month eleven

I think Christmas is a pretty good reason to be behind on writing to you, don't you? We did take pictures on Christmas Eve, though, so Mama has made it 11 months taking pictures on the 24th. I'm pretty impressed with that. One more to go!


Let's see. What's been going on with you this month? Your eating is pretty much the same. We're trying to start the weaning from the bottle. We really need to put more effort into this one. So far you drink really well from the sippy cup. Unfortunately, that means you are very efficient at getting water out only to let it fall right back out of your mouth. We've recently started giving you a cup with a straw and, while you still spill some, you swallow some as well. Progress! You're still a good eater and are eating more table foods as the weeks progress.


Sleep has been a bit of a challenge at times this month. You've taken to waking up somewhere between 2 and 4:00 to cry. I don't know what's going on with that. I was suspecting you were cold. You now go to sleep with the quilt Mama made you and a little owl lovey. I hand you that owl and you hug it and nestle into my shoulder. I love it. And then I'm forced to put you in bed and walk away. You still sleep on your stomach all night. We've had to start pulling the front of your diaper up a little higher (so that you almost have a plumber's crack in the back) so that there are no diaper fails at night. And we've gone up to size 4 at night. I guess after we finish off these size 3s that we have, we'll make the switch completely. I can't believe you're that big.


Just a note on what we call you these days...Mama still says "Chicken" but has added Chicken Nugget, Munchkin, and Munchkinland. Sometimes you get called "Sista" as does Maggie. You two are sisters, afterall.


Early this month we went to your great grandmother's funeral. It was very nicely done and you were quite well-behaved. You got to meet a bunch of people for the first time, some relatives and some friends. Everyone really enjoys you and that makes me happy. People comment on how happy and cute you are. I, of course, agree.

You and I also ate lunch with one of Mama's friends the other day. She hadn't seen you in awhile and couldn't get over how big you have gotten. It's true. You're still a baby but are creeping closer to turning into a little girl. We don't have a doctor's appointment until next month but I think you're about 29" (as you can't stand up fully underneath the breakfast table anymore) and weigh not quite 23 pounds (up about 2/3 of a pound since last month so your weight gain is definitely slowing).


I think I mentioned last month how we all thought it would be fun for you and your cousin to take pictures together every Christmas. Well, the day we were supposed to get you two together you came down with conjunctivitis. In both eyes. It was awful and you looked absolutely terrible. Everyone who saw you was reminded of Quasimodo. Luckily, it was caused by a bacteria so we were able to treat it. Sadly, it was with an ointment we had to put in both of your eyes. I think that was the hardest thing I've had to do as a parent so far. It was definitely a 2-person job and even then it was near impossible. But you got better quickly so I guess it was worth it.

And we finally got those pictures in your Christmas dress! You and your cousin looked so cute. I'm glad we got matching dresses this year. And we finally took your picture for our Christmas card. It turned out pretty well, too. We did have lots of outtakes, though.


We also finally got to take you to meet Santa. He was at the credit union--short line and free pictures with him. You just stared at him; no tears or screaming like some other kids. He was very nice and gave you a candy cane and a little Santa toy. You laugh when you see that toy.


One of the things Mama ordered you for Christmas was a Radio Flyer walker. It's kind of like a wagon but it has a handle that you can hold onto and walk behind. It came a few days before Christmas and Daddy couldn't wait to open it. So we put it together and let you have it early. The reviews I had read online said that it helped kids learn to walk. In fact, one woman mentioned that her child was walking within 2 weeks. I wasn't sure if this was a good or bad idea. At first, you didn't like that it moved but Daddy showed you how to do it a few times. Then you really got the hang of it. Because it doesn't steer, you'd walk it all the way across the living room until it hit a dining room chair. And then you figured out that you could just stand on the side of it and push it back the way you came. We were very proud of you for figuring that out. I think you really like it and it seems like you're cruising more already. On Christmas Eve night, you were standing up and weren't holding onto anything (a newly-acquired skill) and there was a look on your face that said you were thinking about walking. You paused and kind of shuffled one foot before quickly falling down. It was exciting to see but also a bit unbelievable. That Radio Flyer works wonders!

While you didn't open your own Christmas presents, you did enjoy playing with them. You got so many things that Mama is putting some away for later. You also enjoyed visiting with your family during the holidays. We have one more celebration left on New Year's Day.


One final new development is that you started saying "uh oh" the day you turned 11 months old. You said something that kind of sounded like it and I repeated it. You said it back to me. You've since said it multiple times. And you seem to know when to say it. It's very exciting. I can't believe you are going to start using words. I think you're going to be even more entertaining once you start telling me stories.

Well, Chicken. You kicked off this last month of your first year with a bang. I wonder if you'll be walking by the end of it? It's going to be a fun month--you get to go on your first big vacation. I hope it all goes well. One last bit of advice for you. If--when you're a grown-up--you find that you can take several days off around the Christmas holidays, I think it's a great idea to take a few days before and a few days after. It was a happy coincidence that that's how things worked out for me this year. It gave me time to prepare and a little time to recover. And, of course, time to enjoy you and the rest of the family. Get ready for next month's last letter! (Well, maybe the last one until you're 2.)