Zero to One in 60 Seconds

One Day

 Or at least it feels that way...

One Month

Marie is growing up in every way.  I'm always surprised by how far her legs dangle--off the highchair, off the stroller, out the side of the Ergo and when I'm holding her.  She's getting big.  And those same legs are thinning out, too.  She's getting faster and faster at walking and when she's trying to get away from having a diaper put on, she actually approaches a run.  She loves being able to walk and explore on her own, which has made public outings both more fun and more challenging, as she's definitely not content to stay in Mommy's arms all of the time.

Two Months

She's got a bit of a temper (not sure where that came from...) and has a very definite way of making her opinion known when she sees fit.

Three Months

She is unbelievably confident and unafraid.  She will walk right up to strangers, look up at them and start chatting to them.  At story time, she walks into the middle of a big circle of people and just looks around at everyone, smiling and talking and watching them all.  She doesn't seem to have any stranger anxiety at all.  She even lets people we barely know hold her and often snuggles her head against their shoulder.  She did this at her one-year check-up and the doctor said it was a first for her!  It's amazing to see how independent she is becoming and how confident and self-possessed a one-year-old can be.

Four Months

She is talking non-stop.  She makes every imaginable noise and carries on very serious and grown-up conversations in so many different inflections and tones of voice.  It is hilarious to listen to her go on and on.  She's getting very close to using real words, too.  She has begun to mimic the exact sounds of words the best she can, and I don't think it will be long before she can say a handful of words other than "mama" and "dada."  

Five Months

Her signing is getting better and better and she has just started adding more signs to her "vocabulary"--signs that we have been doing for awhile but that she hasn't made until this week.  It's so fun to be able to communicate with her in this way.  Today we were at the park and she put her hand on one of the play structures and then told me it was hot!

Six Months

In the mornings, Tony will often leave before we are out of bed.  When she gets up, she walks over to the door, opens it, peaks out into the hall and says, "Dada?   Dada!  DaDA!  DaDA?"  It is so adorable and a little heart-breaking at the same time.  She loves her daddy and gets so excited when she looks for him and he's actually there!

Seven Months

And, of course, she continues to be the sweetest.  She is FULL of kisses these days and hands them out much more generously than in the past.  The other night at a restaurant, the cook was blowing kisses to her and she was returning them whole-heartedly...  Oh boy.  We need to watch out.

Eight Months

Things Marie loves: Grandma & Grandpa, carrots, swinging, being outside, playing with the water coming out of the kitchen faucet, the toy fruit that she received for her birthday, finding birdies and puppies outside the window, pulling all of the toilet paper off of the roll, CHEESE, bath time, shopping, Daddy, and much more...

Nine Months

Things Marie does not love: getting a diaper put on, not being allowed to get down and walk in a store, car rides more than 15 minutes (though she is much better now), wearing a bib, getting her fingernails trimmed

Ten Months

We can't believe it's been a year.  And before we know it, we'll be saying we can't believe it's been 15...

Eleven Months

We are so grateful.  So blessed.  So in love with our baby girl.

Twelve Months