loulou: 12months

louisa-grey statistics::

Age: 1 year!
Weight: 20 lbs
Length: 30 inches
Size: 12-18 months, mostly; size 3 diapers
Eyes: beautiful blue
Hair: bleaching more in the sunshine, and curly in the heat
Teeth: you cut TWO teeth this month. it took the majority of the month for the second one, but, you finally have four bottom teeth. And you are much happier now that they are through.
Nicknames: grandy called you "skip", as in "skip to my lou, my darling" :-)
Sleeping:: um, not as much as you were. there was over a week where you woke up for two hours in the middle of each night, inconsolable. happy that's over for now. at least you will doze while nursing in bed w/ me again. i also think the heat has bothered both you and charlottes.' habits.
Naps: two daily. We have had a lot more time at home in the mornings; you have been taking longer morning naps. your window for going down well for your afternoon nap is still around 1:30pm.

Eating: you dropped a daytime feed and picked one up middle of the night. it's nice to feel like my schedule has more breathing room, though, b/c you like nursing sessions to last at least 20-30 minutes. you are more focused and attached than charlottes. at this age. you have stopped being crazy fidgety as well, so, THANK YOU for a break from all the pinching and poking and scratching and rubbing... you like finger foods a lot and are eating more variety. i feel like we are over the hump of baby food. sigh of relief.
Movement: you walk now! you fall back on your bum when you lose your balance. you are starting some climbing. i can't leave you unstrapped in your high chair or you will stand up.
Milestones: you took your first steps july 3 while we were in alabama!
Outings: we enjoyed our outings in alabama, including horse back riding, and a roadtrip to see aunty-friend in nashville, TN. we went to krause berry farms, and the symphony in the park w/ daddy and aunty carmen, where you fell asleep. we enjoyed going to daddy's job site, and on a family date to steveston!
Favorite toys/activities: you love doing anything w/ your sister, and you have spent a great deal of time in our pool. you love geoffrey.
Words/sounds: dada! an emphatic ah-da (all done)! you say "don't touch" :-), sign "please", and have started saying your own version of charlottes.' name. yesterday i asked you, "loulou., who made you?... say 'God'.", and you said, "Dod". You are incredible at communicating with us.
Memorable moments: you are learning to come to us and you are so proud when you do. your birthday was a memorable day, begun w/ breakfast at jennifer's house and a pool party w/ friends. you give hugs and kisses.

loulou:: 11months

 

 

louisa-grey statistics::

Age: 11 months
Weight: 19 lbs
Length: don't know since we are traveling now, but, you appear taller this month, and more lean
Size: filling in 12-18 months; size 3 diapers
Eyes: sparkly blue like daddy's
Hair: really growing! and curling above your ears. it appears to have more curl than charlottes.'
Teeth: just four mighty chompers. you did some more teething recently but have nothing new yet.
Nicknames: "wee bebe.", "wee one"
Sleeping:: 11 hours most nights. teething usually disrupts this a bit.
Naps: two daily. your morning nap lasts anywhere from half an hour to an hour and a half, but, is typically 45 minutes. your window for going down well for your afternoon nap is around 1:30pm.
Eating: nursing five times daily, solids three times a day. you like a range of foods but i have not introduced you to a LOT of them yet. i am basically waiting for you to have more interest.
Movement: all the time! you have flirted w/ first steps but haven't walked yet
Milestones: not that this month was uneventful, but, there's nothing to record by way of the typical milestones done this month.
Outings: zoo, train ride on the kettle valley railway, travel to alabama (this was a busy, all-day event, including a bus ride and two plane rides)
Favorite toys/activities: you like playing alongside charlottes. these days
Words/sounds: dada! an emphatic ah-da (all done)!
Memorable moments: we gave you watermelon one evening and you loved it. we were highly entertained by the way you would bite it, suck on the piece, then spit it back out into your bib. daddy called you the human watermelon baller, because when you finished, your bib was filled with a bunch of perfectly round, same-sized little watermelon balls.

loulou:: 10months

louisa-grey statistics::

