Dear Ana,
Today you turn thirteen months…I know, back to telling your age in terms of months again! Thirteen is usually considered an unlucky number, but not for us. This month has been as perfect and magical as we could ever hope. I had fully intended on only writing these letters to you for the first year of your life, but like a lot of things involving you, I am not ready to give this up. There are just so many things I want to tell you, to share with you, to help you understand what an amazing person you are.

The biggest news of all this month is you are officially walking! You started walking on your birthday and haven’t stopped since. It was perfect timing because so many of your family and friends were all there to witness your first real steps. We had the video camera rolling as you took about ten steps right into your cousin Emmitt’s arms. It took a couple days before you really got the hang of it, but now you walk everywhere with confidence!

But walking hasn’t been your only great accomplishment this month. You have started talking as well. It seems like you learn a new word every day and it is becoming difficult to keep track of your expanding vocabulary. When you learn a new word you mouth it first, then whisper it for a couple days as you practice the way the word sounds coming out of your mouth, then once you are confident you are doing it correctly, you say the word aloud. (Being a perfectionist is totally something you get from me, sorry! But I swear it’s not always a bad thing!) These are the words you can say: Mama/Mom, Dada/Dad, kitty (which is sometimes shortened to just “ki” like you are so excited you just can’t complete the word), Abby (our cat…you can tell what you find important), baby, bite, cheese, treat, up, uh-oh, please (pronounced “peas”), hi, bye, guys (as in “Hey! Guys! Come get me out of my crib!”), happy, book, ball, balloon (pronounced in one syllable as “bloon”), blankie, binky (pacifier), go, yes/yeah, no, and don’t.

But unlike most children who use “no” or “don’t” as part of a tantrum, you use it as more of a baby alarm system. When you are doing something you know you are not suppose to be doing I hear a faint, “No, no…don’t” from across the room. Then I am able to come over and quickly remove the object you shouldn’t have. I can also tell when someone forgot to put the baby gates up because the pitter-patter of your little feet speeds up when you are racing towards something you shouldn’t be doing. I just listen closely to you and your noises and we can prevent most major accidents. Works like a charm!

We have recently expanded your language boom to include some fun “baby party tricks.” When asked what noise a puppy makes, you reply “woof.” In fact, when you hear our dogs bark, you often woof back at them…then more often than not you follow it with a “shhh!” You also know that a sheep says “baa.” But when we try to tell you a kitty says “meow” you simply laugh at us. I think it’s because you have never heard our cats make a noise anywhere close to that. And you would know because you pay very close attention to those cats!

Aside from animals, you are also very into music right now. Anything that sings or plays music captivates you and makes your eyes light up in a way that warms my heart. A lot of your toys sing the alphabet so every once in awhile you belt out a random string of letters. It usually starts with “ahh, bee, cee, dee,” then warps into your own twisted version of what I imagine you think are “letters.” We have also gone to a lot of birthday parties in the last couple weeks and you have become very fond of singing “Happy Birthday” only your version goes more like, “Happy to ooo.” If we even mention the song or say “happy” in a sentence I often hear you whispering the song under your breath.

Oh Ana, my sweet baby girl, I am just so happy you and I are able to spend so much time together. I know you won’t be able to remember these moments when you are older, so I try my very best to document our lives through my website, photographs, and even these letters, so when you grow up you will always know we filled our days with happiness and laughter, but more than anything you will know that you were loved.

All my love,
Mama

Dear Ana,
Happy Birthday my little bug! Today you turn twelve months, or one year, old. The other day a lady asked how old you were and I said “almost twelve months” to which she promptly replied, “Oh! A year!” Then it hit me that I have really got to get use to not saying your age in terms of months–you are on to YEARS, baby!

Once people hear how old you are, the first thing they ask is if you are walking. While not technically “walking” you are definitely taking steps. Last week you started doing what we refer to as “the pivot.” You would be holding on to something, step, and grab on to the next thing. Only one of your feet actually moved; hence the pivot. But in the last couple days you have taken full on steps. You are still incredibly cautious and only take small, manageable steps between things, but it is progress!

