Hi Maevey! You seem to have a little something on your lip there! :)
You are 15 months + a few weeks now and you are just the best baby! The past few weeks have been all about warm weather and us falling into a (fun and active!) new routine, including lots of time outdoors. After breakfast we'll either walk papa to work or begin the day with some other adventure. We go to the library, one of the local parks, the farmer's market, etc. You happily nap mid-day and after lunch and some reading we're off to another adventure. You are very very active, so I like to take you places where you can run and climb (your favorite) and be around other children.
Lately I can't help but think about how very very lucky I am to be able to spend all of my time with you. Life is short and you're growing and changing so fast. I am just so thankful that you're my baby and that I can witness you grow and change and learn. It really is magical to watch. Motherhood has exceeded all of my expectations. Just when I think I couldn't love you any more or that you couldn't be any cuter or more smart, it happens...you impress me in new ways each day.
Your papa and I are also very very impressed with recent strides you've made in eating and sleeping. You've always been a good eater but I've always been a little anxious about your eating (are you eating enough? Are you eating the right things?). Your tastes change week-to-week, but we've had a little bit of a food renaissance in our home lately, and your palate seems to be expanding. You currently love a plethora of vegetables, sandwiches, bananas, and most recently, hummus. I've found the key is giving you space so that you can independently taste and discover new foods and flavors. I haven't used a spoon to feed you with in weeks. You prefer to hold things, pick food up, and feed yourself.
We have been pleasantly surprised by how well you've taken up a new sleeping routine. We recently completed your nursery. It was overdue. Since you arrived early (which was a shock to our systems - ha!), your nursery was not complete prior to your arrival, and since you spent your earliest weeks in the hospital, when we brought you home, I just wanted you with us. It felt safe and right. But we knew you needed your own space and we took our time (an understatement for sure!) to create one for you. Since we did, you immediately began napping in your crib, with no fussing when I put you down. After hearing "sleep training" horror stories since we brought you home (babies crying for hours in their rooms learning how to self-soothe, etc.), I put this off for months. But guess what? When we felt you were ready for some independence, we put you in your crib one evening at bedtime and you know what? You cried for about two minutes, then went to sleep. That lasted all of one night and now you happily go to sleep in your crib each night when we put you down. We are so lucky. You are such a big girl.
Here are some other things going on in your world lately...
- Your favorite foods are bananas, sweet potato, and raison bread.
- You love balls.
- You are beginning to say "I see" and "again" and "wow" (our personal favorite because you say it with such zeal).
- You prefer to walk whenever possible. We're not getting much use out of your strollers lately.
- You are so strong and heavy-handed. Ha. I don't know of any other way to describe it. You are definitely not a delicate baby. Sometimes I refer to you as my "crossfit baby" because I will leave you unattended for a moment and you'll begin pushing something extremely heavy across the room. It reminds me of crossfit athletes pushing giant tires across parking lots. Ha!
- You are very focused when interested in something.
- You are very expressive/vocal. And speaking of vocal, you are interested very much in acoustics - ha! For example, when we go into a public space, like the lobby at our local library or a shopping mall, you like to look up and start making loud noises as if you want to hear how far your voice travels, etc. I don't know of any other way to describe this. But it entertains me (and others) very much!
- You like horses.
- Your current favorite books are "Go-Togethers" (a little sign language book) and "Twinkle Toes" a fun sensory book.
- You are interested in other children, but you're very independent. And you're not shy.
- Your dad is your favorite human, by far. You sing his name several times during the day. You are without a doubt a daddy's girl.
- Two of the cutest things you've started doing lately: singing! I have no words for how adorable this is. It truly melts our hearts when you randomly start singing. You don't do it often. But it is the sweetest. And you noticed recently that you can see your reflection on the oven door, so sometimes we'll catch you dancing in front of it, just to amuse yourself. :)
I love you so much, Maevey, and am just so happy to be your mama! xo
