Letter to my 9 month old

My dear Amelia,

You are 9 months old today, and growing up so fast! You watch everything we do and love to imitate our actions. You love to read books, pet the dogs, dance to music, and play outside. We go everywhere together and we are starting to have conversations where I can tell that we both really understand what the other is saying. You are turning into a toddler, and I don't know if I am ready for all the grown up things you are doing.

This month:

• You took your first step! At about 8 months and 1 week you took your first step. It was in Ardmore at Grams and Pop's house. Your dad and I were both there to see it and we were so proud of you!
• You are officially walking. At the end of your 8th month you can take 7-8 confident steps. You have no problem standing up and going, but you can't stop yourself yet, so you just have to fall down.
• You love to eat! Anything and everything! You love to sample whatever is on our plate.
• You love to give kisses. Especially to Suki and Sullivan, and all your books. My favorite moment of any day is when you lean over and give me a hug and kiss.
• You say mama, dada, bye bye, dog, and uh oh. You also point at things and say something that we swear sounds like "what's that?" I think you are going to be a serious talker!
• You had your first boo boo. You fell and bumped your chin and lip on the table while you were cruising around the living room. One drop of blood came out of your mouth and I almost cried.
• You are still going to bed around 8 pm and waking about 6:30 am.
• You still only have two teeth, but the top ones have been giving you lots of trouble so I think they will be coming through soon.
• You do not like to get in trouble. It only takes hearing NO one or two times for you to stop doing something you are not suppose to. I'll keep my fingers crossed it stays that way!
• You got to see Uncle Adam for the first time since you were about 6 weeks old. He was home for a month while on his way to Italy. He spent several days with us and you got to spend lots of time together.

Even though everything is changing much faster than I thought it would, I am loving every minute. I have always loved staying at home with you, but lately I have really appreciated all the small moments and big milestones that I have been able to witness because I am a stay-at-home mom. It is simply the best thing I have ever done and I want you to always know that. All my love to you, my sweet baby girl.

Letter to my 8 month old.

My dear Amelia,

I think the older that you get the more quickly time passes. The past month has flown by! You are so busy and active that the days go by quickly and you definitely keep me on my toes. We spend our days playing, and cuddling, and looking at, touching and experiencing as many new things as possible. You are still so curious and I can see your little mind soaking everything in. This month:

• You have totally mastered crawling and are a speed demon. When you are after something we have to run to keep up.
• You can easily pull yourself to a standing position. You love to stand up whenever possible.
• You "cruise" along everything. You walk in circles around the living room holding on to furniture and toys.
• You think you can walk. You often let go of whatever you are holding on to and try to take off, then get really frustrated when you fall down.
• You are getting really good at standing balanced. You can usually do it for a few seconds at a time, so I don't think walking is too far away.
• You spent your first night away from me. Your daddy and I celebrated our 5 Year Anniversary and spent the night in Oklahoma City. You stayed at our house with Grams and played all weekend. It was harder than I thought it would be to say goodbye, but you did a great job and I think it was good for all of us.
• You learned the word no. I told you no about touching something and you sat down, stuck your bottom lip out and cried.
• You went to your first CIRCUS! We went to the Shrine Circus in OKC with Grams and Pop, Paw Paw, Uncle Adam, Uncle Chris and Aunt Jess and Brayden and Austin. You LOVED looking at all the animals and had a great time!
• You are going to bed around 8:00 pm, but for some crazy reason you decided to start waking up between 6:00 - 6:30 am everyday.
• You love to eat and try new foods. You are still on a diet of bottles, cereal, and homemade and store bought baby food fruits and veggies. But you always have to try whatever we are eating. You like to chew food with your two tiny bottom teeth.
• You still love to be outside and we go walking or to the park whenever possible.
• You talk CONSTANTLY. You babble nonstop all day, throwing in a few real words. Vocabulary is still limited to mama, dada and bye-bye, but I am pretty sure you are tying to say dog. You love to talk and have conversations with anyone that will listen.

You are so much fun and so funny! I can tell you are going to be opinionated, independent and stubborn, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I just love you more and more each day, my sweet baby girl.

Letter to my 7 month old

My dear Amelia,

Crawling, standing, walking, talking, teeth...you have had such a busy month! There have been so many physical changes in you this month that sometimes you seem like a different little girl. You are officially mobile and are always on the move. You want to be in the middle of everything and be involved in every conversation. You watch everything we do and are learning how to mimic our actions. You love to laugh, play with the dogs and be outside. This month:

• You got your first tooth! (bottom right center). You were 6 1/2 months old when the first one poked through and your second tooth followed the week after. (bottome left center).
• You started crawling!  I denied it for a long time, saying you just scooted. But it's official. You are officially a little crawler. You started right at 6 months and now you can get some serious speed.
• You can stand by yourself while holding onto something. Your favorite thing is to stand at your wooden baby mobile and look out the window.
• You love to walk (assisted). I spend literally hours each day holding your hands as you walk around the house. Everytime you stand up you smile and look so proud of yourself. You would much rather walk than crawl and I have a feeling you will be walking in the next couple of months.
• You can pull yourself into a standing postition from seated.
• You LOVE to be outside. The weather has been unseasonably warm the past month, so we have had the chance to get out and go walking. We often walk downtown Stillwater with you in your carrier and walk the park and neighborhood with the stroller.
• You started talking! We aren't really sure an exact date when you said your first word, it just kind of happened. You started saying da-da-da-da when you are really happy and excited and ma-ma-ma-ma when you are tired or fussy or want to go to bed. You also say bye-bye and wave (about 50% of the time).
• You are going to bed a bit earlier than you used to, usually between 8:00 - 8:30 and waking up between 7:00 - 7:30.
• You decided that you love the baby food fruit flavors, but still will not eat the baby food vegetables. You do however like the real thing, sweet potatoes, carrots, avacodos, green beans and sometimes peas.
• You spent lots of quality time with family. We went on an afternoon adventure with Grandma and Grandpa Hodson and spent a weekend in Ardmore with Paw Paw, Grams and Pop.

The past month has been so much fun! I love watching you as you learn something new and seeing you be so proud of yourself. You are so smart and curious and I am excited to see what the next month brings. All my love to you, my sweet baby girl.