While I love that you are learning new things and meeting all your milestones perfectly, the best thing about you walking is how excited you get. When you take a step you are so proud of yourself you squeal and shake your hands or clap in sheer delight. Watching you take chances and dare to try new things makes me so proud to be your mother.

Naturally as you get older the way we do certain things has to evolve and adapt to your needs. This has happened with getting you to sleep. For the longest time I would nurse you and then rock or cuddle you to sleep. However, as your mobility increases and your desire to GET UP AND GO! is physically possible, the rocking and cuddling is no longer an option. We have started just putting you in your crib and within a few minutes of pathetic whimpering you fall fast asleep. However from time to time, you like to express your displeasure with being in bed the only way you know how. The result? Stuffed animal carnage. You have started emptying the contents of your crib one thing at a time until your bedroom floor is littered with stuffed animals. The only problem with this is that you quickly run out of animals and tend to throw your blankie and binky (which help you sleep) out as well. So on nights like this, your father or I come back in your room, return all the items to their place, hand you your blankie and binky, which you promptly accept and drift off to sleep. Silly little girl.

Speaking of silly sleep issues, I am fairly certain that you have inherited your mother’s sleep habits. You see, I have been known to do strange things in my sleep, ranging from sleep walking and talking, to yelling at your father to take the sheets off the bed in the middle of the night. A few nights ago I went into your room to check on you before I went to bed and as I walked into the room you stirred. I quickly froze, afraid I had waken you up, when you rolled over onto your hands and knees and started crawling. I was sure you were awake, except that as you crawled, you bumped into the edge of the crib, crumpled down and started snoring. You totally sleep crawled! It was simultaneously the cutest and creepiest thing I had seen you do. However, it does help me to understand how you end up in such strange sleep positions!

This month you have really started acting like a girl. Not only do you love to get into your Mama’s make-up drawer, but you love talking on the phone. As soon as I set down the phone you quickly rush over, put it to your ear and say, “Hi…Da-dee.” In fact, it doesn’t even have to be an actual phone. Just about anything you find becomes a phone…

Or a hairbrush. If something is not suitable for chatting into in your own little language, it promptly gets run through your hair. It is just about the cutest thing ever.

Well, that’s not entirely true. In my opinion, everything you do is the cutest thing ever. However, I am pretty biased since I did MAKE YOU. But in all honesty, you truly make everything better. I love seeing the world through your eyes. Books are more exciting when you are turning the pages. Ice cream tastes better when I share it with you. Things are funnier when you laugh at them with me. Thank you for each and every moment we spend together. It’s been an amazing first year.

All my love,
Mama

Dear Ana,
Today you turn eleven months old, which is so close to a year that I can’t even wrap my brain around it. When you turn a year old you will become a toddler and no longer be a baby. So this is officially the last month we get to use the excuse that you don’t know any better because you are “just a baby” so make sure you use this last month well my friend!

While the big news last month was the fact that you are mobile, this is the month you got really good at it! You can make your way around the house like a pro. You crawl only as a means to get to something you can pull yourself up with and then you walk around the entire house. You have even figured out how to climb all the way up the stairs! Tables, chairs, walls, even the animals, are all just tools to help you in your quest to continually be in motion. But while you have gotten better at getting around, you sure haven’t gotten much faster. You are very deliberate with your mobility and don’t take a single step without thinking it through. I think it is because you hate falling or slipping more than anything! So much in fact, that you very gently lower yourself to the ground to transition from standing to crawling. It is so cute and just about the most prissy, girly thing I have ever seen you do.

In the last couple days you have increased your confidence in yourself and started standing. That is, letting go of my hand (or the nearest piece of furniture) and standing all by yourself. The first couple times you did it were entirely on accident: you would be standing up and holding on to something then pick up a toy and without realizing it, you would let go of the furniture entirely and stand all on your own. Then as soon as you realized you were doing it, you would panic and grab on for support. But now you have started doing it deliberately and even get excited and squeal with happiness, knowing what an accomplishment this is.

