Chloe's (long over-due) Update 9 - 12 Months

Nine months:

Chloe had more than doubled her weight (from 8 lbs 9 oz to 20.5 lbs), and had grown 5.5 inches (from 22 inches to 28.5)!!!

10 months:

Chloe started crawling, recognized herself in the mirror, and became obsessed with the "baby games & books" on her mom's iPod



11 months:
Chloe she started pulling herself to a stand, crawling with proficiency, smiling while scrunching her nose, squealing at the end of a blessing or prayer, and learning some signs: 1st sign- Thank you, 2nd sign- More, 3rd sign- Please.


12 months/1 year old:

Chloe weighed 22.5 lbs and was 29 and 3 quarters inches.

She could sign:

• "thank you" (very proficiently...however when her chin/mouth area is occupied she has been known to pat the side of her head)
• "more" (occasionally....sometimes used it when she wanted to nurse since she hadn't learned anything else to say)
• "please" (once in a great while, but had somehow associated it with licking her hand and so when we asked her to say please the hand licking is what she usually came up with
• and she added "down" quite emphatically to her signing vocabulary

She continued to wave "hi" and "goodbye" to most people and some pictures and movies and even her pacifier and other inanimate objects.


She was back to pulling herself to a standing position to reach what she wanted, but she took a setback for a few weeks when she broke her broken tibia and fibula on December 8th just a few weeks before her birthday. (She didn't stand on it when it hurt her, she started again about a week before she got her cast off so we knew it was healing nicely. She got it off the first week of January.)

She began to love to "read books" during her 12th month, (both look at them herself and be read to). The first one she really enjoyed was "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" which we checked out from the library around early December. After that we checked one out that featured a little baby chick named "Coco." I got it because we liked the chick's name. :) She really seemed to enjoy the book and would seek it out.

She also liked (and still does like) a Baby Einstein book featuring a mirror on each page.

She had an uncanny knack of knowing just when to shake her head or nod, whether we're asking her questions or just talking to her...either that or she understood way more than we thought she did.

She had slept through the night without eating five consecutive nights (the first few of which were quite torturous for Rob and I since we had to get up every 15-20 minutes to go let her know that we were still here but that she's a big girl and doesn't need to eat in the night) when she broke her leg and our resolve flew out the window. Consequently so did her sleeping through the night. Helping her relearn that became one of our top new years' resolutions!! We accomplished it right around New Years and she was sleeping through the night again by the time she got her cast off.

She started to cuddle things and give them loves, especially her blanket, soft stuffed animals and baby dolls. I only discovered her baby doll affinity when we were at Target after Christmas and she started animatedly reaching for some talking baby dolls in the toy section. The funny thing was that she had very definite opinions about which ones she liked and which ones she wanted nothing to do with. The only other thing that she really wanted/reached for was a "Tickle-Me-Elmo"!! :) She spotted it clear down the aisle and almost jumped out of my arms trying to reach it. When I picked it up for her to look at, she started giggling. So now I'm on the lookout for an organic cotton dolly (perhaps knitted by one of the marvelous knitters I know). ;) ;)


P.S. I hope this post is showing up now on your computer now Jan....Maybe you should get your computer checked. ;)

Chloe's First Banana.....Love at First Taste!!!

The washcloth wasn't too bad either. :P

(18 July 2010)

8 Bits of News About Chloe

1. Chloe started nodding her head and sort of mouthing "ya" about 2 weeks ago, around her 9 month mark (end of September 2010). So now when asked a question she will most often nod her head and make a "ya" sound. However, she still occasionally shakes her head no...which seems to give credence to the times she nods 'yes.' :D
2. Also at about 9 months exactly (end of September 2010) she went from 2-3 feedings per night to 0-1!!! Hooray for Coco!!! ...Mommy and Daddy are especially elated!!
3. Last week on Wednesday (6 Oct 2010), Chloe pulled herself up onto her knees (at my sister's coffee table). She has repeated this action a few times since then. (See Exhibit A)
4. Chloe sat herself up for the first time last Saturday (9 Oct 2010) morning around 4 am. She was in her crib sleeping and Rob was gone on a business trip. He usually gets her in the night when she needs to eat. <3 (See Exhibit B: You can just make out a sitting Chloe in this blurry picture of Chloe through the video monitor.)
5. Chloe started crawling on Sunday (10 Oct 2010). Only a few "steps" at a time before she would spread her arms and legs straight out (to the side that is) and let her body flop down onto her tummy, but hey, it's progress. :-) (She's gone a few more paces at a time since then.)
6. She still likes to sleep with soft things on her face, just like when she was SO small (compared to now) :-P and used to bury her face into her soft bumper pad in her cradle. Now it's a little silk blanket that I made for her that she puts in her face when she's sleeping. (See exhibit C: A clearer view from the video monitor)
7. I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but when Chloe was only a few months old, she would get quite put out if I tried to nurse her when she was tired. I've heard that many babies like to go to sleep nursing. Not Chloe, even to this day, if she's tired AND hungry, she'll usually choose sleep over eating and if I try to persuade her otherwise, she still gets QUITE PUT OUT!! :)

8. Last Friday morning she went for 13.5 hours without nursing!! (15 Oct 2010) That same morning, before she'd even gotten up to eat, I heard her just playing quietly in her crib. After a little while I asked Molly to get her and bring her to my room to nurse. When Molly went in there to get her, she had pulled herself to a standing position against the rail and was shakily standing there...probably not sure what to do now that she'd gotten herself into that predicament. :) I've yet to witness this phenomenon myself.

Exhibit A:



Exhibit B:



Exhibit C:

First Nun-Chucks

With Rob as her dad,
it's definitely....

