Dear Rose - Ten Months Old

Dear Rose,

Sweet, bubbly, darling, silly baby Rose. I love you more than anything else. You have grown exponentially in this last month. You crawl, with speed and directness. You have begun to pull yourself up on furniture, on toys, on the bathtub, on my legs, on anything that is sturdy enough. You started taking tentative steps, too. At first, you would only do it if I was holding your hands and now, you will hold on to things and move. It's amazing how fast you are, and, when you want something, you get yourself to it and that's that.
I don't know if I wrote about your first Halloween before, but I want to make sure to tell you about it. We dressed you up as a fuzzy duck and you were ADORABLE.
And really not so impressed with the whole thing. You and I drove over to Aunt Sarah's and she gave us some candy. We came home and waited for the house lights in our neighborhood to come on. Once they did, Dad walked you around to the neighbors who were happy to see you, and thought you were so cute in your duck costume! Mama stayed home and handed out candy to the other kids who came to our door. It was fun, and I think you will enjoy it more when you are older!

We celebrated Thanksgiving, too, your first Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful day. We had Uncle Joe, Aunt Sarah and her boyfriend Adam, and Mama's good friend from college, Ross and his partner, Christopher over for dinner. You had fun eating lots of different foods, like Dad's sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, all the good stuff.
And, Rose, I want you to know, that when I gave thanks that day (like every day) you were at the top of my list. The 3 things that I am most grateful for:
1. You - Rose
2. Your Dad
3. Your laugh

Rose, Mama loves you. I cannot wait to celebrate the winter holidays with you. And to play in the snow too!

All my love,
Mama

Exploring Day

Dear Rose,
Today we spent the whole day together and it was so wonderful! After your morning bottle and breakfast, we bundled up in the car together and headed over to the Minnesota Children's Museum in St. Paul. So much fun we had! You were able to explore and check out different rooms. You played on a water table, crawled and played with blocks, "poured" some tea and handled some "sushi" and looked at lots and lots of other babies and kids.


We also had lunch with Uncle Joe today too, and lots of good snuggle and play time. Rose, I always want you to know that I love being with you more than anything else, and I always wish that everyday was Rose and Mama day. Someday, when you are older and more worldly and want to explore on your own, I will remember how you and I explored together and keep those memories close to my heart.

All my love,
Mama

Dear Rose - Nine Months Old

Dear Rose,
You are now 9 beautiful months old! I cannot believe how quickly these months have flown by. I was looking at photos of you when you were first born, and it is amazing how much you have grown and changed since you first arrived. You had your 9-month check up and are 27 inches long and weigh 18 pounds and 9.5 ounces. You are a little on the short side but have you seen your Mom and Dad? We're all doing our best to reach the items on the top shelves in the cabinets.

This past month has been one big adventure! Your Mama had surgery to remove her gallbladder, which meant that Dad was in charge while Mama recuperated. He did a great job - and Mama is feeling much better. Grandma Jan and Grandpa Dewey came to visit the weekend after Mama's surgery and to help Aunt Sarah move. They were so happy to see you and couldn't believe how big you have gotten!We also took a trip to see Olivia who takes beautiful photos of babies, kids, and families. She did some photos of you when you were about 4 months old and we wanted to get some more photos of you in your first year. The photo below is one that she posted on her photography blog.

We have had some fun and adventures too! Mama took you to the Como Zoo one morning and we had fun looking at all the animals. Well, Mama had fun telling you about all the animals and you had fun looking at all the other babies. You are incredibly interested in other babies - whenever you see them, you laugh and giggle, and try to talk with them.

Aunt Carolyn came for a visit and we had lots of fun with her. While Aunt Carolyn was here we went to the MN Zoo and also to pick apples with Aunt Sarah, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Katie too! You rode in the little red wagon and we picked out some pumpkins.

You are a real person now - with a distinct personality, Rose. You are so much fun now, too. I can make you laugh by doing silly things, like putting a cup on my head! So hilarious! You also have ticklish spots and I love love love the sound you make when you laugh. You are eating lots of different foods now, too and it is so much fun to introduce you to different things. You tried toast, and pears, and lots of other vegetables! Woo-boy! You've gummed up some pasta, and have tried cheese and yogurt too.