Even though you have started standing, you are still using your hands to steady yourself as you walk around the house the majority of the time. So you needed to figure out how to bring your toys, or whatever you happen to be playing with at the time, with you. Ever the little problem solver, you started using your mouth to carry your things. Let me tell ya, you are one creative little girl… that or you have been paying a little too much attention to the dogs.

Watching you eat has become quite the entertaining event at our house. There are some days you will only eat food you can feed yourself, which makes for some rather mess meal times. As the meal progresses, and you get more tired, you start rubbing your eyes and ears, and more often than not your hands stray into your hair. Once there, you run your fingers through your hair and depending on what you have eaten, create some pretty interesting hair styles. But seeing how proud you are when you finish all your peas, carrots, cheese cubes, and pasta makes the clean-up totally worth it.

As your developments increase and your abilities broaden, you are becoming quite the analytical little girl. You are always concentrating and studying the world around you. Just like your Auntie Jeni and your Daddy, when you are really focusing on something your “thinking tongue” comes out. Your father and I are always looking at you and wondering what is going on in that head of yours, but before we know it you will be talking and I am sure you will be more than willing to tell us every little thing!

My favorite quirky think you are doing this month has to do with when I put you down in your crib. For awhile there as soon as I would lay you in bed, you would stick your feet straight up in the air, drop your legs over to one side and curl up to go to sleep. While you still do this, you have added a little more to the trick: now you curl up, then tuck your legs under you and end up in the crawling position. Most of the time you squirm around enough that you end up sleeping on your stomach, but sometimes you are so tired you just fall asleep, with your butt up in the air, as if you are about to crawl away. All I know is you are lucky you are young, because if I were to sleep like that I would be so sore the next day I wouldn’t be able to move at all!

Oh Ana, I just love you and all your little quirks so much. You amaze me in so many ways. I want you to know that while this is technically the last month that you are a baby, just know that you will always be my baby.

All my love,
Mama

Dear Ana,
Today you turn seven months old, which may not seem all that exciting to you, but it is very exciting for your father and I. Actually we are pretty much constantly excited because over the last month you have had so many firsts. The one that impacts our lives the most has been the addition of eating solid foods. Rather than just nurse you for every meal, I now have to plan ahead. I set you in your Bumbo, with a bib around your neck and a spoon in your hand, and prepare your baby puree and cereal. But rather than being an inconvenience, it is actually the highlight of my day. I love watching your reactions to the various tastes and textures. So far you have eaten rice cereal, avocados, bananas, sweet potatoes, applesauce and prunes. You are still not sure about this whole food thing, and spend a large portion of the meal gagging…which I will gladly take over spitting or throwing up any day! As long as you keep opening your mouth for more, and reassuring me with a smile from time to time, we are going to keep right on trying new foods.

About two weeks ago you and I started a Baby & Me swim class, which at your age isn’t so much about swimming as introducing you to the water. We sing songs, splash around, and play with fun water toys. At first you were a little skeptical, but once you realized there were other babies and toddlers in your class you were very excited. You spend the majority of the time kicking and splashing around as you watch all the other children around you.

As a result of your swim class, I have noticed your increased confidence with water in general. You now play in the water during bath time where as before you merely sat still in the water while we cleaned you up. Now we have toys to keep you entertained–and keep the bath water in the tub and not all over my kitchen! But your favorite part is when we rinse you off because you constantly try to drink all the water we spray at you. Your Daddy lets you take occasional sips and we watch you wiggle and shake with all the excitement.

Your bottom front teeth are totally visible now, and while we got a slight reprieve from the torment of teething for a couple weeks, the obvious signs are back once again. You have an abundance of drool, spontaneous shrieks of discomfort and the most obvious sign of all, you chew or bite on everything. You love chewing on your Daddy’s cold pop can or my water glass more than anything else.

In the last couple weeks you have really gotten good with your hands. I have to keep a really close eye on you because you are suddenly able to grab just about anything within a couple feet radius. I think you also view my hands as an extension of your own because as soon as I pick something up you instantly stick out your hand for me to give it to you.

