Rockin' the Baby

As Mungee's 2nd birthday draws near, I thought it would be sob-inducing fun to reflect on how she's gone from this ...

5 days old

... to this

2 months old

... to this

6 months old

Then this ...

1 year old!

... to this

18 months

... to this big girl who walks, and runs, and talks, and talks back, and throws tantrums, and sings, and dances and is going to start preschool next month!

21 months

These last 23 months have gone by in a blur!  Slow down, Mungee, you've got all the time in the world to grow up!

This post is linked to Rockin' the Baby with 
Shell at Things I Can't Say.

18 Months ... A Year and a Half ... Whoa!

My baby toddler is a year and a half old.  What?! 

Mungee is a little firecracker.  She's always going, going, going!  I've given up trying to keep track of how many words she says.  It's probably well over 200.  She repeats anything and everything.  She's like a little parrot.  She gets concepts too.  She tells us she's scared when she hears a loud startling noise.  She holds up her bowl and says "Empty" when she's out of Cheerios.

Some of the funny mispronunciations Mungee uses are "strawbellies" for strawberries and "mo-mote" for remote (control).  She finally says "phone" instead of "some", and will put it up to her ear and very clearly and articulately say "Hullo".

She can count to ten, then we say 11, 12, 13 and she says "14!"  Honestly, I have no idea how she learned that number.  She thinks everything is the color green and that all animals are named Luna (the original name of our cat).

I'm still breastfeeding, though I would be relieved happy if I was able to wean soon.  I feel like Mungee is so dependent on nursing before naps and nighttime, that I am nervous about trying to wean her.  I know I am taking the easy road, as far as using nursing to get her to sleep, but she's got to give up the boob eventually.  (Right?)  Any tips? P.S. She can't drink cow's milk, she gets hives.  We've tried soymilk, but she only takes a few sips and the rest goes to waste.

She has gotten very proficient at walking, and is experimenting with running.  She also likes to dance and "jump", though she doesn't leave the ground at this point.  I always try to get her to jump on the trampoline at MyGym, but I don't think she gets it yet.

We'll probably enroll her in school this fall.  She will just make the age cutoff (2 years old before September 1), so she'll be in the same class as her best friend (the daughter of my best friend).

She's still taking two naps a day for the most part, but we will have to cut back to one once she begins school, as they require the students to be able to stay awake until 12 pm.  I'm not really in a hurry to cut her off from that morning nap because that's usually the time when I take a shower and get dressed!

Bedtime is around 7 pm.  We went through a major sleeping-through-the-night setback, but I'm crossing my fingers and toes that it's over now.  If Mungee wakes up early (between 5:30-6:30), I'll usually nurse her and then put her back in her crib so her Pa and I can get some extra sleep.

Mungee has had 12 teeth for a while now and has just recently begun cutting all.four.canine.teeth.  The first to come through was the top left, followed by the top right.  I think I noticed the bottom right peeking through her gums today.  Are we done with teething for a while, or will those dreaded two year molars be agonizing her soon?

Mungee's favorite TV show is Yo Gabba Gabba, but she still prefers to read books.  She has words and phrases memorized and it's so much fun to read a few words and then have her fill in the next ones.  She doesn't even need to see the book, all she needs to hear are the words.

With her increasing sense of independence, Mungee has taken to throwing tantrums when she doesn't get her way.  I mostly stop her from doing something out of safety concerns (things like leaving the driveway and walking into the street).  She'll go limp and slither to the ground and cry, or if I try to pick her up, she raises her arms straight up and I think she tries to dislocate her shoulders so she can slip out of my grasp.  Or she'll just scream.  I typically try to ignore the screaming because I don't want her to enjoy the attention from it and continue.

Eventually I will upload the most recent pictures I've taken and add them to this post.  Or just write a new one :)

My "Baby" is 16 Months Old Today

Can I still call her a baby?  She talks up a storm, says please, tells me when she's making "doo doo" and is starting to walk.

She's obviously keeping me busy since I missed out on writing her 14 and 15 month letters.  It's just so hard to keep up these days with all the new things she's learning.

We're off to one of Mungee's many social callings, so I'll leave you with these pictures.

Hanukkah 2009

Hanukkah 2010

 

 (One thing we are still working on?  Posing for pictures)

14 Month Pictures (only a month+ late ...)

In keeping with the trend of posting Mungee's monthly pictures, I thought it would be a good time to share her 14 month old photos.  Yes, I do realize she is wearing the same outfit as the 13 month pictures.  In my defense, I asked her what she wanted to wear the day these pictures were taken and she said "Apple".  So she wore her apple outfit.  Come to think of it, whenever I ask her what she wants to wear, she says "apple".  Promise she doesn't wear this every day.