Soon, there will be snow on the ground, Rose, and your first Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are right around the corner. Dad and I look forward to the next three months and what they will bring our family. We are so in love with you and continue to look forward to each day with you, your sunny smiles in the morning, and your wiggles in the afternoon!

All my love,
Mama

Voluntary Mobility

Dear Rose,

When I went to pick you up at Montessori this afternoon, two of the babies were sitting at the gate, so I couldn't get in to you right away. You saw me, your face lit up, and then, THEN! you got on all fours and began to CRAWL TOWARDS ME! It was amazing and breathtaking. I cheered for you! I yelled, "Come on, Rose, you can do it!" and clapped my hands. Your teacher, Eileen, cheered you on too, saying, "Go, Rose, go! Go to your Mama!" You almost reached me, and then, you flopped onto your tummy and began to squawk, so I came in and picked you up.

When we got home, Dad read on your pink sheet from school that you enjoyed crawling around the room and he was very excited. Later on, you crawled towards a piece of paper that you wanted to get and Dad was able to see you crawl and he was very excited too!

Go, Rose, go! The world is in front of you!

Love,
Mama

Dear Rose - Eight Months Old

Dear Rose,
Please forgive your Mama. I still have two days left until you turn nine months old. It has been a very busy month!
What did we do before you turned 8 months old? The state fair was a big one. We had a ton of fun. You also began working seriously on crawling. You have not yet mastered moving forward, but you learned how to get up on your knees and rock back and forth. You went on many walks with your friends at school. You ride in the 4-seater baby buggy, and all of you love it!


Please enjoy these photos and know that your Mama loves you very very much.
All my love, Mama

Seven Months Old

Dear Rose,

You are now 7 months old. You weigh (at least!) 17 lbs., 4 oz. Your legs and arms and tummy and chins are round and chubby and oh so smooshy and delicious! Mama cannot get enough of smooching you up.

It has been an eventful month, this past month. We have had some fun and we have had some challenging moments. For example, you caught hand, foot, mouth disease at the end of July. Mama spent a ton of time telling people that it was NOT hoof and mouth disease, which is the animal version. You were pretty miserable with it, though – running a fever, and not wanting to eat. Fortunately, you seemed to move past it rather quickly.

You did a great job hosting all of the babies and kids for our annual family and friends BBQ. You had Eva, Jacqueline, Vivenne, Eleanore, Benjamin, Amanda, Elisabeth and Sophie over (and Mama and Dad got to visit with all of their friends). We spent our time eating and catching up about our summer. It was a wonderful afternoon. Mama kept thinking about your future slumber parties and all of these friends you will have visiting you. Rose, I hope that you will have many close friends, those you can confide in and share all of your secrets, those you can giggle with, those you can call when you are feeling blue, and those you will know your whole life.

We also took a trip to Dubuque, IA, where Mama was born and grew up. Grandmas and Grandpas, and Aunties and Uncles awaited you there and they were so happy to see you! The other exciting part was being able to meet your cousin, Jake for the first time. Jake is about 3 months younger than you and you were very curious about him.

Think of what fun it will be to see him on holidays and other times, too! We had a picnic on Friday night up at Eagle Point Park, which is a pretty park that overlooks the Mississippi River. Grandpa Dewey and Grandma Jan made lots of good food for us, and we got to see Uncle Chris, Aunt Lisa, Aunt Katie and Jake there. Grandpa Barry and Grandma Michelle stopped by to say hello. On Saturday morning, we met up with Grandpa Barry and Uncle Chris, Aunt Lisa and Jake again to have your photos taken. They were very cute. We spent some time that afternoon with Grandpa Dewey and Grandma Jan and Aunt Katie and then had dinner with Grandpa Barry and Grandma Michelle, Uncle Chris, Aunt Lisa and Aunt Katie and Jake.

