11 down, 1 to go

Let the countdown begin little girl!

We are one month away from your first birthday! Wow! Crazy! My head is spinning. Lately, I've been looking back at your pictures wanting to rewind those moments. You have changed so much this year. 

We love you more and more each day. You are fun, energetic, silly and a little dramatic. 

You have a total of 8 teeth. You use them to chew all over books, toys and as many puffs as you can get your chubby little hands on. 

You play very well by yourself in your playroom, but still love the company. Usually, you want me to sit in your chair while you play. After a while you then throw a fit until I realize it's because you want to sit in the chair. I make that my cue to do dishes. 

You still love outside and your swing. You love to swing, but want me to sit in the swing next to you. You also love the stroller. Many of naps have been taken while Momma or Daddy walks you around the neighborhood. 

Daddy is outside with you right now. Usually about this time you start to get sleepy. In order to keep you awake he takes you out to play. PJs and all. 

You have gotten Momma with Momma down and Dada with Daddy down. We like to play a little game when Daddy gets home. We hear the door open and I ask "who's here?" You look at me and then scream Dada!!! Once you see him you start crawling as fast as you can to him. It's pretty darn cute. 

You had Easter this month. You received two baskets from your grandparents. You loved them. You took adorable pictures and enjoyed outside time with the family. 

It's been a great month. I'm not looking forward to your birthday. I want you this size forever. 

Stay little, little one

Momma

The big 1-0

ABJ,

You are 10 whole months old! You are the light of our lives and we couldn't imagine one day without you. 

What have you been up to this month? Well, we moved into a new house just a few miles from your school. You love your 5 minute commute. You were bumped up into the one year old class with a new teacher. You were clingy for a few days, but you've gotten over the change. You eat almost everything Momma and Daddy eat. You're favorite is probably green beans and some type of chicken for dinner. BUT you're number one has and still is yogurt. A girl after my own heart. You love it as much as momma. In particular you like to share Momma's. 

You are a down right ball with your giggles, showing all 7 of your baby teeth, blowing kisses, waving bye-bye, clapping for yourself, making the "th" sounds, your loud squeals and chuckles to yourself.

You love Maddy Dog, you call her Daaag. You can also say shhhew and you point to your feet. You say Momma and Dadda pretty clear. We are still working on getting it for the right person. 

Your play time is getting better. When we first moved

you wanted someone right there. You are working on playing alone. You still love books and playing peak-a-boo. 

At our new house we have a swing. You love it. You crawl over to the door, pull up, point to the door handle and start yelling. We are outside a lot. 

We are settled in and you are getting so big. I'm ready to start stacking books on your head. No matter how big your britches get you will always be my baby. 

Love you little bit,

Momma

Calm before the storm

ABJ,

Here I sit in our Owasso house. I have just dropped you off with Hon. Daddy dropped Maddy off with Nana Great. He is on his way home with the moving truck. 

I am here waiting on our friends, family, a big moving truck and one crazy day. It's going to be filled with packing up all these boxes cluttering our house. Today we are moving. We are changing zip codes to be closer to our jobs and family. My prediction is you will do fine with the move. You are easy going, I don't expect it to be hard on you. Maddy will be ready to go home the minute we get to our new house. She does not like change. I'm praying for this change. I'm praying you have more time with Momma & Daddy. I'm praying you are in a car commuting less. I'm praying you get to see Aunt Aub, Uncle Shayne & E a lot more. I'm praying you and E grow up together. I pray you are friends. 

The house has a pretty awesome playground set up in the backyard. You are welcome. It does have three blue rooms though. We plan to fix that. I think you will like it once we pink it up a little. 

I want you to know that moving has taught Daddy & I a few things. 1) we are disorganized people & loose things easily. We plan to work on this. 2) Our family, especially Hon, is the best family we could ask for. This has been a very easy process. Hon has worked her tail off. 3) our friends are incredible. They were almost happy to come help. It's very humbling. Friends new and old, they have been asking more about time and place than anything else. 

I hope you can learn from this. Keep your family close, you can't do things without them. They make it happen. Cherish your friendships. They will be like family. They always have your back. 

With this baby, we start our new adventure in our new zip code. It's a fun ride toots. Now, Momma needs to finish packing!!! 

Nine and lookin fine

Bella Dozer,

You are NINE whole months. You couldn't be any cuter. You couldn't laugh any sweeter. You couldn't be any more busier. You little one, you are our sushine. 

You love, love, love to laugh. You are so playful these days. It's very fun for Momma and Daddy. This month we have been focusing on taking away a bottle (sorry about that). You are down to two. You've handled it quite well. You are eating lots of different table foods and less baby food. You love snacks (that's genetic)!!! You also love water. You get excited when you see your sippy cup. You will drink it until it's gone. 

You moved up into the one year old class. This broke Momma's heart. You are growing too fast! Miss Linda is your teacher and there are new kids. It was a major transition for you. This has also happened at the same time you started to be very clingy. You still don't act thrilled when I drop you off. I know you get over it quickly though. 

At home you enjoy pulling up on everything, walking around furniture and climbing the stairs. We've let you pet Maddy some, she's been great with you. She sits quietly while you aggressively pat her. We tell you to "be gentle" , but I'm not sure you understand. 

This month you had a check up. You were off the charts, yet again. The doctor said you are average for a 15 month old. Big is beautiful baby and you rock it well. 

You my little ham are barrels of fun. I love you to the moon and back, baby!