Age: 10 months
Weight:  just under 19 lbs (i weighed you at 19 lbs last month and didn’t do my math right. You were 18.5 lbs)
Length: 29.5 inches
Size: 12-18 months; size 3 diapers
Eyes: blueblueblue
Hair: growing in shiny blonde, thick. i love smelling your hair.
Teeth: you had a hard month with teething, and have two awesome top chompers to show for it!
Nicknames: we usually call you by a nickname; changes daily, though, i call you “loulou.bear” frequently.
Sleeping: teething always messes up sleeping routines. you woke up in the middle of the night for at least half of the past month. sometimes around 4am, so, i just took to pulling you in bed w/ me again. you don’t sleep past 6am, but, neither does charlottes..
Naps: you typically fall asleep while nursing at 9am, now. so, i just put you down then, and aim to start afternoon nap at 1 or 1:30pm. you want to be nursed to sleep; i had you trained to just go down and you would fuss for a little while, but, somehow in the past month it’s become a daily battle of sorts.
Eating: you nurse at 6am/9am/noon/3:30pm/bedtime. and as i mentioned before, still in the middle of the night, too. you also eat something at breakfast/lunch/dinner, either a puree or finger foods, depending on what i manage to plan for you. you really love nursing still yet you really want our food. it’s funny. you don’t have the hang of eating anything with much substance to it, though.
Movement: you climbed our staircase on a couple of occasions this month (w/ supervision). you have become steadier at standing, and took at step at the cabin over may long weekend!
Milestones: top teeth! your verbal/non-verbal communication grew a ton this month as well.
Outings: we walked the fort-to-fort trail twice this past month. you rode part of the time in the stroller, and part in the carrier. even when you are teething you are pretty easy-going, and easy to take places. last saturday, daddy took us for a drive in his volvo; it was our first time all together in it! you also enjoyed being at the cabin and playing w/ charlottes., avery, and solomon.
Favorite toys/activities:  you like touching things you aren’t allowed to touch. you are learning what is off-limits in mommie/daddy’s room J. you started initiating games of peekaboo this month, and will play patty-cake anytime. in fact, as you were nursing one evening, charlottes. sat down beside me and began chanting patty-cake, to which you sat bolt upright and began clapping.
 Words/sounds: now you are loud. if you disapprove of something, we know. you enjoy squealing, too. you have a comical ability to be unhappy but still smiling while being upset; it’s like you understand the comedy of the situation. or, maybe it’s because i’m usually smiling/laughing at how cute you are when you are mad. like I mentioned previously, you communicate effectively with us. you use sign language and are trying to speak when you can. you like informing me that you are “all done” your naps. you will blow kisses and wave when asked to, and love clapping. you will say “mama” and “dada” specifically for me and daddy.
Memorable moments: you put so many things from our floor in your mouth so frequently, that one morning i saw you do so and didn’t bother to see what it was. i realized moments later that you were really enjoying it, more than normal, and thought it would be wise to check. you weren’t pleased as i deprived you of your treasure, which i thankfully did, as it was a (dead) housefly.

loulou:: 9months

louisa-grey statistics::

Age: 9 months
Weight:  19 lbs
Length: 29 inches
Size: 9 months/12-18 months onesies; size 3 diapers
Eyes: beautifully blue, with very long lashes.
Hair: filling in and getting long. it’s longer than charlottes.’ was at the same age, as you got your first piggy-tails this past week (see photo).
Teeth: no new teeth all month! i have enjoyed your sweet little smile, as well as the respite from teething.
Nicknames: none this month.
Sleeping: you started sleeping thru the night during this month! this past week, you have been waking up at 6am.                                                                
Naps: your morning nap is at 10:30, and lasts an hour to hour and a half, and an afternoon nap between 2 and 4pm. you like napping in the car if we are driving somewhere in the morning.
Eating: you nurse at 6am/9am/1pm/4pm/bedtime. you snack on mummum’s and cheerios, or peas or black beans, and eat a big pureed veggie lunch (i made homemade carrot and sweet potato puree. you love both.). i mix your evening rice cereal with goat milk, now, and any leftover puree from lunch if you haven’t finished it. you like avocado as well… you grew quite constipated at twice this month, and ate prunes to help things along. you eat with much more enthusiasm than charlottes.’ did at this age; it’s such a refreshing element to this stage of your development.
Movement: you are practicing walking (while holding our hands), but, still unsteady at standing up for long periods. you climb the stairs from our living area to the toy rug (two stairs) w/o help!
Milestones: officially sleeping thru the night. standing independently. saying, “dada”, and “mamamama”. sharing a room with your sister.
Outings: you seem to enjoy our thursday morning routine of going to Bible study. the ladies in the nursery comment about how you enjoy watching the other babies and playing…
Favorite toys/activities:  you love “patty-cake”, cuddling, petting puppies, and you really love pulling charlottes.’ hair. she is incredibly patient with you. you are a busy mover of a bebe., but, ironically, you enjoy sitting still to look at books when we read them together!
 Words/sounds: you haven’t become the loud mouth i wondered you might become last month. you can still say “all done” in your own way. you say “dada”, “mamamamama”, “babababa”, and sometimes “hiiiii”.
Memorable moments: one week, i walked into the nursery after Bible study to find you on the couch, asleep, on your tummy. you were so sweet. your piggytails were memorable. we had our first family campfire over at the simpson’s this month; i did your bedtime routine outside and you slept in the stroller. you are beginning to understand and obey when we say “don’t touch” and ask you to “come”. seeing you wear mawmaw’s sweater, and my baby shoes, on Good Friday.

loulou:: 8months.