On Sunday morning, we had a nice brunch with Grandpa Barry and Grandma Michelle at the hotel's restaurant and after we finished packing, we went up to the hospital where Grandma Jan works to say goodbye.

She was very glad to see you one more time (and introduce you to all of her work friends who have heard so much about you!) and then we said a quick goodbye to Grandpa Dewey and Aunt Katie and then off we went! It only took about 5 hours for us to get home. And it was good to be home again!

The summer is coming to an end, and it seems to have gone really fast. Dad and I are so excited to take you to the State Fair sometime in the next couple of weeks. You are a Minnesotan, Rose, and the State Fair is an important marker during the year. It marks the end of summer and the beginning of the school year. It is also like a giant state-wide block party! Dad and I love the people-watching, the various buildings full of arts/crafts/”educational material”, the viewing of and eating of the animals, and complaining about how much our feet hurt after walking around all day. It will be a good day, Rose! Someday you will get to enjoy the rides, and the music, too. Oh, the State Fair!

What else? You have been eating lots of new foods, Rose, your favorite being sweet potatoes. OH SWEET POTATOES! The first night you ate them, I put a little bit on the spoon and offered it to you. Your eyes opened up SO WIDE and your expression was that of “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN HIDING THIS DELICIOUSNESS, LADY?” I couldn’t shovel them into your mouth fast enough. They make you sweet potatoes at school, Rose, and I guess you react in the same way there, too - they just can't get them into your mouth quick enough! Your Mama loves sweet potatoes, too! You have also tried eating carrots, green beans and peas, and we’ve introduced you to apples in applesauce form. You've also eaten bananas! Yay for all of these wonderful new foods, with their new tastes and textures!

Rose, Mama and Dad continue to be excited to show you the world. So many places to see, so many people to meet, so much food to try!

All my love,

Mama

Dear Rose - Six Months Old

Dear Rose,
You are now six months old. Mama is a little late in posting this, well, because life is just so busy and fun right now. It is the middle of the summer! You now weigh 15 lbs, 15 oz. and are perfectly proportionate with your height. As Dr. Helmy says, "You are in the 50th percentile, so perfectly average!" And we are very happy with this!
And you are a happy baby. A happy, chubby, beautiful baby. So happy, in fact, that we were unaware that you had your first ear infection! We knew something was up, though, because you started to wake up more at night and you were really congested (also - your first cold. I know that these firsts are not as exciting nor as fun, but hey, I'm your Mom and I'm recording this for you) and then you started pulling on your right ear. You didn't have a fever, but we called the Careline and they recommended taking you in to get checked out, just in case. So on a Sunday afternoon, we went over to the pediatric urgent care. And lo and behold, you had an ear infection - in your left ear. Hmm. The doctor said that you are probably just one of those babies who may not show many symptoms. Lucky us. But, to summarize: You had an ear infection. And you were still pretty happy.
What else? You LOVE your hands. You discovered that you have FINGERS. Which you put into your mouth. You also LOVE your toes. You grab them and hold them. You still can't get them into your mouth, but you sure do love trying.

You ate your first "real" food too - squash. You LOVED it. So much more than that bland, tasteless baby rice cereal. I apologize for making you eat tasteless food. Honestly, I don't think the squash has a ton of flavor, but in comparison? Hoo boy, that squash is a feast.

One weekend this month, we also took a road trip to one of Minnesota's nice state parks. On one ungodly humid and hot day. We got to see Grandma Jan, Grandpa Dewey, Grandpa Barry, Grandma Michelle, and your Aunt Katie's Mom and Dad, Cathy and Gary. Everyone loved seeing you. And you did pretty well in the heat. And then, you just got crabby. But who could blame you? I was pretty crabby from the humidity too. So we got into the car and turned on the A/C. Within moments, you were smiling and happy again. See? Happy baby!

We are excited to continue sharing the summer with you, Rose. So many more experiences to be had - our annual BBQ is coming up as is the Minnesota State Fair! So much to enjoy and love and be a part of. We are so glad to share all of this magic with you!

All my love,
Mama