 

She's still working on growing that hair ...

13 Month Letter

So this is way slightly late ... I blame my always-on-the-move baby for the delay in posting her 13 month letter.

Dear Mungee,

On September 17, 2010, you turned 13 months old.  I feel like I was just telling people you just turned one. 

It's obvious that you're concentrating your efforts on verbal endeavors rather than mobility, as you still refuse to stand without holding onto something or someone.  You have graduated to what we call the "bulldog crawl" however, and are exploring the house without fear.  I've caught you unloading the bookshelves in the office several times, you seem to know whenever the fridge, freezer, or dishwasher are open and the cat seeks higher ground when you head her way with a look of purpose on your face.  (That purpose being yanking her tail).  As much as we try to put the *kibosh* on this, you still pursue her with fervor.

 
Time to brag on your verbal abilities and smarts ...

You can tell us the sounds of about 8 animals: chicken (bok-bok), dog (woof or oof), horse (nay), cow (moo), duck (cak-cak), sheep (baa), cat (mowww), monkey (eee).

When you see a dog on TV (cartoon, mascot or real) you look at me and say "Woof".  You also do this when you see a dinosaur, koala or the Geico Gecko, but you've got the general idea.

You've started to imitate talking on the phone and brushing/combing your hair.

You drop things and say "Uh oh".  I've tried to explain to you that it's only "uh oh" if it's an accident and not on purpose for your amusement, but you disregard this advice.

You sign "All done" by rubbing your hands together like you're brushing off crumbs, but you'll often keep eating after you sign.  At least you've somewhat got the concept.  You sign "milk" and whenever you want to nurse, you'll approach me with a very serious look on your face, sign "milk" and say "Bih?!"

Yes, you're still nursing because you refuse to drink whole milk.  Grandma Bebe thinks it's because the milk is cold and that I should warm it up for you, but I don't want to get you used to drinking it this way and ONLY want it warm.  A friend recently suggested I should add a dash of chocolate to it and I just might try this (after consulting the doctor, of course).  I'm okay with the fact that you're still nursing, but I think I'll try to have you weaned by 18 months.  We certainly made it well past my goal of 6 months!

Your loves include: pretzel sticks, veggie straws, chicken, bananas, grapes, owls, cats and mama's milk.  You hate: Gerber ravioli, whole milk and sitting in the grass.

Poppy taught you how to raise your arms in the air when we yell "Touchdown!"  Now you'll do it whenever you see football on TV.  I can't wait to take you to your first Jaguars game.  Maybe when the weather cools down a bit more.

You have a pretty extensive vocabulary.  Here's a list of words you say:
-Freckle (cul) and you can identify freckles on people's bodies
-Circle (also cul)
-Turtle
-Flower
-Button
-Hot (and I taught you to blow when we say hot)
-Coffee (sounds like cocky)
-Outside
-Shoe
-Toe
-Dada
-Mama
-Chicken
-Highchair
-Water
-Milk (mih or bih)
-Owl
-Towel
-Bowl
-Hi
-Bye
-Picture
-Light (yiiiiigh)
-Kitty
-Uh oh
-Book (booh)
-Banana (nana)
-Baby (baaaay)
-Pretzel
-Apple
-Waffle
-Bubble

You give hugs and kisses on request to people or your toys.  You have kissed the cat by licking her back.  You also licked the bottom of the freezer and Daddy's cold water bottle.  You kiss the "baby in the mirror" with a hearty lick. 

You can identify your head, ear, belly and toes.  You can identify other people's nose, toes, freckles, belly (if it's bare), shoes and buttons.

We're still going to MyGym and you've just moved up to the next age group.  I knew it was definitely time when we went to class and you were months older than the oldest baby there.  The MyGym coaches think that being around walking babies will encourage you to walk.  I am not sure if I am ready for this, though I am excited for the day you take your first steps!

You are such a funny baby and you have Daddy and I laughing every day.  I'm enjoying my time with you so much and I can't believe it's going by so quickly.  Keep smiling precious girl!

****************************************

This post is linked to:

One Year Letter

Dear Mungee,

On Tuesday, August 17, 2010, you turned one year old!  To sound totally cliche, the last year went by in the blink of an eye. I can't believe you've gone from a helpless 8 pound newborn to a very mobile 19 pound toddler.  

