Dear Sirena,

It’s true what they say: something magical happens after a baby’s first birthday and they become a little kid!  But in addition to trying to be more independent by testing out your legs and attempting to walk (with the help of furniture or an adult’s hands, not on your own quite yet) you have also become a whole lot more clingy with me and your Daddy and nothing makes us feel more loved.  This past month you have started to do something so special and loving: at night after I finish feeding you just before bedtime you reach your arm up, grab me around my neck, and pull my face towards yours so that our noses or cheeks are touching, then you fall fast asleep.

Pure sweetness.

Love you tons,

Mama

The thirteen month rundown

Milestones

• She uses the sign language sign for “please” every time she wants something (she still doesn’t quite understand what the word itself means because she can be demanding when she does the “please” sign when she really wants something!)
• Giving us big, sloppy kisses, not only when we ask for them too, sometimes on her own just ’cause!
• Eating full meals at breakfast and dinner
• Walking around while holding onto furniture and pushing her car around
• Crawls up and down stairs
• Feeding herself with a spoon
• Turning the tv on (Ahhh!)
• Drinking from a straw like a pro
• Going to daycare twice a week like a brave, big girl

Monthly photos

Our little Coppertone model…this girl tans so well!

See past monthly photos in her mini armchair here:

One Month ::  Two Months ::  Three Months

Four Months ::  Five Months ::  Six Months

Seven Months ::  Eight Months ::  Nine Months

Ten Months ::  Eleven Months ::  Twelve Months

Dear Sirena,

I could never have imagined the mixed emotions I would feel writing this post to celebrate your first birthday.  I write this note to you beaming with pride, excitement, anticipation, and a little bit of sadness too.  No longer are you our baby girl but instead you’ve become our little rambunctious toddler basically overnight.  Writing this both excites me for the adventures that are to come and chips away at my heart just a little.

You know, every month when I sit down to write these notes to you I feel like what I want to say is what I’ve already said to you in every post–you’re growing like a weed and it is such a joy and a true privilege watching you become the independent, entertaining, adventurous, sweet, lovable, strong, brave, and hilarious little girl that you are.

Each new day with you brings a whole new appreciation for what you’ve brought to our lives.  There is nothing we love more than watching you learn a new skill or making you laugh.  You make us want to be better people so that we will lead by example and be the best role models for you.  We strive to be the kind of parents that allow you to be yourself, give you many opportunities to learn and grow, while also providing you with a warm and loving home filled to the brim with laughter.  We hope you are at least satisfied with our first year’s attempt at this.  🙂

The end of an era has come and even though I’d be lying if I said it had been a breeze this past year I am already feeling nostalgic about your days as a squishy, squirmy baby.

Life with you is a true JOY and we cannot wait to celebrate a lifetime of birthdays with you, our beautiful little mermaid.

Love,

Mama

The twelve month rundown

Milestones

• Standing on her own (“Look, Ma, no hands!”)
• Listening to us when we say “no”, puts grass down before putting in mouth
• Playing fetch with Lola (although Lola doesn’t get quite the workout when you throw the ball three feet away…doesn’t mean she doesn’t appreciate the attention though!)
• Dumping things out of boxes
• Reading books on her own (she just hums and grunts as she turns the pages)

Monthly photos

See past monthly photos in her mini armchair here:

One Month ::  Two Months ::  Three Months

Four Months ::  Five Months ::  Six Months

Seven Months ::  Eight Months ::  Nine Months

Ten Months ::  Eleven Months

Dear Sirena,

Every day your Daddy and I are so amazed by how much of a BIG girl you are becoming.  It’s amazing how you can be such an independent baby while still finding comfort in being in Mama’s or Daddy’s arms when you get scared or hurt.  Your baby days are quickly coming to an end but I think you are ready to be a toddler–you want to talk and move and play like all of the big kids you so admire.

We are in complete disbelief that you are nearing your first birthday but instead of feeling sad for the end of babyhood we are looking forward to the amazing adventures that are yet to come!

Love,

Mama

The eleven month rundown

Milestones

• Second plane trip–You and Mama took a trip up to Oakland for Mama’s work and were fortunate enough to be able to make a visit with Auntie Jessie.  You are such a good traveling buddy and I was so proud of you being such a good baby on the plane.
• Telling us what you want–After a couple of months of pointing with your index finger like E.T. you’ve learned that pointing has a purpose and you’ve learned to point at the things you want.
• Pull-ups–You pulled yourself up to a standing position all on your own on 4/8. The first few times you did it we didn’t actually see you pull yourself up, we just turned away for a moment and  by the time we turned back around we couldn’t believe our eyes that you were standing. Now, you’re a pro!
• On the move!–You crawled for the first time on 4/10! At first you would drag one leg underneath you (you reminded us of Quasimodo a little bit, hehe) and you were pretty slow but you are a turbo crawler now.
• New words–You have learned Lola’s name and will call to her and, since playing with Lola, you have learned how to say “ball” (sounds more like “ba”).
• “Feet first”–Auntie Jessie taught you to crawl down from the bed or couch “feet first” and now when you approach the edge we say “feet first” and you understand that you need to get on your belly, turn your legs back, and drop down slowly with your feet first (with assistance, of course!)