Age: 8 months
Weight:  18 lbs
Length: 29 inches
Size: 9 months/6-12 months; size 3 diapers
Eyes: blueblueblue
Hair: blonde and getting longer. daddy and i agreed that from now on, you will always have more hair than he does ;-).
Teeth: you cut your second tooth right after you turned 7 months, and both bottom chompers have come in nicely. you are ramping up for more teeth right now, but, i am not sure whether it’s the top teeth or more bottoms.
Nicknames: we call you “flapsie”
Sleeping: you have kept the same sleep schedule this month. you did sleep through the night one night.
Naps: a short morning nap, and an afternoon nap between 2 and 4pm. as of 3 weeks ago, you take your afternoon nap in your sleepsack and crib, independent from mommie. it took a few days for you to adjust.
Eating: you nurse at 6am/9am/1pm/4pm/bedtime, and eat 3oz of rice cereal at 5pm, sometimes mixed w/ sweet potato… you tried avocado mixed w/ breastmilk and seemed to enjoy it. you have also started having cheerios, and had peas one night when i cooked them for supper. and i let you gnaw on apples/carrots/bananas, sometimes, if i can supervise the process. you get very excited about food; you are really enjoying your baby food and i will be doing more in the next month.
Movement: you stand up all the time. you have already begun trying to balance w/o holding onto anything. you are fast at crawling, and you wave! it’s no joke, definitely a conscious effort on your part: you make eye contact w/ a person, and put your hand out like a german salute. the reason we call you “flapsie” is b/c you get so wound up/excited about something, you just flap your arms (and legs if you are being held), as fast as they can go. and they go fast! you are a pincher and a scratcher, but, you mean well.
Milestones: eating cheerios for the first time. first time swinging and sliding!
Outings: beyond typical activities, we spent a beautiful sunny day together in white rock, on the beach, as a family, to celebrate mommie and daddy’s 6^th anniversary. that was a special day.
Favorite toys/activities:  favorite loulou. activities would include anything involving charlottes… you get to play in her room w/ the baby gate up, and the two of you are so fun to listen to on the monitor. you love dancing with me. you also enjoy waking daddy up in the morning.
Words/sounds: you are really into saying “dadadadada” now. you say it in the morning in conversation w/ daddy. you also signal “all done” after meals w/ an “a-da” sound, and if i test you too much not believing you are actually communicating, you become very cross. you have a set of lungs on you and really enjoy hearing yourself squeal. it’s a new hobby.
Memorable moments: changed your diaper the other day, and apparently, you had eaten a sticker. i hope i always remember your darling baby face. and the first time you made the face i refer to as “the eaglet”… it’s a smile so big the muscles between your eyes scrunch up. it’s pretty hilarious.

loulou:: 7months

Louisa-Grey Statistics

Age: 7 months
Weight:  17.5 lbs
Length: 29 inches
Size: 9 months/6-12 months; size 3 diapers
Eyes: sparkly blue; lots of white flecks. you often squint because you smile so big and scrunch up your face.
Hair: blonde and shiny, growing in nicely
Teeth: i took off your amber teething necklace and the only difference is a bit more drool, which i don’t mind. you cut your first tooth this week… you now like feeling your tooth with your tongue. it’s so cute.
Nicknames: i call you lovey quite a bit.
Sleeping: you dropped your 11 o’clock feed!  you sleep 6:30pm-6am, eating at 3am. i like this new schedule.
Naps: basically the same as it’s been. you like to sleep in the car if we go out in the morning. days spent at home, you have a nap between 10 and 11 o’clock. then you nap between 1-3pm, most days.
Eating: we have a good schedule going… you eat at 6am/9am/12pm/2pm/6pm, and eat an ounce+ of rice cereal at 5pm… you had some sweet potato this week, too. i’m super relaxed with you and solids; it took a couple of weeks for you to get the hang of it anyway, but, you like it now!
Movement: feb 10^th, you started crawling. no hesitation, perfect technique. ten days later, you crawled into my bathroom while charlottes. was in the tub, and pulled yourself up to standing to watch her. you love standing up!
Milestones: crawling. standing up. starting solids. cutting your first tooth!
Outings: we went to seattle while daddy was on his 9-day trip. you spent a lot of time in the ergo carrier and loved it because you love to snuggle. you enjoyed a day with charlottes. and me in downtown vancouver as well; i shot some portraits and you slept in the stroller. you are so content.
Favorite toys/activities:  you are fond of the gloworm, now. and you like books when charlottes. is reading; you want to chew them. you notice puppies! i guess it’s in your genetics to be another animal lover. we say you love to “plunder”; plundering is definitely a favorite loulou. activity.
Words/sounds: “bababababa”, “da”, and the past couple of mornings in bed, we have quite enjoyed having you smush your nose onto ours and whisper a lengthy “hiiiiiiiiiiii” to us. it’s hilarious. and, you like smacking your lips, which is cute, and sounds like a kiss (you try giving us kisses, too, actually.).
Memorable moments: seeing your personality emerge has been my favorite part of this past month with you. you are a charmer, and like to tilt your head over and smile at people to get a reaction. you are just incredibly pleased with yourself these days. i love this stage of infancy.