Miriam Elayne, you have grown and changed so much since you turned one year old!
Your vocabulary is changing every day; you now say and/or sign at least 50 words. Here’s some examples you’ve added since I last wrote: ice, ice cream, apple, down, ups (up & upstairs), waffle, uh-huh (yes), yes, no, mess, trash, Aubry, Bubba (Brendan), Mommy (changed from Mama), Daddy (changed from Dada), Auntie, rice, o-tay (okay), outside, wa-wa (water), me, mine, mail, please (you don’t just sign it anymore!), ‘yes, please’ and ‘got it’. You just keep surprising Mommy and Daddy every day with your words! You also took your first swim class, around the beginning of August. There were 6 sessions and you learned to reach/pull the water, kick your feet, blow bubbles, jump off the edge, and hold your breath while going under. One of the neat things about your swim class was that your instructor’s name was Miriam 🙂 On the last day of lessons, you got to go down the big water slide. Daddy came to that class and went down with you. You weren’t sure what to think afterwards 😉
We took a big trip in August to visit Aunt Tricia and her family because your cousin, Zoë Kayte, was born. She was born a few weeks early so she and her Mommy spent some time in the hospital before she could come home; you and Mommy went out (for 16 days) to help. You had SO much fun with cousins Zeke and Levi; you all played in a park every day in the mornings and then after naps, the 3 of you would play in the sandbox and the water table. You learned to climb the stairs, up and down, and you also learned to stand up for yourself 😉 It was good for you to be around other kids your age! You missed your Daddy very much; when he came out to be with us for the last few days, we picked him up at the airport – when you got out of your car seat, you ran to him and hugged him for the longest time. You just melted our hearts!
We also took a trip to Lake of the Ozarks, MO in early September. Aunt Monica, George, EMY, and Dan came out to visit us from NM and we had a grand time together. We went swimming, boating, toured a cave, and did some hiking. We made many good memories! In fact, we’re going to visit them over Christmas this year.
You’ve moved up to the toddler room at church (ugh, Mommy finds it so hard to believe you’re already there) and you love to sing. At church, you like to join Mommy and Daddy for worship time so you can sing and clap and look at the lights! At home, you love to watch Little Baby Bum videos, singing along to the nursery rhymes. Your favorites to sing with right now are the ABC Song and Baa, Baa Black Sheep. At naptime and bedtime, we sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Rock-a-Bye, Baby, You Are My Sunshine, Jesus Loves Me, and Jesus Loves the Little Children.
You and Mommy or Daddy are still taking runs together a few times a week. Almost every day, you and Mommy also take walks in the wagon or stroller around the neighborhood during afternoon play time. You are still working on your one-year molars; Mommy hasn’t seen any of them pop through yet. They’ll be here soon! You continue to be a great eater; some of your favorite foods right now are blueberries, rice, noodles, turkey sausage and tomatoes.
You are still such a great sleeper, Miriam! Mommy and Daddy are so thankful. We are working on sleep training right now so that you can become more independent at going to sleep without Mommy and Daddy; Mommy just loves to rock you though so I’m probably holding you back. You’re my one and only baby so Mommy is cherishing every second you’ll let me hold you!
You are a very confident walker, surprising most people who ask how old you are. You are even running some now, and yes, you’ve had your first big fall. You were a pretty sad bear the rest of the night, but you healed up within a week.
You’re also exerting your independence and will in a very normal developmental way. You are kind and sweet yet very sure of what you want. You offer to clean up messes you make and are naturally obedient. I would use the words inquisitive, sensitive, and good-humored to describe your personality at this point. You are developing your sense of humor quite well, and will play jokes on us, like offering to share a snack, hold it up to our mouth, and then pull it quickly away. You laugh and laugh because you know you’ve “tricked” us. You’re pretty proud of your newfound ability to impact those around you, and so are we.
Miriam, you are our bright star – our beloved sunshine! Each day, you surprise us with greater joy. We love to see you grow and change and enjoy life to the fullest. We love you very much!
Mommy