letters to julia: month eight

dear julia,

my sweet girl. eight months seems so close to twelve months. please slow down.

at the very beginning of the month (you were like, 7 months and one day old) your bottom left tooth came through.
the next day, your bottom right one came through.

 this month we spent three weeks at the beach. we went with friends, mama's family, and daddy's family. you loved seeing everyone and everyone loved seeing you. you were such a good girl in the car, and you made it so much fun.

you played in the sand and daddy even took you in the ocean a few times. (you were kind of intimidated by it. i don't blame you.)

 after the beach, we went to washington dc for a few days. you got a whirlwind tour of arlington cemetery, a few monuments, a few smithsonians and a few metro rides.

 we also went to the great nurse-in on the lawn of the capitol and nursed with 600 other mamas and babies to help set a world record. (we did. over 8000 mama/baby pairs nationwide.)

as soon as we got home, you started moving. you're EVERYWHERE. yes, you were "mobile" last month, but this month you have perfected your army crawl. we have to put baby gates up or you end up crawling into the laundry room before we even realize you're gone. you're mighty quick and mighty pleased with yourself.

 

i started watching other children at our house last week. you're still trying to figure out what's going on, but you love it. you always smile when you see the other babies. you study them hard and are learning so much from them.

yes, this is mama's job

julia, you're so much fun. you're really developing a personality. you love to squeal, especially in public because of the reactions you get from other people. you're an observer, a people watcher. 

we love you so much, pipsqueak.

love,

mama

letters to julia: month seven

dear julia,

i say this every month, but i can't believe how much you've grown.

you're now seven months old.

you are mobile.

you aren't quite crawling

(even though you want to)

but you roll everywhere.

you lay on your belly and spin in circles.

you're almost clapping.

you have a cool new dance move where you put your hands together

and move them up and down.

you've eaten a lot of new foods and you like everything except peas.

(nobody can blame you.)

your two bottom teeth are coming in and that makes you pretty uncomfortable sometimes.

we have been swimming in pools, lakes, and the ocean this month.

you like to splash but you don't like waves.

we also watched fireworks this month,

and you were enthralled by them.

the other day we drove eleven hours in the car to raleigh, north carolina

and you were so well behaved. we couldn't believe it.

you hardly cried at all.

you got your first taste of sand and saltwater.

 we are so blessed to have you, julia. we love you so much.

love,

mama

letters to julia: month six

dear julia,

today is your half birthday. you are half a year old already! you have started to do so many new things this month.

 

about two days after you turned five months old, you started sitting up unassisted.

we had been waiting for you to sit up before we fed you solids. so you started eating rice cereal. it didn't have a lot of flavor, and you were pretty indifferent to it. then you had oatmeal, which you still like to have in the mornings. then you had avocado, applesauce, and your absolute favorite -- squash. now you love mealtime! we are so excited to try new foods with you every week. 

oatmeal

 

acocado

oatmeal with applesauce

 you still sleep about 12 hours per night. you are a belly sleeper now, and it is adorable. you roll all around your crib, back to belly and belly to back.

we go to the zoo a lot now that daddy is done with school for the summer. you like the things that swim next to the glass like the fish and the polar bears. you also got up close and personal with an ape.

 

everything you can get in your hands goes straight to your mouth.

about a week ago, you started pointing at your bottom gums. you have a tooth sprouting through, which makes you a little uncomfortable sometimes.

 this month we went to cleveland to visit friends. you got to go swimming for the first time and you loved it! 

 

you will lay on your back and scoot backwards across the carpet. you aren't crawling yet, but you are getting the movements down. you push up on your belly and rock yourself. 

this month you were baptized in the catholic church by father james bacik. it was so special that you were able to be baptized in the same church where your daddy and mama got married, and also by the same priest. 

 

we can't believe how fast you are growing up.

it's unbelievable how much we care about you.

 love you so much.

love, mama

letters to julia: month five

dear julia,

it's true. you are five months old.

i can't believe it, either

this month you started to suck your thumb.
it's probably the cutest thing i've ever seen.
you are getting to be quite the expert at it.
you'll realize you're getting upset and stick your thumb in your mouth,
sometimes even before you start to cry!

 

you have chubby little kissable cheeks and the cutest little mohawk.

 

you LOVE bathtime. you love splashing in the water.

we are excited to take you swimming this summer!

 

you smile at everyone and everything.

you sing along to the radio in the car.

you crack yourself up.

 

look at those cheeks!

 

we got you a jenny jump up and you love it. you don't jump yet,

but you like to hang out and get a new perspective of the world.

 

you and i took our first trip to the zoo this year.

you loved the polar bears the most.

 

you play with henry's tail.

 

and you chew on your toes.

 

julia, you are so much fun. 

you sleep anywhere from 10-14 hours per night.

you nap like a champion.

you behave in church.

you love to read books.

you memorize my face with your hands while nursing.

you love to look at other children.

you sit forward in your stroller now,

and you love to examine the world around you.

you are THISCLOSE to sitting on your own.

you do it for several seconds at a time

until your big head makes you topple over.

(psst, if you do it, you get to eat rice cereal.) 

we adore you, julia droolia. 

you are so special to us.

love you so much.

 

love,

mama