BabyPics

May 19, 2008: She is really on the move! At 16 months, she's ready to run run run though she still stumbles quite a bit. We go out for walks around the neighborhood but she's mainly interested in going up and down everyone's steps. We try to make it to the playground at least once a day to let her practice her climbing and also to tire her out. Her language is growing along with her physical development. She still uses sign language frequently which has helped us understand what she wants. The majority of her signs center on food (more, milk, noodles, crackers, bread, etc.) but she also likes to sign "bird" and "airplane." She uses the "please" sign to mean 'I want it. I really want it.' Her spoken words are getting more understandable as well, and are the source of great amusement. Her most frequently used words are oatmeal (aka "uht-mmm"), mama, dada, eyebrow, elbow, baby, bamboo, brush, banana (pronounced "nana"), up, off.

March 17, 2008: Julia just turned 14 months old and she keeps us SO busy that we are woefully behind in our web updates. She just took her first steps on Sunday 3/16 but is still mostly crawling instead of walking. Julia uses lots of words now and still uses her sign language frequently too. Her words (in rough order of appearance): dada, mama, doggy, 'duck duck goose', lights, baby, nightnight, all done, owl, apple, hat, 'nana (banana), up, lunch, nononono, eye, wawa (water), o's (cheerios), and dance. She tries to say more, but we can't tell what she's saying (yet). Her two big obsessions these days are birds and airplanes so any outside time is spent listening for the sounds and then looking at the sky. And of course any dog or baby within a four block radius must be acknowledged. Julia also likes 'reading' her books, kissing dolls, and judging by the amount of food she consumes, she might be in training to be a competitive eater.

December 15, 2007: She's eleven months old TODAY! It's hard to believe how much she's grown and changed even in the last month. She's crawling all over, pulling up on anything in sight, and walks when we hold her hands. She's got eight teeth and is eating almost everything we eat. She's even talking! Her first word (after the requisite Dada and Mama) is DOGGY. Of course, everything furry is a doggy, including Santa. She sits and turns the pages of her book chanting "doggy, doggy" until she gets to the page with a dog picture. The other thing she says is "duck duck goose," parroting a little game we played in the bathtub. She also says "light" when she sees the Christmas lights. Well, something that sounds like light but she doesn't quite have the L sound down yet. Christmas is going to be fun fun fun!

October 1, 2007: Two brand new teeth appeared over Labor Day weekend! She's also trying to crawl but can't quite get the forward motion - instead she pushes herself backward. We're in no rush for her to be mobile since we have yet to babyproof the house.

August 18, 2007: Now that I'm back to work there's not much time to post updates or new photos. The newest stats are actually from her 6 month pediatrician appointment, which was about a month ago. At that time Julia was 26 1/4 inches long (75th %), and 18 pounds 3 ounces (90th %). She's still a big girl. She's been enjoying eating solid food since July, and her favorites so far are carrots, zucchini, and cauliflower. She's also enjoyed sweet potato, peas, apple, and cantaloupe. She's sitting up very solidly now, but not yet pulling herself up or crawling. We haven't really baby-proofed the house yet so we're in no rush for her to be mobile. She also doesn't have any teeth yet, though she's certainly been working on them for a while now, so we're sure it will be any day now.

July 12, 2007: On 4th of July, Julia tried her first solid food. We were making guacamole for a party and decided to blend up some of the extra avocado for Julia to try. She wasn't sure what to do with the first spoonful, but by the second bite she was grabbing the spoon and jamming it toward her face. Apparently she likes food. She also started at daycare on June 19th, and had her first cold by June 22nd. Luckily it didn't seem to phase her much and she recovered pretty quickly. Of course, mom and dad both caught the cold as well - to be expected, I suppose. In other news, Julia is sitting up quite well these days and rolling over occasionally. Her 6 month pediatrician visit is on 7/16 so we'll have an update on her height and weight after that appointment.

June 4, 2007: Julia had her four month visit to the pediatrician last Tuesday, after having to reschedule her appointment because her doctor was sick. We know you're all waiting to hear her size update... yes, she weighed in at a whopping 16 pounds, 9 ounces - according to the doctor that puts her in the 96th percentile for weight. Yikes. Her length (24.5 inches, 65th percentile) and head circumference (75th percentile) are catching up but are not quite as "advanced" as her weight. The doctor confirmed she's healthy and heartily approved of her weight gain. She's exploring the world much more now, wanting to grab everything within reach including hair, noses, chins, and glasses. She gets so happy and excited to see Ruby dog - it's only a matter of time before Ruby gets the first pinch! Her favorite activities right now are pulling her toes and trying to sit up.

May 11, 2007: Julia's almost 4 months old and she is still growing like crazy. She's quite vocal now and recently discovered that the world is full of different textures. She likes using her hands to feel faces or clothes or her own fat little knees. She even kept us up one night, scratching and pawing the inside of her bassinet. She also likes to chew on anything but especially all ten fingers or the cloth diaper burp rags we use to wipe her slobbery mouth. She still dislikes tummy time and hasn't rolled over yet, but we keep trying to encourage her to do some push ups (see photo above for proof of her progress). The big news is that we were offered a spot in the daycare center at Sue's work. Phew! For a while it was not looking very promising so this is a big relief. The daycare can't take Julia until June 18th, so Sue has extended her leave from work for an extra six weeks. Her four month doctor's appointment is scheduled for May 21st, when she'll get another round of shots and we'll find out exactly how gigantic she really is. We think she's at least 15 pounds... what a big girl!

March 14, 2007: Julia had her 2 month doctor visit on Monday. She weighed in at a hefty 12 lbs 4 oz which put her in the 85th percentile for weight. The doctor said she is doing very well and had no concerns about her health or development. She also got her immunizations (5 shots) and put up with it like a trooper, with some tears but she settled down afterward pretty quickly. So far, no major negative side effects from the shots, which is a big relief. She's smiling much more often now, and is able to move her hands more purposefully. She's also giving us a 6 or 7 hour stretch of sleep from midnight to 7am. We are VERY thankful she's such a good sleeper.