Monthly Photos

See past monthly photo posts in her mini armchair here:

One Month ::  Two Months ::  Three Months

Four Months ::  Five Months ::  Six Months

Seven Months ::  Eight Months ::  Nine Months

Ten Months

The many facial expressions of Sirena

Dear Sirena,

You’ve been a Southern California girl for two months now and you seem to be making yourself at home quite nicely.  This month we started  swim lessons and Gymboree classes and you love both of these activities a lot–you love learning from and interacting with the other kids at Gymboree and you are so comfortable and content in the water, we call you our little fish.

What we love most about being back in Long Beach is how much you have grown as a curious, friendly, social butterfly.  Watching you interact with other people, especially family, and bringing smiles to other people’s faces is one of the greatest joys of being your parents.

Love,

Mama

The ten month rundown

Milestones

• Clapping–You started out touching one fist to the other palm but eventually figured out how to do a slow clap this month.
• Waving on verbal cue–You’ve been waving for a while now but you understand when someone says “hi” or “bye” and will wave on your own instead of just mimicking someone.
• Pull ups–You can sit up on your own from lying on your back and you’re trying very hard to pull yourself up to a standing position (any day now, I’m sure!)
• Showing the love–You sounded out “I love you” after Daddy said it to you on 3/19 and on 3/23 you gave us a kiss after we made kissy faces at you (you open your mouth real wide to give kisses, I’m hoping you’ll eventually grow out of that one 😉 )
• Sharing is caring–You understand what we mean when we say “Can I have it?” by handing over whatever toy you’re playing with. Then after we say “Thank you” and “Here you go” you reach out to take it back from us.
• Bring on the chompers–You’ve got four (count ’em, four!) new teeth coming in all at once, all on the top.

Monthly Photos

She’s rocking her University of Redlands future bulldog shirt!

See past monthly photo posts in her mini armchair here:

One Month ::  Two Months ::  Three Months

Four Months ::  Five Months ::  Six Months

Seven Months ::  Eight Months ::  Nine Months

The many facial expressions of Sirena

Can you tell this was not her favorite activity that day? Haha!

Dear Sirena,

Your first month in Long Beach  has been a whirlwind and you have enjoyed just about every part of the ride!  It’s amazing how much you have grown and developed in this past month and I think a lot has to do with the fact that you are socializing with so many more people and kiddos than you were when we were living in Oakland.  You are becoming a little social butterfly and it is so much more amazing to see you learn from and enjoy the company of the many people who love and adore you.

Like last month there are so many things you are learning to do each day!  Here’s the latest:

• Your vocabulary is growing more and more!  The new sound you’ve begun making is “na” and you actually said Dada and Mama on the same day (Feb 15)!
• Thirsty bear:  You’ve mastered the sippy cup!  I still can’t believe how cute it is seeing you drink out of a straw.
• Good eater!  You still have yet to pass up any new foods (so far you’ve eaten and enjoyed berries, black beans, rice, tofu, tortilla, mushrooms, bread, avocado, sweet potato, etc.) and you show your enjoyment of good food with a little dance in your high chair.  You’re also learning how to share your food…with Lola.
• On the move (almost!):  You are so close to crawling it’s not even funny.  You can get yourself down on your hands and knees and rock back and forth but you proceed to plop yourself down on your belly and roll back and forth to get to your destination.
• Nap time changes:  It only took about a week to do but you transitioned yourself from two 45 minute naps a day to one 2-2.5 hour nap per day.  It’s pretty early for you to transition yourself but we’ve taken your lead and let you determine what nap times work best for you.  So one 2-2.5 hour nap a day it is!

Love,

Mama

The nine month rundown

Likes:

• Feeding herself:  Even though you enjoy a good spoon-feeding every day you would prefer to feed yourself with bite-sized food.  You are so quiet and focused and you have got the pincer grip down like a pro.  Sometimes you’ll pick up the food with your left hand then transfer it to your right hand and proceed to eat it from your right hand.

Dislikes:

• Being left alone:  You’re a great at playing by yourself for a good 20 minutes or so…as long as we are nearby!  As soon as we walk away, even for just a minute, you immediately get upset.  As long as someone is around, though, you are a-okay.

