Morgan Crane: Personal Blog

Dear Q,

For once I am early with your letter. In a few days you will be 16 months old and you are growing up so fast! So much has changed since your last letter, you keep me quite busy, and quite entertained!

You started walking at your cousin O’s birthday party. You took 5 steps in a row and we were so excited. From there you got better and better and now you’re walking without hesitation and with a considerable amount of speed. It’s the cutest thing ever.

Just this week you have figured out that you can go in a different direction than I’m going and you get pretty mad when I try to turn you around. You’re quite a determined little lady. When I remove you from a situation or try to turn you around you’ll go directly back to where you were unless I put up an actual barrier. Gone are the days of just handing you something new to play with. Object permanence is in full effect, nothing gets past you!

My favorite time of day with you is in the morning. You’re SO happy. We start by cuddling in Mommy & Daddy’s bed and nursing. Then when you’ve had enough cuddles and milk you usually spring up like a jack in a box. You are talking to the cats, crawling all over the bed, standing up and then diving in all directions, it’s hilarious. Then you get down and you walk around laughing your head off about who knows what. This is the time of day where you love to play by yourself as long as I’m close by.

Your vocabulary is really taking off with speaking and signing. You’ve been signing ‘milk’ for a long time so that’s old news. 🙂 In the past month you’ve started saying Daddy & Mama. Also say doggie (for most animals), you have your made up word for cat “Ah-mmmmm” and you just started signing for cat today! I’ve figured out that “nay-gee” is food, “ah-dee” is something you want, like my phone, and “Gee” is toy or books. In the past two days you’ve picked up the signs for More and All Done and you learned how to say ‘Down’ when you want to get down from us holding you or from the couch/chair.

You recognize a TON of words and when you feel like listening you’re pretty good at following commands! You love playing with your baby doll (and you love real babies), picture flash cards, stacking rings, any kind of ball & lots of other toys. You like to hand me things, just as long as I hand them right back to you! You’re a big fan of climbing stairs and your favorite places to play are on the couch and on our bed. You stand up and fall down over and over again.

Sleep still isn’t where I’d like it to be but it’s getting better. Someday you’ll sleep! By the time you sleep we’ll probably be going through it all again with the next baby. 🙂

Time is going so quickly and I’ve done such a poor job keeping track of how quickly you’re growing up. I’m going to miss this awesome toddler phase but I admit that life will probably get easier when you can communicate a little more. The less screaming and banging on me, the better. I’d also love it if you’d start pointing at things, it would help me know what you want. 🙂

I love you to the moon and back, I’m thankful to have you in my life. You bring magic to my world.

Love,

Mommy

Dear Q,

Ever the procrastinator, I’m writing your 11 month letter a few weeks late but better late than never, right?

I can’t believe what a little girl you have become. You’re crawling everywhere and pulling up on anything stable (and quite a few things that are not so stable, like grabbing my skirt to pull up). You love to cruise while holding on to the couch and coffee table and you’re so proud of yourself for getting where you want to go.

Your favorite place is right next to Mommy, especially if I am trying to use an electronic device. You love my iPhone, the baby monitor, the cordless phone, the remotes and you ADORE my laptop. I can’t use it while you’re awake unless I want you to come bang on the keys. It’s so funny, you’ll cruise over to me and when you’re about a foot away you get this crazy excited smile as you start reaching for the keyboard. It’s hard to say no to that smile!

Speaking of saying no, you do not like hearing that word! You want what you want when you want it and you are not happy when things do not go according to the Q plan. I’m working with you on sign language and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to communicate more clearly in the coming months so you don’t get so frustrated. Right now you LOVE your Signing Time DVDs. They are pretty much the only thing we let you watch. When Rachel jumps into the frame and starts singing the theme song your face lights up. It’s so cute.

Your favorite toys are: My Pal Violet, Keys, anything you can shake, the cats, your music table, books (especially touchy-feely ones) and Mommy’s face/hair/glasses/necklace, etc.

Your favorite foods are: Strawberries, Grapes, Bananas, Baby Mum Mums, String Cheese and, of course, breastmilk.

Breastfeeding is going really well and I’m so glad we’ve easily made it to my original goal of one year. There was some biting going on last month but I figured out how to avoid it and now things are great. My heart melts when you latch on and let out a big sigh as you snuggle into the crook of my arm. I also love the little clicking sound I hear as you swallow and your tummy grows full. I have no idea when we will wean. If it happened tomorrow I’d be heartbroken, but I’d still be proud of how long we made it.

I love…

…your serious face when you’re reading books with Daddy at bedtime. You concentrate so hard!

…how you crawl to find Daddy when he gets home and start talking to him non-stop.

…how excited you get when you see the cats. You bounce and wave your hands and call out to them. I hope you’re friends for a long time.

…when you fall asleep in my arms.

…looking at the video monitor and seeing the crazy positions in which you sleep.

…listening to you babble, especially when you say Ma-Ma!

…watching your face as you listen to music. It’s fun to see what catches your interest.

…your laugh that sounds like a squeaky toy. Your toothy smiles make my day.

…YOU! From the curls on your head to the tips of your toes. I love you, baby girl!

Forever Yours,

Mommy