11 Months

 

 

 

My Little Stinker,

You have affectionately earned that nickname this month. You seem to be exploring your surroundings and testing your limits more and more each day. I know it's all part of learning and growing for you. I also know it's part of learning how to teach and discipline for your Daddy and me. While this month seems to have zoomed by, it was a month full of big developments for you!

Most importantly, you have mastered walking this month. It's amazing that at the beginning of the month you were just barely taking one or two steps. You did that for a week or so, then started going about 5-8 steps at a time for about a week. Then you were walking about 5-8 feet at a time. Suddenly, last week, you just took off and started walking everywhere. Now you rarely crawl anymore and you're even trying to run. It's adorable to watch you toddle around, sometimes struggling to keep your balance. You do have remarkable balance, except when you  try to run. Your little body will stick out farther than your behind and you finally topple over. You do your best walking when you stick one hand up in the air.

Now that you are walking all over the place, you enjoy chasing Wesley around. You following him around the house with one hand reaching out to him and jabbering the whole time. He looks completely annoyed as he desperately looks for a hiding place. He will either find a place to hide where you can't reach him, or finally just sit down and let you pet him. I'm thankful he seems to be tolerating you better. I'm pretty sure he realized that you supply a large portion of his food throughout the day, so he better be nice.

Your vocabulary is growing as you jabber constantly. I can tell you are trying to communicate, as you often make the same sound for the things. Sometimes you just spit out a whole slew of babble, looking quite serious the whole time as if you're really trying to get your point across. You are saying something that sounds like "doh" and "go" when you're chasing Wesley around or when you're playing fetch with yourself. You also are making a "see" sound when you are talking to Wesley. You have started saying "hi" more clearly and frequently. I've heard a "b" sound a few times when I tell you to say "bye-bye." You've also made a "p" sound when I've talked about Pop and a "ma" sound when we talk to Mum on the phone.

You love to play with your ball-popping ship and have figured out how to put the balls in the top and shoot them out. It's quite entertaining to watch you shoot them out, chase them down, then try to throw them back in the (tiny) hole in the top. You have also enjoyed playing with the activity table Harlow let you borrow. You love the music and will bounce up and down to the songs. You have really started to enjoy "If You're Happy and You Know It." For a while, you would clap on your own as I sang it, but now you just like for me to clap your hands together. You also LOVE to play hide and seek and chase. That can get you laughing harder than anything. And you're pretty good at following our voices to find us when we hide. You have also learned to pull the curtain or a blanket in front of your face to play peek-a-boo.

 

Sleeping is getting better. You still nurse 3-4 times a night, but that is usually toward morning. You have become quite a mover though. Since we co-sleep, there are many nights I wake up with you laying across the top of me. I figure if you sleep well (which means I sleep well), then you can sleep however you want! As it gets close to morning, you do become more restless and seem to want to nurse constantly.

With just one more month until your birthday, my mind has been swimming with party ideas. I am a little bit sad to see it come, but the enjoyment of watching you grow and learn mostly overshadows that. You are a sweet girl, with a smile that can change the worst of days around. You are quite inquisitive and like to push the limits. You make us laugh often and fill our lives with joy.

 

Crunch, Crunch, Crunch

I have recently been involved in several conversations about being "crunchy." If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a little bit crunchy. I used to say I was crunchy around the edges, but I think I'm becoming crunchier all the way through. I breastfeed and have no intentions of stopping anytime soon, I am a supporter of extended rear-facing car seats, I make my own laundry detergent, I had a natural birth, I use organic makeup, I make my own deodorant and shampoo, I use essential oils....I embrace it. (I don't say any of that to brag or boast, just giving clarification as to why I might be considered "crunchy.")

Well, I have added a little more crunch to my life. A few months ago, I was introduced to  Norwex. Norwex is a company that sells chemical-free cleaning and beauty products. I was instantly intrigued about a chemical-free cleaning solution and wanted to learn more. After doing some research and talking with a friend in Texas who is a consultant, I was hooked! Not only was I sold on using the product, but I wanted to share it with those around me. I had been praying and seeking the Lord's will about the possibility of finding a way for us to bring a little more income to help get in a better financial position to buy or build a house soon. If it was going to be something I would do, I knew it had to be flexible, allow me to stay home, and be something I was passionate about.