Monthly Photos

See past monthly photo posts in her mini armchair here:

One Month ::  Two Months ::  Three Months

Four Months ::  Five Months ::  Six Months

Seven Months ::  Eight Months

The many facial expressions of Sirena

Dear Sirena,

This month is a little bittersweet for our little family: it’s super sweet because we’re moving back to Long Beach to be closer to family (woohoo!) but it’s bitter because we’ll be leaving your Auntie Jessie who we are so so close with and we’ll be leaving the beautiful, amazing Bay Area where you were born and where Daddy and I have created a great life.  We know that the move is going to be great for all of us but leading up to the move it’s been rough with our emotions all over the place and just figuring out the logistics of moving a family of four across the state of California!

The things you are learning to do are increasing exponentially daily, here are the latest things you’ve been learning to do:

• New sounds!  Up until now you’ve been limited to saying “la, la, la” or grunting (haha!) but your vocabulary has now increased to include the sounds ga, da, and ma

• First word!  Daddy and I were sitting on the bed with you talking about your doggy and you looked straight at Lola and said “gah-gee”. We looked at each other in pure disbelief!  My friend told me to not second guess what we thought we heard so “doggy” is going down in the books as your first word on Feb 4

• Plug it up:  You can now put your pacifier in your own mouth.  Sometimes it’s upside down and watching you realize that it feels different and flip it around (or not!) is hilarious.

• Chow time:  We have officially begun a new chapter with solid food.  We waited until after the new year and our trip to Mexico to get you started on solids and luckily the delay hasn’t seemed to bother you at all, you’re a total pro when it comes to food!  So far we’ve only tried out pureed sweet potatoes and carrots and you’re a fan.

• Hello, baby!  You

We are so looking forward to starting our new life in Long Beach, your mama and daddy’s old stomping grounds.  I know for one you’re going to enjoy the warmer weather!

Love,

Mama

The eight month rundown

Likes:

• Food: We started out easy with some jarred baby food (sweet potatoes and carrots) and so far you are a big fan!
• Taking things out of other things: You love taking the blocks out of the box or the small cups out of the big cups or your toys of your toy bin.  You could probably do that for hours (okay let’s be honest, for 20 minutes if we’re lucky!)  You’re getting close to understanding the concept of putting things into other things…but one milestone at a time, shall we?

Dislikes:

• Being cramped in the Ergo carrier: Up until now you have loved being snuggled up against us in the Ergo carrier but you’re at a funny stage where you’re getting too big to have your arms inside the carrier and up against our chest but you’re still too small to have your arms outside the carrier because it seems to put too much pressure on your armpits.  More than anything I think it’s because you want to be able to see where we’re walking better and be able to grab at things so for now we’re just putting a couple of blankets under your booty to lift you up higher.

Monthly Photos

She’s sporting a Sublime onesie to commemorate her move to Long Beach!

See past monthly photo posts in her mini armchair here:

One Month ::  Two Months ::  Three Months

Four Months ::  Five Months ::  Six Months

Seven Months

The many facial expressions of Sirena

Dear Sirena,

Baby girl, you are growing like a chunky little weed and we cannot get enough of you these days! Seeing you learn how to interact with the world is nothing short of amazing and we are so proud and honored to be along for your journey.

The biggest milestone you reached this month was sitting up on your own!  You’ve been trying to do it for so long and now that you’re finally able to it’s given you so much more independence and the ability to participate in the world in new ways which you are so happy about.

The month leading up to your 7 month birthday was full of new experiences for you and you took it all in like a champ!  First Christmas, first plane ride, first international trip to Mexico, first time in the ocean, first boat ride…  You are such a flexible and easy-going baby (most of the time) and we could not have asked for a better travel buddy.  We truly hope that the Mexican stamp is the first of many in your first passport!

More than anything, at 7 months old you are continuing to become so much more interactive and fun.  You crack us up and make our hearts swoon every single day.

I now understand when other parents talk about feeling that overwhelming and incredible love for their children.  It’s what we have for you, little lady, and I can only imagine how much more this love is going to grow as the years go by.

Love,

Mama

The seven month rundown

Likes:

• Talking: She says “la, la, la, la, la” all the time while sticking her tongue out as far as it can go, it’s hilarious.
• Being naked: I lay her changing pad on the floor as I get her bath ready and she is the happiest naked baby I have ever seen! She kickskickskicks and giggles so loud while lying naked on the floor. It’s definitely one of the highlights of my day!

Dislikes:

• Loud, startling laughs: She enjoys getting startled/surprised all the time but when someone laughs really loud she gets a little too startled and will start crying!
• Clothes going on over her head: This is her least favorite part of the day but as soon as it’s over she’s quickly forgotten all about the torture she was just put through.

Monthly Photos

See past monthly photo posts in her mini armchair here:

One Month ::  Two Months ::  Three Months

Four Months ::  Five Months ::  Six Months

The many facial expressions of Sirena