Autumn Makes Me Sing: January 2009

If you have 13 and a half minutes, please, watch the video! I realized that I should have done a 9 month compilation, because once I started choosing videos to include, I couldn't stop! I actually cut out about 8 more minutes, so 13:45 isn't so bad. Really!

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Dear Autumn,

Twelve Months. You changed our lives the moment we found out we were pregnant, and then again when we finally got to meet you. Yesterday afternoon you were in my lap and I was giving you a bottle and I felt your heart beating on my hand. I got a little emotional thinking about how a year ago you were still a mystery to me and how I couldn't touch you and now it is my favorite thing to do.

My first memory of you is when they put you on my chest, you reached out a finger that was completely covered in gunk and touched my lip. I had just had a big swell of emotion just before that and then my next coherent thought was, "Ew, she touched my lip with that stuff!" And then it just didn't matter and all I wanted to do was touch you.

You got your 8th tooth in a few days ago, maybe on the 18th. It sort of just appeared and then it seemed like you felt the pain of it. But only a little bit. I am wondering if maybe you are getting the next in line on your top teeth, but it is getting harder to tell. And you sure don't want to show me! What I thought was the 8th tooth last month was really your first sickness. You made it 11 months without being sick, and for that I am grateful. Of course, you were sick over Christmas, which wasn't very fun. Christmas Eve night you had an awful time going to sleep. The days leading up to Christmas you were VERY snotty and congested. NO FUN! But you were very happy on Christmas Day, and we all really enjoyed ourselves.

Walking is your favorite thing. The fact that you can do it makes you very happy. Carrying you is not acceptable anymore, and frankly, that is a problem sometimes. Like in parking lots, busy grocery stores, etc. If it is an empty store I will let you down to walk around a bit, but I have to be careful because if I have to put you back in the cart, you are not happy!

Your food intake hasn't changed much, except that we get the "wave off" much less. But I also think that is because we are only spoon feeding you yogurt for the most part, and you like that. Still waiting for you to want to try more foods. We'll see what the pediatrician has to say on Friday!

We've been doing better lately with the brace. Daddy's the strong one and insists that we put it on you. While you were sick we didn't bother with it for 2 weeks, so it is good that Daddy is like that. Your next appointment is on February 11th. So hopefully, without getting our hopes up, you'll be done with it. I honestly don't know what else it could do for you. But we'll see what the doctor says when he sees the x-rays.

You understand so much of what is being said to you. If I ask you to go get a specific book from the shelf containing almost 30 books, you will bring back the correct one (by only looking at the spine). Your favorites right now are the Wombat books (you say "om baht baht"), I Love You Through and Through (when we say we love your topside, you put your hands on your head, and we can tell you to go get the "topside" book and you will), and Tails (you can make the tails wag, wag, wag). You've also started climbing into our laps when reading books, instead of us putting you there. You sort of say "cat", but it sounds more like "dat" sometimes. You say "pah pah" for panda, and sometimes it actually sounds like "panda". I think "ahm" means Autumn, but I'm not sure. For a few days around the 16th you started saying "MaMa MaMa", but you havn't really done that too much lately.

For Christmas we got you a Cabbage Patch Kid (Rosalyn Jerry) and about a week later you started hugging her. And by hugging her, I mean picking her up by her hair and pressing her to your cheek. It was ADORABLE! After that I started asking you for a hug and opening my arms up wide. You'd look at me, and then immediately look for Rosalyn. And when you'd find her, you'd go to her and pick her up and hug her. I don't remember hugging Rosalyn in front of you, maybe Gram did, but it seems like it was just instinctual. Then you started hugging everything you loved. Dolly, spatula, Farmer, lego, socks, blankets. A few days after that I was more successful with getting hugs when I request them. You will walk up to me and lean against my shoulder while I wrap my arms around you.

Your naps seem to be decreasing in length lately. I am happy with an hour and 15 min. Well, not happy happy, but I am getting to where I can accept them with little grumbling on my part. You, however, are the happiest baby and are just ready to get out of the crib and go. We don't even walk out of the room while I am holding you. I must set you down so that you can touch Sully on your way out and then go after whatever tickles your fancy. We usually spend some time with you walking around wherever you want. Usually in the front room, kitchen and hallway (anything that is not the living room behind the gate). You are usually pretty good about leaving the cat food alone, but yesterday you walked past it a few times, eying it, before you made a quick grab for it. You got a handful but then promptly dropped it when I said, "Autumn!" Glad I can muster that tone when needed! You still take two naps, but they are at varying times, rather then the old precise "Autumn needs a nap at exactly this time". It's not that I chose the old times, but rather you were that predictable for awhile. Now I just watch for signs and down you go.

Car rides will change tomorrow! Since putting you in the new car seat you have actually been semi happy to be in the car. At least a lot quieter. I think even though you have been facing backwards you have a higher viewpoint, which means you can see more out the window. Daddy and I struggled to get the car seat into the Tahoe tonight so that you are front facing. We finally did it!

Your favorite activity is to point to your family and have us tell you the names. "Momma", "Daddy", "Autumn", "Lucas", "Phoebe". Over and over. It just goes around and around.