I'm back to check in, and here I see how much time has passed... and I feel the mommy guilt. The mommy guilt that makes me feel so horrible that I have to swallow back tears. I haven't been back to write about my sweet baby and her second half of her first year of life. I was so diligent writing about Eliza - every month, I looked forward to writing about her every single step, her every development, every new food she tried. And now I feel like I've let Alice down.
Alice, my sweet baby, I love you to the ends of the earth and back, I hope you know that always and forever.
Alice, you are almost one year old. My baby, you are such a delight to us. You are happy almost all of the time, you are funny, you are mischievous (it is so cute!), you play with us, and you are just plain FUN to be around. Everyone who meets you sees it. You have a personality that is undeniably wonderful. People see your sweet, spunky, fun spirit and they just want to be around you! You have a growing fan club, my sweet.
You can be coy and shy, too, when you are around new people. When strangers approach you to say hello, you bury your little face in mama's neck or turn your head and lay your cheek on my shoulder and it just melts me like nothing else in the world. This is also how you give hugs. I love it!
On the go. Between 7 and 8 months old, you started crawling. Then, just before 11 months you started walking! My early walker! Now, at almost 12 months, you are walking everywhere. I don't think I've seen you crawl anywhere for at least a week or two! You're getting faster, too. Right now you've got that awesome toddle where you kind of lead with your belly. Heheh. I just adore this stage! You're into everything now that you can walk, all the cabinets and drawers in the house have been ransacked by you recently!
Sisters! I don't know how to accurately put in to words the relationship between you and your sister. It is priceless; something of true, pure beauty. You adore her like no other. I mean, mama's pretty great, and so is daddy, but oh. Oh there is NO ONE quite like your sissy. She was the first to get your kisses - you would ONLY kiss her when you first started kissing. Even when Daddy or I would ask for a kiss, you wouldn't give one - you'd look around for Eliza and plant one on her! It was like you thought kisses were ONLY meant to be something you gave your big sis. It was so cute. Now, I'm happy to say that I am worthy of your kisses as well. And you've given one or two to Daddy, too :) The way that Eliza loves you is nothing short of amazing, too. I love seeing you two together, it is my favorite thing to watch. You play together now, and I think I could watch that for hours. When you two sit in Eliza's bedroom in the mornings and play, I sneak around the corner and watch you. Or I just sit and listen to you both. It is pure joy and music to my ears. It's something to behold. I hope you two can continue to grow together and love one another like you do now. You are both so lucky.
Signing. -You have started signing and it is very handy :) You sign 'milk', 'more', 'all done', so far. We are working on 'thank you', 'please', 'drink', 'eat', and 'fan'. Yes, fan. Eliza used to do it and it was cute. She looooved fans. Ceiling fans, that is. So Eliza is teaching Alice the sign for 'fan'!
FIRST WORD! You said your first word, and I think you said it for Grandma and Grandpa the first time. It was "Boom!". Like, when something gets dropped or you go down on your bottom, it's "boom!". IT IS SO FREAKING CUTE. Definitely an interesting choice for a first word! You also say "Mamamamamama" and "Dadadadadada" and you're pretty reliably correct, so we're counting those as words, too. You say "Dah!" when you see a cat, so... I guess that's your word for cat, then? Haha. It's the same sound each time you see a kitty, so it seems like that's just your name for them!
You are independent! You can sit and play by yourself for solid chunks of time and for this I am so very grateful, my dear. Classic second child, perhaps? I am so proud to watch you gain confidence and see you go off an explore your surroundings. You are at home in your house, and you get enjoyment out of books, toys, instruments, pots, pans, spatulas, pyrex bowls (!), bread loaf pans, sponges, ziploc bags (haha probably not a good baby toy)... I'll cook dinner and you'll toddle off (on the days when you're not clinging to my leg, because there are many of those days too!!). I'll keep an ear out for you, and when I go check on you I'll find you looking at board books in the living room, or banging on your drum or your xylophone on your music table. Oh my GOSH how you love music. Seriously! You love making music, and you love listening to it. You're a little dancing queen! Any beat that's around gets your little legs kicking and your head bopping. Just like your sister!
I'm so sorry that it took me so long to come back to write a blog post about you, my sweet boo. I love you and I want you to know how much I enjoy being your mama. Knowing you as a baby has been so incredible, and I don't ever want to forget it. It is a privilege to get to be your mama every day. I loved the baby stage with your sister, and I am enjoying it just as much - or even more - this time around with you. I am more confident, more laid back, and I'm just having so much fun with you!
xoxo
Mama