I feel like the Lord led us to Norwex and I am embarking on this journey. I have become a Norwex Independent Sales Consultant and I will be hosting my Launch Party next Thursday. Direct sales is NOT an area I ever thought I would be in, but I'm trusting in the Lord to bring me out of my shell. It's not as much about the money for me as it is about sharing something I am passionate about and that could make a huge impact in the lives of those around me.

For my local readers, I invite you to join us at my house for my Launch Party. More than likely, you will receive an invitation and more information about it in the mail. But if not, please contact me. For my non-local readers, you can visit my website to learn more about it and place an order if you are interested.

My website is: www.lydiacrouse.norwex.biz

10 Months

Baby Girl,

Today, on your 10 month birthday, I am continually amazed by how much joy and delight you bring to our lives. I don't think I ever laughed and smiled as much as I do now that I'm a parent.

One of your biggest developments this month is that you have learned how to stand up on your own and you have taken just a few steps. One day you were playing in the kitchen floor while I was cooking supper. When I turned around, you were standing in the middle of the floor, obviously with nothing around to pull up on. I thought it might be a fluke, but then a few days later I watched you do it over and over. You will crawl, then just stand up, bounce up and down, wiggle your feet, then fall back on your behind. You want to take some steps, but you don't quite have the confidence. You took one step while in Mississippi, then another single step a couple days later. Just today, you took three steps at a time between me and Daddy. I know it's just around the corner and you will be running around! Yikes!

Another big development this month is that we moved you from your infant seat to a new big girl seat. You were very close to outgrowing your infant seat and we had hopes that a new seat would make you happier. After much research and making my head swim, we bought you a Diono Radian RXT. You seem to really like being able to move your arms and legs more, as well as see out the window a little better. We tried out the new seat on a trip to Mississippi and you barely fussed the whole trip! You look so big, yet so tiny in the new seat!

Not only did you do great on the drive to and home from Mississippi, but you were such a happy girl while we were there. You started the month being extremely attached to me, but you seem to be coming out of that phase a little. You did great going to Papaw, Grandma Kate, and Mum without much of a fuss. You even fell asleep on Papaw's lap one morning and let Grandma Kate rock you to sleep one afternoon. As usual, you entertained everyone with your jabbering, crawling, and curiosity. We were iced in the house for two days and we sure would have been bored without you!

While in Mississippi, you also learned to wave bye-bye. I have been working on it with you for a while, but you would just flap your arms up and down. You finally started actually opening and closing your hand in a waving motion. Like most kids just learning, you are doing it toward yourself instead of facing out, which I think is just sweet.

 

Peek-a-boo and hide and seek have become some of your favorite entertainment. You love when we play peek-a-boo with you and you have started trying to play. I was sitting on the couch the other day, and you pulled up to it and kept putting your head down and popping it up smiling. I couldn't tell what you were doing at first, but once I figured it out you would just laugh when I said "peek-a-boo" as you popped your head up. You also like to play hide and seek. I will crawl behind a door or the couch and call for you. You crawl over as fast as you can and peek your head behind where I'm hiding. When you see me, you laugh yourself silly. You especially like it when Daddy plays and carries you around to find me. It is entertaining for everyone!

I took you to the movie theater for the first time this month. We went with Sis. Bobbie Jo and Audrey to see Frozen. I was a little nervous about how you would do, but thought it was worth a shot. You didn't pay much attention to the movie at all, but you did very well! You loved the popcorn, even though I don't know how you tasted much of it. I would break off the tiniest pieces and soften them in my mouth before I gave them to you. You were so excited and couldn't wait for more. You also enjoyed the frozen peas and peaches I brought, but still wanted popcorn anytime I put it in my mouth. You started getting tired and fussy toward the end, but never caused much disruption.

I love watching your mind work as you are learning more and more. You have started being able to work some of your toys on your own. You are curious as ever, getting into all the kitchen cabinets, and trying to figure out how to reach the drawers. You don't like to be left alone. If I put you in the living room to play with toys while I work in the kitchen, it takes you about 2 seconds to be right there in the kitchen with me. You are learning things so quickly these days, including how to charm your way out of getting in trouble. You continue to be an active little thing and rarely stop to take a minute to be still. We love you, sweet girl, and love spending our moments watching you.

 

Other things to remember this month:

• You now have 8 teeth!!! Four on top, four on bottom
• You were sick with a cold at the beginning of the month and missed your first Sunday at church
• You can say "night-night" and often do when you're tired
• You have started trying to blow kisses by putting your hand up to your mouth
• Can pull the handle on your See n' Say
• Had your first food texture issue - mashed potatoes
• You have started dancing when you hear music
   

 

 

 

41 Weeks 3 Days

I carried Evelyn in my womb for 41 weeks and 3 days. Today she is exactly 41 weeks and 3 days old. That means that our sweet Evelyn has now been with us outside of the womb as long as she grew in my womb. It's hard to believe.

It's amazing to think that she was once a single, tiny cell and in only 41 weeks and 3 days she grew into a 7 pound 14 ounce beautiful baby. It's amazing that in another 41 weeks and 3 days she has grown into a 19 pound 6 ounce active baby. It's amazing to think about how much she has grown, learned, and changed since the moment she was born.

I've thought about this time frame a lot in the past few weeks. One day, I was feeling a little flustered about the fact that Evelyn wasn't sleeping well. It hit me that she hadn't even reached this milestone of being outside the womb as long as she was inside the womb. Why then did I have such high expectations for her? I don't understand when "experts" expect babies to be sleeping through the night or putting themselves to sleep by a few months old. Why do we expect babies to start eating the same food adults when they're barely half a year old? Why do we get concerned when babies are so partial to their mothers and worry that they are going to be a "Mama's girl" or "Mama's boy?" Let them be little.

My baby girl only knew what my heartbeat sounded like, she only knew the nutrition from my body, she only knew the scent of me for 41 weeks and 3 days. Now, outside of my womb, it's no mystery that she loves to sleep on my chest, nurse all day long, and will reach for me the moment I walk in the room.

I am not concerned that Evelyn doesn't sleep through the night. I'm not concerned that she cries when someone takes her from my arms. I'm not concerned that she would prefer to nurse over eating table food. I'm not concerned that her best sleep is when being held. She's still a new baby. She's still learning her environment. This time of nursing 3 or 4 times a night is such a tiny snippet of her life. I'm going to embrace it and cherish these moments. I'm going to let her be a baby.

9 Months

Little Girl,

I've made a goal to only focus on the positives of you growing so quickly, instead of being sad that your baby days are passing swiftly. So, now that I've dried up my tears, I can excitedly say "you're nine months old!"

Undoubtedly, the biggest "first" of this month was your first Christmas. We decorated the Christmas trees and the house right after Thanksgiving. I wore you in the Ergo on my back while we did most of the decorating. It was fun to have you along for this time your Daddy and I have always enjoyed. I was a little concerned with how you would handle the Christmas trees. You were definitely interested in them, but not into them as much as I thought. We probably had to tell you "no" about 5 times a day. Otherwise, you did fine leaving them alone.

We took you to see Santa for the first time. The photographer was trying to distract you and keep you happy so you wouldn't get scared by Santa. Little did she know, you are a social butterfly. When Daddy set you down on Santa's lap, you just looked up at him, smiled, and tried to pull his beard. I was a little disappointed we didn't get the screaming baby picture, but that will probably come in the future. While we're not "doing" Santa (we're going the honest route and letting you know he's just a character like Mickey Mouse), it was fun to have your picture with him and have that memory. We also went to Christmas Lane during the holiday season. You were interested in all the lights and the people. I'm excited to take you next year and in the future when you can ride the train and be more excited about all the decorations.

We spent the week of Christmas in Illinois with Mum, Pop, Uncle Bryan, Aunt Jenn, Cousin Everett, Uncle Isaac, Aunt Heather, Cousin Lily, Aunt Tasha, Uncle Brad, and Grandpa and Grandma Corn. You definitely racked up the gifts! You were a little interested in tearing the wrapping paper, but had little interest in any of the toys. That is until we got to the last gift....Mum and Pop got you a pair of maracas. You immediately got excited, grabbed those things, and started shaking. They were a big hit!

Playing with your cousins was a lot of fun! Everett loved to pat you on the head and try to hug you. You started giving more kisses during the week we were in Illinois. You were constantly trying to kiss Everett or Lily. It was neat to watch the three of you play with the riding toys together or play with Lily's tent she got for Christmas. Lily was especially concerned about you any time we sat down to eat. If you weren't in your high chair when she was, she would point to you and say "high chair" and point to your chair. It was sweet. Lily couldn't quite say your name, but I thought it was sweet that she kept calling you "Lydia." Everyone says your are my mini-me anyway!

Lily, Everett, and Evelyn in matching Christmas pajamas from Great Grandma Corn

You did really well on the flight up and back from Illinois. I was a little nervous about it, considering you are SO active! Our flight up there was early in the morning, and I figured you would take a nap for most of the flight. Well, you did fall asleep right when we were supposed to take off, but we ended up being delayed an hour. Thankfully, you didn't do too bad on the plane. We kept you busy with carrot sticks to gnaw on, tons of toys, drinking water from your sippy cup, and standing up and playing with the seat. You also enjoyed playing and being silly with the man across the aisle from us. I was thankful for him! You did sleep the last 30 minutes of the flight. The trip home was about the same.

In other news, you are now pulling up on everything! Once you pull up on something, you will let go and work on your balance. You can keep your balance for about 15-20 seconds. You have also attempted standing on your own, but can't get much farther than up on one foot and one knee. In addition to pulling up, you are a climber! As soon as you pull up to something, you hike your knee up in attempt to climb. So far you have only been able to climb on the ledge to the bathtub and your stool from Mum. Aunt Whitney bought you a little push toy for Christmas and you can walk behind it. Most of the time, it's just you being pulled along because it's moving. Thankfully you don't show a ton of interest in it yet. It was fun to watch you walk with it, but I'm not ready for you to figure out the walking thing!

You are growing in all sorts of ways, my girl! You are getting very tall, but thinning up some. You wear 9 months and some 12 month clothes. The 9 months fit well, but pants and dresses are too short. Your hair has really grown this month, too! I don't know if it's actually getting more red, or just because it's getting longer and thicker, but so many people at church have just recently noticed that your hair is red. I hear it from at least one person every Sunday. It's getting long enough that you sometimes wake up with bed head. It's so cute! You have gotten two new teeth this month, with two more just breaking through the gums (they will make 6 total). You continue to do well with getting teeth, and only have had a few days where you're extra clingy and want to nurse a lot.

 

I could go on and on, but this has already gotten long enough. You continue to be a joy and light in our life. I am thankful for you each day and can't imagine life without you. Your Daddy and I love you to the moon and back!

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  You got to meet my best friend from school, Brittney, and her daughter, Kennady, while we were in Illinois.

   
  
  
  
  
   
• Other things I want to remember this month:
  
  • Seems to recognize signs for "more," "all done," and "milk." You will sign "more" about 75% of the time when prompted. You just started signing "milk" on occasion.
  • You LOVE playing peek-a-boo
  • You have started tilting your head sideways and shrugging your shoulders. Sometimes you will tilt it from side to side quickly and it looks a lot like Wesley turning his head.
  • You and Wesley have a love/hate relationship. You love to chase him and try to play with him, but he's not so excited by you.
  • We've had two incidents of you putting things in your mouth and me having to dig them out - a rock and a piece of fabric ribbon.
  • You LOVE playing with yourself in the mirror. It's fun to watch you as you're amazed by seeing your hands move or smiling at yourself in the mirror.
  • You are down to 2 naps a day, with an occasional third nap.
   
 

Say what?

It's started...I've already caught myself saying crazy things to Evelyn. Examples?

"Please get your finger out of my nose."

"There's a blueberry in your ear."

"No, no. You can't chew on Mama's dirty sock."

And my favorite...

"Don't touch the toilet with your carrot."

Yes, I said that to my daughter. She was gnawing on a baby carrot. I had to use the bathroom and I was afraid to leave her alone with the carrot, so I brought her into the bathroom with me. She has discovered the toilet and thought it would be fun to touch it with her carrot. Nasty!

8 Months

Our Sweet Evelyn,

Another month has flown by and you're now 8 months old. Just when I didn't think it was possible, you have become even more of a delight this month. Your personality (and temper) has developed a lot this month. You have matured and grown tremendously. All of this growing has brought a lot of fun, but also some challenges.

The biggest thing that happened this month is that you have mastered crawling. I think it was just a day or two after you turned 7 months that you started crawling. One day you were doing a scooting/sliding action across the living room floor to get to Wesley, and the next you were crawling across the bedroom floor. You have figured out how to get what you want pretty quickly. Last week, you figured out that you can move a lot faster if you get up on your hands and feet. Honestly, you look a little like a gorilla, but it's still cute.

Crawling has brought on the need for discipline. Like a normal child, you are very curious about what is around. For the most part, you are over playing with the lamp cords. Wesley's bowl is still very tempting to you, but it has been better since we moved it. It's neat to watch your little mind work as you figure out that you're not supposed to be doing something. You enjoy following me around the house, but get mad if I don't acknowledge the fact that you worked so hard to crawl from one room to another following me. We enjoy playing a little game in the kitchen where you grab onto my pant leg and I have to get free and run to the other side of the kitchen. You think that's just hilarious.

This past week you have started pulling up to standing more and more. You were doing it here and there before, but now you will crawl right over to the couch and pull yourself up. You also like to pull up on the tile ledge of the bathtub and against the mirror. I've considered spanking you for pulling up because I'm not quite ready for that milestone.

We have been having more fun with food this month. Food is still very much fun and entertainment for you. New things you have tried this month are: peaches, blueberries, black-eye peas, frozen green peas, black beans, mashed potatoes, chicken, turkey, ground beef, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, pumpkin pie (thanks to Daddy), and chocolate pudding (again thanks to Daddy). You love peaches and blueberries in the morning. Frozen peas are a lot of fun to keep you entertained while I'm working in the kitchen. We celebrated your first Thanksgiving this month. You had your own little feast with us at the table. You had turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato, broccoli, green beans and carrots.

You have started to really like fun, silly songs. Of course, all of the classics are fun (ABC, Twinkle Twinkle, Row Row Row Your Boat, etc). Pat-A-Cake is one of your very favorites. You usually start clapping your hands as soon as we start singing. You also like "I'm a Little Teapot, " complete with the motions. A medley of any of the songs will usually work to keep you happy for a few minutes if you're on the verge of getting upset.

I am very thankful that you are very content to entertain yourself on the floor for quite a while. Since I like to enjoy holding you for naps (and that's about the only way you will sleep for more than 20 minutes), I have to get things done while you are awake. You will usually play with toys, crawl around following me, or chase the dog for 30 minutes to an hour before you get bored. You love to play with balls. You will play fetch with yourself, throwing the ball and crawling to get it. When you get tired of playing by yourself, you are happy to get on my back in the Ergo and ride along while I work.

Your temper has become more apparent this month. You will throw a temper tantrum if you get something taken away from you. We have started disciplining for throwing fits, which happens quite often. It's the most pathetic thing when you stick that poochy lip out. You have also started throwing yourself backward when you're mad. That's a lot of fun...not.

I'm pretty sure you're going to be a talker. You are constantly jabbering, from the moment you wake up until you fall asleep at night. And most of the time it's loud! You have added two new sounds this month: "na-na-na" and "mmmm." We're still trying to figure out if "na-na-na" is "no" or "Mama." You certainly hear both a lot. You say "mmmm" when you're eating something especially tasty.

You are such a happy baby. For the most part, you really are easy to entertain, you just need to be busy all the time! You can sleep for 30 seconds and be awake and happy for 2 or 3 hours. It's crazy. You love to laugh and smile. You are ticklish under your chin, but only when I pretend to "eat you." You are also ticklish on the chubby part of your thighs and booty. A good squeeze there can get big, belly laughs out of you.

You and Daddy love to play and be rough together. You love when he tosses you high in the air. It makes you squeal with delight. You also love when he puts you on his shoulders. You just smile and pull his hair. Daddy and I love to just sit and watch you play or play with you. You have become a lot of fun. We love throwing the ball and watching you crawl to get it, getting you to "talk" to us, playing peek-a-boo, or letting you crawl all over us on the floor.

You're a delight and pure sunshine. I love having you crawl around at my feet. I love when you want to cuddle after you've been spanked. I love when you come crawling toward me with your mouth open for a kiss. I love you, sweet girl, even when I've had to correct you for the fifth time in three minutes.