Every night as part of your bedtime routine you read a story with your father. But only recently have you actually started showing signs of favoritism in your reading material. In particular you enjoy the Fluffy, Snuggly, Cuddly Baby Animals book. It is a touch and feel book we bought to teach you how to gently pet animals. You love the book so much you have taken to “reading” your book alongside Daddy outside of our nightly rituals. Apparently you inherited both your parents love of reading.

On two separate occasions in the last month you have been with a babysitter. That is, someone other than your mother or father. While it was important to help you adjust to being around someone other than your parents, it was equally important for your father and I to go out on a date. Even if all we did was go out to dinner and ended up talking about you the majority of the time anyway. One thing we did discover on both of these occasions was your You-Are-Not-My-Mama cry. Now I would never in a million years wish tears upon you, but a tiny part of me was happy that you missed me. You wanted me. As soon as I picked you up and wrapped you in my arms I saw the smile spread across your face and you knew all was right in the world again. Just know, my sweet little girl, I will always come home to you and I will do everything in my power to keep that beautiful smile on your face.

All my love,
Mama

Dear Ana,
My sweet little monkey you are now six months old and we are having so much fun together! This month your firsts include camping, going to the park, sitting in the grass, and riding in your stroller without the car seat–just like the big girls do it. I know all mother’s say this, but the stage you are at now is my favorite. You are learning new things each and every day. So many things, in fact, it has become difficult to keep track. All I know is you continue to constantly amaze me.

Your latest milestone has been teething. I had recently started telling people you were teething when you were acting fussy, however I didn’t really believe it myself. I would prefer people to think you are a sweet baby and not allow a little outburst to tarnish your typically mellow personality. So you can imagine my surprise when I was letting you chew on my finger and I felt your first tooth. Actually, teeth, is more accurate. Without my really knowing it, you went and got your bottom two front teeth. Turns out you really were fussy because of teething!

You have also become very aware of everything around you and reach for things you want. It is so much fun to watch you intently examine everything you can get your hands on. Your favorite things, the things when you see them you instantly light up and reach for, include my water bottle, the TiVo remote (the colored buttons are the best), my cell phone, and each and every one of our pets.

You are mesmerized by the cats and dogs. You love to reach out and try to pet them. When I lay you on the floor to play, the dogs will lay on either side of you. Molly picks a spot close enough that she can excitedly lick you back when you tug on her ears. Ellie, on the other hand, will lay just out of your reach–close enough that she can watch over and protect you, but far enough away that you can’t actually touch her. But the cats have surprised me most of all. They actually let you pet them! Even when you “pet” them so vigorously that your tiny hand comes away filled with tufts of hair. I guess the cats understand sometimes love hurts.

In the last month you also started rolling over. Currently it is only from front to back. I know it was your sheer dislike of tummy time that brought on this new skill. It also makes me wonder if you will ever roll from back to front because I know you would never willingly put yourself into tummy time! I am sure you will be performing tricky acrobatics, or at the very least advanced yoga, before you voluntarily spend time on your stomach.

Hand in hand with rolling over has come sitting by yourself. If we set you down and pretend we aren’t watching you, you will sit unassisted for several minutes. However, if we noticeably look in your direction, or God forbid speak of your sitting up, you topple over. It is as if the words themselves knock you down. On the plus side, when you fall over forwards, you are quickly able to flip yourself over onto your back. You are perfectly content when you fall over backwards and look at us as if to say, “Nice! That’s just what I wanted!” Either way, it is highly entertaining to watch.

Not necessarily a milestone, but wonderful nonetheless is the fact that you have started giving kisses. Now these are not your typical slimy, wet baby kisses. Oh no. You give piranha kisses. You come at us open mouthed, like a hungry baby bird and chomp down on whatever gets in your path, be that my cheek, chin or even shoulder. But I don’t mind, as long as you are giving out kisses, I will always be there to accept them.

All my love,
Mama