You now have three distinct crawling styles, that you've started to use in combination.  You mostly utilize the pull and scooch method, which consists of you dragging your body along with your arms, belly on the floor, pushing off with your right foot and kicking your left foot (for effect?)   This was your original tried and true method.  You also have started to utilize the army crawl, alternating arms and knees, but still on your belly.  Every once in a while, you'll crawl like a big girl.

You can now sit up by yourself with ease, pull up like a champ, and will creep along the edge of furniture, but you are not standing unassisted yet.  You will hold our hands and walk, but you're still very unsteady.  I don't think we're in a hurry for you to walk, as exciting as it will be.  Baby gates have yet to be installed, but they really need to be soon, as you are a big fan of making your way into the kitchen and opening the cabinets.  Cabinet latch installation is also on the must-do list.

You are so vocal, always babbling and often repeating words.  You say the following without prompting: Hi, button, owl, uh oh.  You will repeat many other words when we ask you to, such as: picture (pic-shuh), turtle, water, horsie, baby, circle (cuhl), freckle (also cuhl).  The other day I told you "No" and a few moments after that, when I asked you a question, I am pretty sure you said "No".  I was definitely taken aback.

You just started playing along with "How big is Mungee?  Soooo big!"  You raise your arms high in the air and scrunch up your face so it looks like you have a double chin.

You will give hugs and kisses when requested (when you feel like it).  You look around the room when I ask you where something in particular is located.  You can "gimme five".  You love to play "Where's Mungee?" by putting your hands up over your eyes.  The funny thing is when you open up your fingers to create slits so you can see us through your hands.

You have SO MANY TOYS!  One of your favorites is your house that Bebe gave you for your birthday.  You love to ring the doorbell, press the buttons on the radio and crawl back and forth through the door.  If I peek through one side of the door and you're on the other side you'll open the door and invite me in.

You're starting to throw tantrums here and there when we take away something you want, aren't paying enough attention to you or are not feeding you fast enough.  When I took your bowl away the other day, this resulted:

You are trying to learn how to feed yourself, and you're always grabbing your spoon out of our hands.  I usually give you your own spoon to practice.  This is typically what you look like after every meal:

I'd like to move on from feeding you jarred foods and give you food that you can pick up and feed yourself, but you're so used to eating jarred meals that you will only pick at other foods that I put on your tray.  To make sure you're getting enough to eat, I'm still feeding you at least 5-6 jars of food a day.  You regularly eat Cheerios, Veggie Straws, and bananas.  You've also eaten broccoli, sweet potatoes, pancakes, noodles, green beans, watermelon, bread, chicken, pita, bagel and you tried scrambled eggs for the first time this past weekend.  We're still very cautious about giving you too many new foods at once because of your eczema and potential allergies.

You tried whole milk about a week after you turned one.  You are not a fan.  At all.  We put the milk in the same sippy cup you use for water so you instinctively took a few sips, then realized it wasn't water and rejected the rest.  Weaning may be put on hold until you decide to like cow's milk.  At least this incident didn't turn you off from using the sippy cup completely.

You constantly suck your thumb.  And only your right thumb.  You suck your thumb so much that you have what Dr. T calls "sucking blisters".  I'm in no hurry to break you of this habit, since you take great comfort in it, but I hope it doesn't cost us in expensive dental work down the road.

You bite.  When you're overtired and hyper, you will hug me tight and then try to take a chunk out of my shoulder.  You also bite our noses.  If I tell you "no biting", you laugh a maniacal laugh and go after me again.  This is not fun.

You wake up around 6:45 a.m., nurse, have breakfast at 8 a.m. and take your first nap around 9 a.m.  Lately this nap has only been lasting an hour and I wonder if you're going to give it up soon.  Lunch is at noon or noon-thirty.  Your second nap is around 2 p.m.  You go to sleep around 7 p.m.  On a good night, you'll fall asleep nursing and won't wake up when I put you in your crib.  On an even better night, you will fall asleep on your own after I put you down and sleep through the entire night.  I feel so proud (and relieved) when you nap and sleep well because it's something we struggled with for such a long time.

I thought that we would enroll you in school when you turned one, but we didn't for a few reasons.  You are not walking, which is a requirement to begin, and it's extremely expensive.  I also don't think you're developmentally ready, as you would likely be the youngest baby in your class.  In the classrooms, the babies sit at very low tables in regular chairs and are expected to feed themselves!  They only take one nap a day, on mats.  Maybe I'm not giving you enough credit, but I don't think I'd you'd adapt well to such a shake up in your routine.

