse of the "ocean" - it was the bay - but you were in awe just the same. You smiled while watching the waves roll in. We wanted to play in the sand but it was too windy! 

Other than that you've just been busy being wonderful. Mama and Daddy are so, so happy to have you in our lives. We can't imagine how we got along without you! We love you so much!

"Scarlett June, You're my moon..."

 

The Scarlett Letters: #5

My dear, sweet six month old love,

My, how you've grown. It seems like everyday you are learning something new and everyday you are showing off your more mature mind. You are soooooooo close to sitting up on your own, each day a few seconds longer than the last. You have mastered the art of crawling/scooting backwards and are so eager to learn how to move forward. You get onto your hands and knees and rock back and forth, just wishing you would magically GO ahead. It's so precious. I can see the frustration in your eyes. Don't worry, keep at it, you'll get there very soon, my dear.

Some big news to report: You are cutting your first two teeth! Last night I felt the jagged edges and after you'd finally moved your tongue I saw the two front, bottom teeth are poking through!! Yikes!! That's why you've been gnawing on your teething toys so frequently and eating your bibs! And maybe that's why you were crying for Mama the night before. My poor darlin'.

You have been a very good eater so far! We've tried: apples, pears, bananas, mango, peaches, prunes, plums, avocado, butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, peas, green beans, spinach... I'm sure I'm leaving some out. I've cooked and pureed everything up myself so far but finally broke down yesterday and bought some organic jarred mixes because I want you to have a great variety. I think you're going to love them! I think I'M going to love them too - might be a new snack for Mama - haha. You continue to drink four bottles each day and 26 oz. total. You enjoy rice cereal, oatmeal and mixed grains and we're going to try brown rice cereal and barley next! After your doctor's visit next week (more shots - boooo) we're going to add meats to your diet. How exciting!

You're still sleeping through the night consistently. I put you in the crib at eight o'clock and you wake around seven. You play by yourself, happily, until I come to get you. I love your little playtime noises and sometimes it sounds like you're singing. Let's hope if you enjoy music as much as Mama that you have a way better voice than I do. Your naps are about the same each day - one between 10:30 am and 11:30 am and the other around 2 o'clock. They last anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and a half on average.

For playtime you still love the doorway jumper, it's a favorite. You get so excited and have learned to take a few steps and lift your legs so you can swing a bit - it's pretty adorable. I think you're going to be quite sad when you outgrow it - which won't be long. You also love to look at yourself in our mirrored closet doors. You roll around in the floor and stare at your beautiful face. Laughing and smiling. And now you like to watch yourself sitting up - I think it might even be helping you! You enjoy playing with a plethora of toys in your crib, on the floor or in the pack 'n' play. And have also mastered the art of jumping in your Baby Einstein entertainer now that your feet finally touch the floor.

I am anxious to see how much you weigh and how long you measure. You sure look like you've grown a lot to us. Our big girl. I love to see you learning, playing and changing every day but I wish I could pause time now and then. I have been soaking up every second I spend with you. I couldn't love you more.

~Mama