Love you,

Momma

Ocho

Baby girl- 8 whole months! You are big, a big ol mess. You are in to everything. Crawling and pulling up and diggining in purses and pulling out baskets and drawers and eating remotes and shoes and finding dog toys and trying to climb stairs and wrestling your pig and showing your baby teeth and feeding yourself snacks and too wild to change diapers and and and and

The list goes on forever. You my girl are becoming a toddler. I don't like it, so stop growing up. Well, Daddy and I are having lots of fun with you. I just hate that the infant days are behind us. You are pretty crazy. You like to talk a LOT, you are into everything and you love to cheese to show your baby teeth. Speaking of teeth you have two with THREE on the way. 

This month you did such a better job sleeping. I can't thank you enough on that one. You are still very attached to Momma and Daddy sometimes, but really Momma. You really should figure this one out. I promise I'm onto your ways, Daddy is puddy in your hands. 

We squeaked by this month with no major illness, just a sad little baby cough. You are still playing paci ninja at school and patting a little rough. I think you are being just like Daddy and pestering people. He disagrees. You have also latched on to a friend, Denton. Yep, that's a boy. Daddy doesn't like it. 

You are so fun at this age. You are very playful, sweet and learning so much. You make my day, every day. I still can't believe you are mine. 

While I think you are oh so wonderful I would appreciate you stopping some things. Your aggressive grabbing on my face & neck fat. You leave scars. Your inability to lay still while I change you. I will say my diapering while you crawl away has gotten much better. Lastly, please stop crying and having a panic attached when we change your clothes. I know you like to go naked, but it's cold. 

You my darling are an adventure, you are a magnificent book. I can't wait to turn the page. 

Love you toots! 

7th Heaven

ABJ is 7 months! 

Wow it's just crazy to think we are closer to one year old. This little girl is our sweet angel and makes us happier every day. This past month has been plagued with another cold. Apparently, babies get sick. Her ears, lungs and chest still sound great so we just continue our routine of slather the Vicks, run the humidifier and elevate, elevate, elevate. Outside of the sickness we've just been having a ball! 

Bella rolls from one spot to another, scoots on her tummy and refuses to crawl. Things I'm learning from this 1) I really don't care if she ever crawls or walks because she's already into way too much. 2) this is a strong foreshadowing that this little girl will do things her way in her time. 3) she is so persistent with the rolling thing that there is no corner or obstacle that she will not maneuver in rolling position and avoid to crawl. Stubborn like her daddy. 

She is still loving school and still the only girl in her class. She out weighs most of the boys and I think is getting a bully reputation. She likes to give affection by patting aggressively and pulling hair. I'm guessing she isn't well liked by the 3 boys. She has officially received the nickname of "paci ninja". Any where there is a paci, she steals it and puts it in her mouth. We probably get talked bad about a lot.

Here are some favorites....

Half of a year

6 short months ago Hibdon and I moved into the twighlight zone. Life as we knew it is gone. Our days of freedom, 12 hours sleeping, daytime naps, leisurely eating, clean clothes...it all over. 

That's a bit dramatic, but yes it's been 6 months since the Bella Dozer blessed our lives. We are tired most days, but we would not trade one minute for the world. We are so in love with our giggily, wiggly, wild woman. She's our sweet angel baby. She melts our hearts when she uses her soft happy baby voice to chat, especially when it sounds like she's saying "hiiii" or "heeeey". 

Our lives are brighter with her giggles, structured with her eating, napping and sleeping schedules. When we travel we are sure to take little Lamby (yes he's still around) and big Lamby (her new stuffed lovey). She loves stuffed animals. She also loves books. When we travel in the car she gets her paci and a book to occupy her attention. 

She's a big wiggly mess most of the time. She needs to stand or jump when you hold her. When she's on the ground playing she starts out upright, moves to the crawl position, flops to her belly and then rolls to every toy around. We aren't crawling yet, but I'm sure it will be soon. Then my life will be flipped upside down. 

I've started trying this "no" word. Just taking it for a spin. See how we like it. It doesn't phase her. She looks at me and grins. Just like her Daddy. Great news. 

We've had several foods under our belt. Momma has been redeemed. We have adjusted to carrots in rice cereal. We love apples, bananas, and butternut squash. 

We had the stomach bug this month. Yeah that was awful. We lived off pedialyte for 4 days. It was hard on Momma and Daddy. Probably worse on Daddy because Momma caught it later. During this time ABJ was a little whiny, with good reason. However her whiny-ness led to "mmmummmmma". Yep, my name came first. Now I know it's not real talking, but when you smell like throw up for 3 straight days you get to claim whatever you want. 

Oh these past 6 months have been glorious. I mean that though. The best 6 months of my life. I'm shocked and saddened they have went by so fast. Every month I want to freeze my baby. I want her back in her new born diapers. It's fun, but it's going too fast. I don't care how cliche that sounds! 

Here's our Q&A sesh...  

Daddy-

1) What's your favorite thing to do with AnnaBella? Saying "hiiii"

2) What's your favorite memory from this month? Taking her to daycare in her pretty new pink coat.

3) What big thing did AnnaBella accomplish this month?

She can almost crawl. 

4) What are you looking forward to next month? She's going to crawl! 

This is what I said....

1) What's your favorite thing to do with AnnaBella? Play in the floor. I pick up a toy and she takes it out of my hand. 

2) What's your favorite memory from this month? When I walk into her class and she flaps her arms excited to see me. 

3) What big thing did AnnaBella accomplish this month?

She dominates the jumper now.

4) What are you looking forward to next month? Our first Christmas!