Since we're not in a hurry to enroll you in school, it looks like I will be staying home with you longer than the first year, as we had originally planned.  I look forward to the weather cooling down, resuming our daily walks and getting outside to parks and playgrounds.  Sometimes I get bored, feeling like we're bound to the house by your nap schedule, and I am sure you do to. 

I am probably biased, but I really think you are the sweetest, funniest, cutest and most beautiful baby I know.  You are always in my heart and on my mind.

Love, Mama

Outtakes:

That silver string in her mouth?  Not string.  Drool.

1st Birthday Party - Nitty Gritty Details

View into dining room

Dining room

Paper plates and napkins from Party City, reusable plastic cups, bowl and large tubs from Publix, small tub & owl buckets from Target $ Spot

Owl buckets from Target $ Spot

Handmade Pom Pom

The Owl Wall (owl images found through Google image search; Polka dots are removable stickers from the Dollar Tree)

I made this for the bathroom door, so no one would walk into my messy office by mistake. (Owl image found through Google image search; sadly I don't do graphic design).

Party Favors which unfortunately I forgot to give to several of the first guests to leave.  (Pencil cases from Target, filled with party dough, sunglasses, bubbles and stickers).  Favor tags by Dennette's Designs

Cake baked and decorated by my best friend (Mungee's name is blurred out; no polka dots were harmed in the editing of this photo)

Thank you notes from Target $ Spot

1st Birthday Party - The Smash Cake Deconstructed

The Smash Cake

Tentative

 

Daddy helps

Yummy!

 

Cake overload

Get it away from me!

The aftermath

Just because I think my family is cute

It's Really Here

Party invitations went out in the mail on Monday.

Less than two weeks until Mungee's 1st birthday.

Hold me.

11 Month Letter

Dear Mungee,

On Saturday, July 17, 2010, you turned 11 months old.  We celebrated by having a birthday photo session with Amanda from Photography by A. Dennette.  You were such an adorable model and had fun posing for the camera.  You didn't smile too often as you were a bit hungry because you didn't like anything we gave you for lunch and you were tired because you decided your morning nap was overrated.  Despite the lack of smiles, Amanda captured some beautiful shots of you.  I think she  may have caught your soul.

You are quite vocal and we're pretty sure you've got several words in your vocabulary.  This includes: button, door, bye-bye, baby, water, mama, dada and cat.  Even if you can't say a lot of things, you definitely seem to have an understanding of what they mean.  Before you go to bed, we go around your room and say "Goodnight owl pictures, goodnight lamp, goodnight bird mobile, goodnight frog, goodnight light".  You look directly at each of these things, so I know you know what they are.  And do you want to know how I'm certain you know?  When I say "Goodnight Mama" you turn and look me straight in the eye, smile, and give me a giant hug.  The love I feel between us at that moment is infinite.

Sometimes when you're on the floor playing and I say "Do you want some milk?" you'll start whining and climb into my lap.  

You're (finally) able to get into a sitting position from your stomach (7/14) and you're beginning to figure out how to pull up.  You have been able to pull yourself up from sitting in your crib for a while now, but that was through bracing your legs against the crib rails and pulling straight up.  Now you raise your body up while you're on your hands and knees and use your feet to stand yourself up.   The day you sat up on your own, I lowered your crib mattress after I caught you trying to pull up in your crib when I came to get you from your nap.

You are tentatively cruising along the outside of the bathtub ... I set you there while I get the water ready for your bath and you make your way over to the soap bottle, which you're fascinated with.  So far, this is the only surface you're comfortable creeping along, but I sense you'll be getting more brave sooner than I'm comfortable with.

You've mastered the ability to climb up the small step that leads from the breakfast nook into the kitchen, so we really must get a baby gate soon.  (Note to self: Also need to find a new place for the recyclables). Your mobility and speed increases daily, even though you're still crawling on your belly and not on your hands and knees.

I've taught you some very important parlor tricks such as "Gimme Five" and "Bibble bibble bibble".  I'm also working on teaching you how to feed me Puffs.  You think it's hilarious when I take them out of your hand with my mouth.  You turn pages in books at our request (actually, whenever you feel like it).

You still have two teeth on the bottom, and FOUR on top.  You're working on cutting another one on the bottom.  I was worried that you might start biting me while you nurse, but  you typically only bite me on the shoulder when you're tired and getting loopy.  You grind your teeth a lot and it makes us cringe, but I know you're only doing it because you're curious about what's going on in your mouth.  Just yesterday, you started to explore that curiosity in a new way by sticking out your bottom lip as far as possible - and when you do, I call you Popeye.  I'd love to get a picture of this because it's pouty and beyond adorable.

