October 13, 2011
Dear Christian,
Happy thirteen-month birthday!
Thirteen month statistics: Weight: 23lbs. 4 oz. Length: TBD inches. Diaper Size:4 Clothes: 18 months.
The word of the month is FUN. This month we have done all kinds of fun activities. We started off with a visit to Cox Farms. You had a great time going down the slides. We all had fun in fact. It was a cool day, with some rain in the morning, but we persevered through the rain and endedup having a wonderful day. You loved riding in the backpack where you could see everything.
In addition to Cox Farms, we also managed to get you on the swing in the backyard. You loved it! I seem to remember your brother not enjoying swings for a long time so I was worried about your reaction. You had a great time!
On Saturday, September 24th, Nana arrived! Nana packed up her stuff, rented her house to a friend and drove across the country to come live by us. For now she is staying with us until she finds her own place. You love spending time with your Nana. You also love pinching her nose! She is teaching you to rub noses which is just adorable. Speaking of adorable, you have recently started giving kisses. They are just open mouth slobbers, but I love it!
We waited for Nana to arrive to have your first birthday party. On Satuday, October 1st, we were joined by some wonderful friends as we celebrated your first birthday! Dave, Jen and Annabella Gentry; Jimmy, Missy and Nikki Yarbrough; and Matthew, Becca, Betsy and Abigail Pepper were all in attendance. We served chili and macaroni and cheese for dinner, and then you had Wild Maine Blueberry Cake for dessert. You weren’t incredibly impressed with the cake at first. Dad helped you figure it out and then you were pleased to help yourself. You received many wonderful gifts: Little People Super Heroes, Animal mobile, winter clothes, books, custom designed teddy bear to match your room, and a variety of little toys. It was a wonderful day.
This past weekend, we drove down to Norfolk, Virginia to attend a wedding. My half-brother, Steven’s daughter, Amanda, married David Rodriguez. It was a beautiful ceremony right by the water. Uncle Steven took us down to the Naval Base to see the ships and we got to see two aircraft carriers – they are huge! They hold 6,500 sailors and 90 aircraft! It was amazing to see. You had a tough time sleeping and were pretty fussy over the weekend, but we still had a good time.
I don’t know exactly when it started, but recently you have turned into the pickiest eater on the planet. One day you will eat something with gusto and the next day you turn up your little nose at it. You spit food out. You throw it on the floor. You don’t want to eat at mealtime. It is infuriating!!! We just keep offering you whatever we are eating, and occasionally we supplement with yogurt and applesauce if we feel like you didn’t eat enough dinner. You also drink whole milk now since you decided to stop nursing on October 2nd.
When we took you to the doctor for your one year appointment, the pediatrician suggested that you be evaluated for gross motor skill delays. You just started crawling at about 11 months and just started bringing yourself to sitting in the past couple of weeks. The evaluation process was very easy and it was determined that while you are delayed, you are not delayed enough to warrante any kind of intervention. The physical therapist gave us lots of activities to do at home, and we are already seeing improvement. You enjoy standing at the couch (minus the couch cushions) to play.
This past month has been a challenge for me as I have started teaching a new online class for Art Institute, and your nursing strike has been a difficult change for me. Through it all it has been great to see your many smiles and laughs. While motherhood is never what I expect it to be, it is always amazing. I love you so very much.
Love,
Mama
