We Are Family

Dear Peanut,

When I started this journal I planned to write once a month. Here you are, not even a year old yet, and I've already missed all of February. February was great fun, full of two new teeth, a visit from your Grandparents, and even more crawling, cruising, and walking.

You are an impressive eater. You will try whatever we place in front of you, and to date, you have not tried anything you truly didn't like. However, you have an interesting ritual when it comes to new food, or food you haven't had in a while. The very first bite, no matter the taste or consistency, results in a terrible grimace from you. And this happens with anything and everything. The first bite always looks postively horrible. And then the second bite, a bit less so. By the third, you're well on your way to a full tummy. But that first bite seems to get you, each and every time.

You continue to be an impressive sleeper. I put you to bed sometime between 7:00 and 7:45 most nights. We have a song, a bottle, and a snuggle, and while you're still awake, you seem to understand that this is bed time. I put you in your bed, and you roll onto you belly, and shuffle yourself into the corner. You then proceed to flop you face repeatedly into the corner of your crib bumper - face buried in between the cushions - until you get to just the right spot. And when I say "repeatedly," we're talking 5 or 6 times. And there you sleep, on your belly, face covered in the corner, until 8:30 the next morning. I think you might be working to block out any extra light or sound, but I'm really not sure. You seem comfortable in that position, and I am certainly not going to change anything that might jinx your good-sleeping habits.

This past weekend we went to visit Doug, Tori, and Sara in Dallas. Sara is a lab mix - a big, sweet dog who you fell in love with 5 minutes after meeting. You spent most of Saturday and Sunday chasing poor Sara through the house, squealing the entire way. For meals, we had you in a portable high-chair that hooked to the side of the table. You learned (a bit too quickly) that by dropping food onto the floor, Sara would come to you. You would then hold out your little hands over the side of your chair, until Sara came to lick off all the baby goop you had on them. This caused you to laugh hysterically every time it happened. At whick point you would pick up another bit of food to drop off the side. This went on for each meal we ate at the Mariens'. This was quite charming while we were there. It lost a bit of its charm once we got home, and you continued to drop bits of food off your chair. I am not certain if this was your way of trying to get the cats to come to you, or your way of telling us you want a puppy. Either way, you're making a mess. Quit it.

Your sincere affection towards animals and babies is confirmation, in my mind, that you are going to be a wonderful big sister. I cannot wait to see you interact with your little brother or sister - see your reaction to him/her, and see their reaction to you. Of course, this also means that Mommy and Daddy are going to be spending time painting. Again. Perhaps we'll let you pick the colors for your room this time.

Love,
Mommy