I'm not sure it's possible that you are really 11 months old already and that I'm planning your first birthday party.  I look back at old photos of you and wonder when you were so small and how you got so big right before my eyes.  I long to go back to the days when depression robbed me of the chance to be in the moment with you and commit to memory all the things that are now hazy in my mind.  I can feel the love I have for you bursting forth from within me and it cannot be contained. 

You are my heart, you are my everything, you are me, I am you.

Love always,

Mama

Happy Birthday Mungee's Pa

Today, I'd like to wish my husband, Mungee's Pa, a very Happy Birthday!  I don't think I could have asked for a better partner, friend and father for our daughter.  

Remember honey, you're only as old as you feel.

10 Month Letter

Dear Mungee,

You have entered the double digits and are now 10 months old.  To sound totally cliche', where has the time gone?  Everyone tells me to savor each and every moment because they go by so fast and it's completely true.  Just the other day I was thinking about your teeth and how it's hard to remember what your gums looked like before you got them.  It seems like you've always been as big as you are now, but of course, I know that's not true.

You're a baby on the move ... you started crawling on June 5 and you continue to practice.  You don't crawl on your hands and knees, rather you use your elbows to push up your body and then drag yourself forward.  You still find rolling around the room to be an effective means of transport as well.

You love to go after the cat.  You squeal with delight when you're close to her.  You've even started to look for her when she disappears into the laundry room to try and escape from you eat.

If you can't get the cat, you might as well just go after her food.

You're beginning to eat more textured foods and are trying very hard to feed yourself.  The table food you've had includes bread, pita, watermelon, bananas, blueberries and broccoli.  You are trying to perfect your pincer grasp, but you've got a little ways to go.  You get food in your mouth every once in a while, but you often forget to take your fingers out of your mouth before you start to chew.  There's definitely more food on your bib, highchair, face and lap when you're finished.  You've also become quite a pro at drinking from your sippy cup, as well as drinking through a straw from a regular cup.

You may be imitating the sign for "milk".  You seem to understand what I mean when I make the sign.  Sometimes you do it while you're eating in your highchair.  Other times you do it when you wave, so I might just be seeing things that aren't really there.

Speaking of waving.  You wave hi and bye randomly and upon request.  In the morning when you wake up we wave to your lamp, owl pictures, bird mobile and frog humidifier.  We do the same for night night.  You wave to people you know and don't know and you wave to the baby in the mirror.  You wave to the Kit Kat clock.  I've concluded that you're very social.

You clap when you're excited and when we exclaim "Yay!"  You also clap your feet together when you're laying on your back and often when we pick you up and fly you through the air.

You love to play "Where's Mungee? ... Oh, there you are!" (Our version of peekaboo).

You give great big hugs, sometimes on request.

You love buttons and you still like to pick at the eyes on your toys, eyes in books and eyes on your stuffed animals.  You also like to wrestle with your stuffed animals and eat their faces.  Your favorites are Violet and Sock Monkey.  You know that Violet sings and her collar lights up when you squeeze her paws.  You're beginning to understand that squeezing toys or pushing buttons can result in music, sounds and songs.

Your hair is slowly growing in.  Your eczema has cleared up tremendously since I stopped eating peanut m&ms and took you to the dermatologist.  I am sorry I waited so long.  You're getting three more teeth on the top (one appears to finally be breaking through your gums) and I think I can see two more teeth appearing under your bottom gumline. 

You can stand with support and you are trying very hard to pull yourself up.  Every once in a while I put you in your crib to practice pulling up on the rails.  I'm probably going to curse myself for doing that once you can actually start pulling up, but for now I like to help you practice. 

You are having a bit of a hard time going to sleep at night right now, due to your teething.  We try to get you in bed by 7, but you've been resistant to falling asleep.  Sometimes I put you down after nursing you and you're asleep but you wake up soon after, sometimes you're not asleep at all and I hope you'll fall asleep on your own.  On really good nights, you're asleep when I put you down and you stay asleep through the night.

You generally take two naps a day in your crib (finally!), around 9 and 2, with varying lengths.  Again, because of teething, your newly acquired good napping habits have reverted a bit.

It's hard to believe that you're just two months away from being one year old.  That soon I'll be sending out birthday party invitations.  That you'll be a toddler. 

Daddy and I love you very much and we are so blessed to have you in our lives!

Outtakes: