Lydia: Six Months.

Dear Liddybug,

Today you are SIX MONTHS OLD! WOW!

I can't believe it.

Girl, you have totally turned a page within the past few days. It's as if the somewhat schedule-jumbling four to five months suddenly ended, and here you are on a new routine, completely happy and content, taking in the world around you with a smile on your face.

Six months: The Golden Age.

You stopped sleeping through the night after two weeks of being gone. When we take trips, I get nervous that you will wake up everyone, so if you fuss in the middle of the night, I just feed you. Well, girly, you became accustomed to that feeding and decided you were done sleeping through the night. Thankfully, after a week at home, your sleeping habits have started to normalize, phew! You go to bed between 7:30-8:00 and wake up happy and cooing, content in your crib, between 6:30-7:00. It's wonderful, really.

You are nursing five times a day. You eat solid foods three times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, six to eight ounces total. I tried feeding you more than that and you were NOT happy, so we've backed off and learned your cues when you're finished. Cereal gave you a tummy ache, so the doctor told us we could just skip on over it and move on to fruit and veggies. You've had pears, apples, mangoes, squash, prunes, broccoli, blueberries, bananas, and carrots. You are a good eater!

You are absolutely entranced with the world around you. You love to lay on your back and watch the busyness that is our home, and then you decide you want to join in. You roll over onto your stomach, stick your rear in the air, and attempt to inchworm your way across the room. It is HILARIOUS. You aren't pushing your chest off of the ground yet, so instead your head lays flat on the ground. It's so funny! Good try, honey. :) You sit in your Bumbo and with the help of a Boppy, but are not sitting independently yet. You grasp at objects now and hold them for inspection and it's so cute. You love my earrings and my necklaces, too!

Before bedtime I sing your lullaby and you've started to snuggle against my neck and lean your head on my shoulder. Oh, sweetie, this is absolutely the best. I love our quiet time snuggles. You also love books and very intensely smack their cardboard pages. You are happy in your car seat and love that your brother sits directly behind you, in plain sight. You two love to smile at each other. And, of course, your sister loves ticklefests with you. 

Baby girl, we love you so much.

Keep growing and slow down, all at the same time.

Love,

Mama

Lydia Jane: Five Months!

Dear Little Lydia Ladybug Buns,

You are now FIVE MONTHS OLD!

For some reason, this reality has hit Mama a little harder than the other months. It's so close to six months, which is almost half a year ... I just can't believe it! I feel like I blink and you're another month older. This month brought on so many changes, too, which makes me realize more that you are growing up quickly, my little Liddybug.

You are now officially sleeping through the night. Woot! You were still waking up for a feeding here and there, but now that has become the exception rather than the rule. You go to bed around 8:00 and sleep until 7:00 and it's wonderful! You've dropped your fourth nap and take three naps now--two long naps and one short catnap in the evening. You are still an avid thumb sucker and when we put you in bed, you find your thumb, roll to your side, and go to sleep.

You started solid food this month! Yay! After a couple weeks of oatmeal cereal (with some prunes, ew), I gave you applesauce for the first time. I know, I know, I'm supposed to start with green veggies ... I'll get there. We just had a tub of the organic stuff in our fridge and I gave into my temptation to give it to you! Sure enough, you were a huge fan. I need to get on the ball and start making your baby food. Phew! I just can't believe we're at that stage already!

Speaking of eating, you had to take a bottle for a full weekend while your Dadda and I went to Dallas with some friends. You did great, but I think it's safe to say you were missing me by the last day. And I was missing you! Pumping for that long is no fun and we were both happy to be reunited! I think you eat around 4-5 ounces per feeding. We are going to the doctor this week for your follow-up to make sure you've gained weight!

You are becoming more coordinated with your hands and feet. If I hand you a toy, you can hold on to it for a while instead of immediately dropping it. You also love to kick the toys on your floor gym and I've noticed that once you can tell you're kicking something, you just keep kicking it over and over again. You're so smart, Liddybug! You also roll to your stomach all the time and love to grab toys in front of you. But you aren't a fan of being on your stomach for too long--you inevitably spit up and then you're done!

    

You love the sound of your voice and your coos echo through our house. Your little voice is beginning to have inflection and I can tell you are mimicking the sounds of the voices you hear all day. You love to chit-chat with yourself and it's so cute to see you coo happily and then suddenly furrow your brow and gurgle gruffly. Hm. I wonder who you are impersonating there? :)

We love you, Liddybug. We are so proud you already. God gave us the sweetest of gifts in you.

Love,
Mama

Lydia: Four Months!

This letter is two weeks overdue. It's safe to say we've been a little busy!

My Dearest Lydia Jane,

You are four months old! I can hardly believe it. 

It has been quite a month! You've definitely experienced the four month growth spurt that I remember with your brother and sister, with random increases in your appetite and sleep, which consequently cause your little routine to be all over the place! You slept through the night more nights this month than you ever have, which is much appreciated! You still wake up for that middle of the night feeding sometimes and I love our snuggly time together.

You are in the 87th percentile for your height ... and the 8th for your weight. YIKES. Don't get me wrong, little babies are the norm in our family, but you dropped from the 35th percentile to the 8th, which was cause for concern (read: Mama was borderline hysterical). The pediatrician asked if my milk supply had decreased at all and I didn't think that it had. However, it's apparently normal for a breastfeeding Mama's milk supply to change around three to four months, because this is the time frame when postpartum hormones begin to normalize (read: change). For example, my postpartum shedding has been in full-force, one of the best examples of hormonal change.

He suggested I drink at least two liters of water a day, so I started drinking three (your Mama is a worrywart). With working out and the hot weather upon us, I really need to keep up my hydration, since I'm responsible for hydrating two people! I pumped and took notes. You take 3-4 ounces per feeding and when I tried giving you more (in a bottle), you puked everywhere. Point taken. I called the pediatrician and told him what I had recorded and he said it sounded fine--but to be sure to keep my water intake up. So, I have. When I asked him if I needed to give up coffee, his response was, "I wouldn't do that to you!" He knows me well. One coffee drink a day ... and lots of water! You've been doing great! Phew. You had me scared, little Ladybug.

Okay let me go get another drink of water.

Ahh.

You smile all the time. Your whole face lights up and it's absolutely amazing. I can't help but squeal when I see it and your Dadda and I do a good job making idiots of ourselves whenever your little gummy grin begins to form. You love to be held and snuggled and oh, I absolutely take advantage of it. I can't get enough of your sweetness. You've found your voice, too, and love to squeal and giggle. Yep. You have my heart.

Your sleepy time routine is a simple one--I sing you a song (typically "You Are My Sunshine") while I rock you in my arms and then I lay you down. You smile and coo and eventually find your thumb and go to sleep. Way to go, baby. Yes, you are a bonified thumb-sucker, just like your big brother! I have to say, you're pretty good at falling asleep in random places, like your sister. When you're sleepy, you're ready for bed! You've made one big discovery this month: Your FEET! You love to grab your toes and put them in your mouth. So cute. You're working on that hand-eye coordination. It's so cute to see your serious concentration as your wobbly little arms reach for your wobbly toes ... and when you finally grab them, your eyes get so big! Victory! So sweet.

Baby girl, what an honor it is to be your Mama. Keep growing, my ladybug.

Love,

Mama

Three Months: A Letter.

Dear Lydia,

You are now three months old.

Holy cow.

(Gahhh baby double-chin! LOVE!)

You, baby girl, continue to be a source of joy and love in our family. You are still in the sweet snuggly stage where we pick you up and you just melt into our shoulders, quietly grunting, all shmooshy and perfect. But, sadly and happily, you are also becoming much more aware of the world around you. You hold your head up proudly and love to survey all that is going on around you.

You've moved into your bouncy chair during awake time, which you love. You kick and bounce and giggle at the moving toys and the music. Your face lights up every time we set you in there and it's the cutest thing. You also love to watch your siblings play and they provide constant entertainment for you.

You eat roughly six times a day and typically go to bed between 7:30 and 8:00. We've started giving you a dream feeding, since you take your last feeding around 6:30 and aren't usually hungry by the time you're ready for bed. You wake up around 3:30am to eat and fall right back to sleep (thank you!) and usually wake up for morning around 6:45 or 7:00. So, you basically sleep from 7:30-7:00 with a dream feeding and a real feeding in between. We'd keep you up later if we could, but, you are a sleepy bug. And we have no problem with that! Also, you're beginning to prefer your fingers rather than your paci. You'll still take a paci, but prefer to self-soothe to go back to sleep.

You do this new little "trick" that we like to refer to as "broken wing". When someone picks you up, you wrap your left arm around their neck and stick your right arm straight out behind you, to balance. It's adorable. You look like a little birdie with a broken wing (which, now that I type that out, sounds a little morbid ... sorry). But it's so cute. If "broken wing" is a bit to sad-sounding, we also noticed that it looks a lot like the penguins your Dad and I watch on Frozen Planet. Nerd alert! Either way, it's cute.

Your siblings love to interact with you and make you smile and I do my best to include them in whatever I happen to be doing with you. Like, for instance, this photo shoot. Brother was a big help with his camera ...

... and sister loved crawling all over you. It's safe to say you've been initiated into the sibling club.

We love you, baby girl. Our lives are fuller with you in it.

Love,
Mama

Two Months: A Letter.

*Written March 25th.

My Dearest Lydia Jane,

Today you are TWO MONTHS OLD! This month flew by. I feel like I just signed the "Love, Mama" on your One Month letter and here we are writing the letter for Month Number Two. I just can't believe it. Cliche as it sounds, time is flying.

What a fun month this has been! Firstly, you are smiling. It's wonderful.

You are smiling more easily every day and your smiles are typically accompanied by coos, which is all kinds of awesome. We now have little chats where you coo very intentionally and I respond with, "Why yes, certainly, of course" and the like. I know that all too soon those coos will be words and I'm soaking up these sweet moments.

One big thing that happened this month is that Dadda turned THIRTY! Wow! We tried to take a family picture to commemorate this monumental day. Naturally, the camera had a tricky time keeping up with moving children. We had a good laugh!

(Note: The "Hustler" logo on my husband's shirt is that of a tractor company. He got it for free when he bought our riding lawn mower. He's worn it absentmindedly until we pointed it out to him. It was pretty funny!)

You are still a sweet, snuggly baby. You eat every three hours during the day and wake up once at night. You've given yourself a bedtime and prefer to be in bed at 8:00, with your last feeding falling around 7:30 or so. You wake up at 2:00am to eat and then sleep until 6:00 or so. It's a nice little routine and I'm glad you've found such an agreeable bedtime--it's when your siblings go to bed, so we appreciate it!

You prefer to be swaddled when you sleep and you are typically swaddled in the afghan your G-Ma crocheted for you (you can catch a glimpse of it behind your head in this picture).

You're hilarious. We love your "poop face". :)

You like to stick your fingers through the holes in the afghan when you sleep, which is something your older sister does with her blanket. It's so sweet. It makes for one huge swaddle, but we get it nice and tight and you like it!

You've always been a big spitter-upper, but we realized that you were spitting up a LOT over the past few weeks. Miss Erin suggested that I feed you on one side per feeding rather than trying to feed you from both sides. I was worried you wouldn't get enough to eat, since we've always done both sides per feeding, but wow! It worked like a charm! You eat on one side for about ten minutes now and that's it. And you still go three hours between feedings. The only change has been less spit-up and less fussiness. High-five to Miss Erin for suggesting it!

You weigh 10.67 pounds (37th percentile) and are 23.58 inches long (93rd percentile). You are a long little lady! You wear 0-3 month clothing and some 3-6 months, thanks to your long body! You still take a pacifier but are beginning to prefer your hand and your fingers more. We'll see if you give up the paci. For now, you'll take it when you're really tired. You love to lay on your play mat (especially with your friend Delia), lay on our bed and watch the ceiling fan, and smile at your sister. You are kicking more now, too. It's so fun to see you grow more each day.

We love you, Lydia Jane. Thank you for shining in our lives. What a fun month this has been.

Love,

Mama

One Month: A Letter.

Dear Lydia Jane,

Today you are one month old.

I know, right? Time has FLOWN.

This has been quite a month. You have been patient as we've learned to juggle three kids and I have to say, you are, for the most part, quite a content baby. Since you were two days old, you've eaten every three hours during the day and every three to four hours at night, like clockwork. During the day, you follow a pretty consistent feed/wake/sleep pattern, staying awake for roughly one hour at a time before falling asleep. Like your big brother, you're a routine baby, and, again like your brother, you created one from the very beginning. You eat around 6:30/7:00 in the morning, then every three hours, except in the evening, when you eat around 6:00 and then 8:00 (your last feeding of the day). You usually wake up twice to eat, but you've recently given us nights of only waking up once--we'll take that, too! :) You're a good eater and you've whittled your length of feedings down from 20 minutes per side to 8-10 minutes per side. You are also an expert spitter-upper and it isn't entirely unusual for me to discover dried spit-up on the back of my shirt at the end of the day!

You have the most adorable serious face.

You wrinkle your forehead and look very much like you are thinking very hard, trying to focus on the task at hand (which is typically pooping). You know who else had quite a serious face as a baby?

(Caleb, one month)

Yeah, your brother. I know we aren't supposed to compare kids, but I will go ahead and say it's pretty crazy how much you and your big brother favor each other already. We'll see if that continues. For now, it's been a big blessing because I can kind of predict what you will want based on what worked for your brother. I know that will change, but I definitely appreciate it for now during these early weeks!

Your cries now fall into three very distinct categories: A long, lulling wail when you are tired (your quietest cry), a punctuated, grunting cry when you are hungry, and a loud scream when you have gas (your loudest cry).

Every day you and I get in some snuggle time when your big sister and big brother take their naps. We usually fall asleep, too, and it's one of the highlights of my day! I love hearing your little grunts and groans. Such sweet little baby noises. You weighed nine pounds 1 ounce at your one month appointment. You're long and lean with a big head. In fact, we had to take you to a follow-up appointment recently to make sure you're head wasn't too big. Don't worry--it isn't! :) You have dark blue eyes for now, and a great head of blonde hair. I wash it every day and it only takes one kiss to turn it greasy, which is too bad, since you we kiss you a LOT! You've just started making eye contact and turning your head when you hear my voice. You haven't smiled yet, but when I smile at you, I can see your eyes relax as though you want to smile. So, while a smile has yet to grace your lips, I can see one in your eyes.

Your favorite things are your paci, your floor gym, the sling (especially helpful during evening fussy times when we're getting the big kids in bed) and to be swaddled when you sleep. You do not love your car seat, although we have found that singing silly songs while we're strapping you in does help. Oh, the joy of watching your parents humiliate themselves! You are beginning to outgrow your newborn clothes and transition into 0-3 month clothing. Bring on the cute outfits!

Your older siblings are learning to adjust to having a baby sister in their lives! Caleb isn't sure why you won't stop crying sometimes when he asks you to :), but other than that, he likes to talk to you and talk about you. He is quite proud to be the older brother to TWO little sisters! Naomi is your little Mama. It is precious to see her pat your tummy, kiss your head, "help" me burp you, and to hear her talk to you. She likes to sit next to me while I'm feeding you and she's a big helper during diaper changes. We know that you are "her" baby and I can't wait to see your relationship with your sister continue to grow as you get older. Her exuberant, glowing face when she looks at you will have you smiling in no time!

We love you, baby girl. Welcome to our lives. We're so glad you're here.

Love,

Mama

Eleven Months.

Dear Naomi,

You've been eleven months old for a few days now, and I can't quite wrap my mind around how quickly the time is moving by.

I want to tell you a story. The other day, you, your brother, and myself were sitting on the floor in your room. Your brother and I were about to play Candyland and as we opened the box, you started crawling towards us. The pile of playing cards caught your eye and you immediately grabbed a handful of them, looked up at me with a sparkle in your eye, and proceeded to dump them on your head. Your little mouth opened up into the most precious infectious laugh as the cards slid down your face and onto the floor. Your brother, a staunch rule follower, looked at me wide-eyed and then looked back at you with your sweet laughing face. The corners of his mouth turned upwards into a grin as he grabbed a pile of cards and dumped them on his own head, followed by some great belly giggles. Of course I wasn't going to miss out on this fun, so I grabbed a pile of cards, too, and dumped them on my head. The both of you erupted with laughter and within minutes our game of Candyland had morphed into 52 card pick-up, with purple squares, lollipops, and ice cream cone cards fluttering through the air as we dumped them on each other's heads. The laughter was uncontrollable and the moment was unforgettable, all because two little hands sought a few little cards and felt that their proper place was atop a little head.

I tell you this because this is who you are.

You create joy, Naomi.

It's what you do.

Simply, wonderfully, effortlessly.

We love you, Mouse.

Love,

Mama

Ten Months.

Dear Naomi,

You are now ten months old.

Two months away from one year. Be still my heart, pass the Kleenex.

Have I mentioned that you are our little ray of sunshine? That your smiles and squeals send us to the moon and back every time you greet us in the morning? That your energy is infectious and you make us laugh every time you pull up on the piano, eat a piece of dirt, or do your "Hey-oh" wave?

Well. In case you haven't picked up on this: WE LOVE YOU. We are fascinated and in love.

Let's get going!

Development:

Lots of clapping, lots of pulling up, lots of cruising. You still say "Hey-oh!" and now "Hi!", accompanied by a little wave. You are learning to say "thank you" ("tank-too"). "Mama" and "Dadda" are on the list, too! We've gone through a few baby signs, but I think it's safe to say you'd rather just talk (hmm ... I wonder who you get THAT from?). You can climb and you can walk across the living room behind your little walking cart. Crazy lady! You are high-maintenance and easy-going at the same time--you have your moods, but you're totally a go-with-the-flow kind of baby. If we have to be somewhere, regardless if it means you waking up early or eating late, we can count on you to chill in your stroller or car seat as we head to our destination. You're content and you love to be around people!

Growth:

You weigh around 17 pounds and you are LONG. You wear 12-18 month clothes because of your length, although they are loose. Small and Mighty, still!

Eating:

EVERYTHING. You had salmon for the first time this month and it even passed the test. Also, you now take milk instead of formula. You love it and we love that it is roughly $20 cheaper!

Sleeping:

You sleep from 8-7:30 at night and take two naps a day, for two hours at a time. Every once and a while you need that third nap, but typically you'll just go to bed around 7:30 if you're extra tired. You're a good sleeper!

Your favorite things:

-Your brother

-Your brother's toys

-Your brother's sippy cup

-Exploring

-Pulling up and grinning

-Touching faces

-Being tickled on your tummy

-Bath time

-Your Nuk sippy cup--every other cup gets batted away

-Playing with Dadda

-Walks in the double jogger

-Chewing on ... everything

-NOT GROWING TEETH

Sigh. We love you, ma petite souris. Even on the tough days, you bring us joy. We are so thankful that you are our daughter. I just can't believe it's almost been a year since we brought you home. I can't imagine our lives without you. Those blue eyes, that little grin, and those yummy baby thighs ... it's kind of ridiculous how much we love to dote on you. Especially Dadda.

Here's to ten months, Mouse.

We love you.

Love,

Mama

Nine Months.

Dear Naomi,

Today you are nine months old. NINE. You have officially been outside of my body longer than you were in it. Yay!

Please note that this month has been slightly hectic and I did not do a monthly birthday photo shoot with you as I typically do. There are two reasons for this: Firstly, we put our house on the market, and, Secondly, you were sick for a week. Now. In print, it doesn't seem like either of those should make a photo shoot impossible. And yet, and yet, AND YET, my time has been completely consumed with either of the two (take your pick), rendering any sort of extra activity pretty much useless, along with my brain. It seems that all of the energy it takes to do those things is exactly the amount of energy that I have, and each night I fall into bed and sleep just enough to restock my reserves.

Please don't mind that your pictures this month are all from my phone.

Growth:

You weigh 17 pounds and are .... long. I'm not sure exactly how long (we'll find out at your check-up today). You are eating 4-5 times a day (formula and then food, except at bedtime, which is just formula). You're beginning to eat more table food and you have a specific affinity for bread, which is absolutely proof that you are, in fact, my child.

Development:

You learned to crawl this month! Yay! After months of trying, you finally got it. We're so proud, and so are you! You're so proud of yourself, in fact, that you've also learned to clap, to cheer yourself on. How cute is that? You can almost pull up by yourself, and you are beginning to cruise if we attach you to furniture. You love to stand. I mean, LOVE to stand. You really only learned to crawl in hopes that it would help you stand, I'm sure. You go girl. You're doing great.

You continue to babble like crazy, and a few nights ago I caught you saying "Hello!" on video, repeating it after me. Of course, it sounded more like "Hey-yo!" which is just as awesome. I'm not sure why you've chosen "Hey-yo!" to be your first word, but it's adorable and we'll take it. You can wave intermittently, especially when you are with people you know well. Other than that, you keep the wave to yourself. Thanks to crawling, you can also sit up by yourself (going from crawling position to sitting position--you've been sitting for a while). You can click your tongue and blow raspberries as well, both of which are very useful. ;) Cutie patootie.

You are teething yet toothless.

Since Daylight Savings a few days ago, you've been taking two naps. I heard the "2-3-4" pattern from a friend and I think it means that you wake up in the morning, stay awake for two hours, take a nap, stay awake for three hours, take another nap, stay awake for four hours, and then hit the hay for bedtime. Crazy enough, it's pretty accurate! You go to bed around 7:30 or 8:00 and sleep until 8:00. Every once in a while your nap gets intruded, but your fussing upon waking up lets me know you still need some rest, and within a few minutes you are back to sleep.

Happenings this month:

You got sick. :(

But you were a good girl waiting at the doctor's office.

Your brother had been sick for a few days, and you had a slightly runny nose, so I took you in JUST to be safe ... and it turns out you had RSV and, possibly, croup. Poor baby girl. What in the world?! You hadn't been to the nursery in over a week, so I'm blaming the Reasor's shopping cart on this one.

The nurse practitioner said the worse was yet to come, and she was right. Within 24 hours your little voice got hoarse and your nose got runnier. But, thank heavens, that was it. Your case was mild (you never got a fever, phew!), for which I am very thankful. We did the token steam treatments and you are doing much better.

Little Mouse. To say you are a delight is a stark understatement. You are a glowing, bubbly, happy, bouncy, beaming baby girl. You bring sunshine to our lives and we love you for it. You love to be around people, you love to smile, and you love to laugh. You are sweet.

We love you, baby girl.

Love,

Mama