A Right of Passage

Little Things About Chloe...

1. Chloe will be your best friend, for a while, if you have any strings/ties/ropes attached to your clothing that she can play with!!
2. Grandma Neener (my mom) discovered her 2nd tooth about two weeks after Grandpa Jan discovered the first. (Her first tooth was lower front right, 2nd tooth lower front left.)
3. Chloe takes good naps most of the time. She usually fusses when we lay her down but most times stops immediately when we either stick her pacifier in her mouth or put her little silk blanket over her face. It's almost like a switch. :) Then she'll roll around a bit and lately she's been ending up falling asleep with her little bum in the air. :)
4. She still likes to wave at people. It's not 100% of the time and she's notorious for not being willing to perform on cue. But her favorite time to wave is over "Daddy's" shoulder. She seems to know that she's the one that gets to leave and perfectly happy to let everybody know. One night Rob was holding her and reading scriptures. Every few minutes she'd look over at me at which point I'd smile and wave at her. She'd smile and wave back and then look away, perfectly happy listening to her daddy read.
5. Coco is extremely flexible. She pulls her legs in all kinds of weird contortions without a moments thought. She still, occasionally chews on her toes, when there isn't something else more interesting to look at/grab/chew/suck. And almost always has one or both of her legs straight in the air.
6. Like most kids, Chloe has an affinity for other kids. She likes Ben and other kids quite a bit but it's a pretty well-known fact around here that she really, really likes her sister. It seems that, when Coco is in the mood to laugh, Molly will frequently make her laugh without even meaning to. (Not to mention the belly-laughs she gives when Molly is trying.) She likes her siblings so much that when she's in my room with me and I go to the door and open it she gets all wiggly and fast-breathing as she excitedly looks around for Molly and Ben. As if to say, "Here I am guys!! Let's play!!"
7. Chloe loves to play games and loves music. If you start to play: "patty cake", "this little piggy", one of her musical toys or books, or even a fun children's song, her eyes light up with a happy knowing look. And with the music she'll try to dance. :)
8. The past few days she's started to squint her eyes all the way shut, scrunch up her nose and smile when somebody looks over at her.
9. Her first encounter with any kind of solid food was on July first. She was quite dubious. We offered food to her a few more times in the next few weeks. She wasn't a big fan. Then about a month later or so, we tried food again and she's a BIG fan. Anytime she sees me carrying food, she instinctively knows what it is and starts smacking her lips and waving her little arms and kicking her little legs. She thinks she gets to eat whatever I do. :-P She even tried to eat a chip right out of my mouth (on two different occasions). So far she's had, and likes (in order of appearance...to the best of my memory and knowledge):

• zucchini
• sweet potato/yam
• avocado
• yellow squash
• rice
• rice cereal
• bananas (whole or mashed)
• cucumber
• grapes
• pear
• yogurt (doesn't matter what kind)
• Baby Mum Mums (crispy rice cracker things)
• applesauce
• "Morning O's" (a version of Cheerios)
• potato
• a bite of poppy seed muffin (fed to her by daddy) :P
• jarred baby food (we got some for our camping trip, winter squash, spinach and potatoes, grandma's turkey dinner, berries and apples... she liked the spinach and potatoes least)
• celery
• carrots
• chicken
• peach
• cantaloupe
• homemade chicken and rice soup

5....6....7....

Chloe is 7 months+!!!!

She continues to shock us how fast she's growing and changing!!!

The following are her size pictures from 5 months:

6 months:

7 months:

Chloe loves

to

eat her

shoes and feet

So Much to Catch Up On....Where Oh Where Do I Start???

Before I forget I need to document some milestones that Chloe has reached. (I know I'm really the main one interested in these little details) :)

• Chloe sat up on her own for the first time on July 14th while she and I were at the pool watching the kids swim. She just suddenly figured it out and has gotten better and better at it ever since.

  

• Chloe began standing up (with help of course) around the 29th of July. Before that if you tried to get her to stand up she'd just let her legs buckle under her. She didn't start by standing straight up though. When she first started standing she'd stand with her legs straight but she'd bend at the waist as if she were taking a bow. After a few days of standing like that she started to straighten up and now, more than a week later, she's standing like a pro.
• Chloe also began shaking her head back and forth around the 29th of July. We're pretty sure she doesn't know what it means but we have fun with it, asking her questions and waiting to see if she shakes her head or not.
• Around 4 August 2010 Chloe started waving but it was a funny circuitous wave, sometimes making beckoning motions, sometimes waving her hand in circles, and sometimes actually waving her hand up and down. The past few days she's actually figured out how to wave up and down on cue....when she wants to. :)
• The past two days Chloe has been holding up her index finger while holding the rest of her fingers down with her thumb as if she's giving somebody "the what for" or telling us that she's going to be one year old.
• Today Grandpa Jan was holding Chloe at church and she bit his finger, the pain of which led him to discover that she's recently cut her first tooth. (A few days ago she started pulling at her ear so it probably started cutting through her gums at that time).

More Milestones

This week Chloe has achieved quite a few milestones:

• she started putting herself to sleep...it's funny because I feel like Chloe is training me rather than I training her! I've read that you should teach your child to put herself to sleep so that she won't be dependant on you to help her get back to sleep in case she gets woken up. I thought, "yeah, right!! easier said than done!" I had no idea how to accomplish that so I just continued trying to do it the way we've always done: rocking, shushing, coddling, etc. Well, it stopped working for the most part now!! She just wants to lay down and moan/chatter herself to sleep. :-P

• Chloe has discovered the joy of sucking on her toes!

• she has found her thumb! She still likes other fingers, and occasionally multiples. But she seems to be developing a definite preference for the good ol' thumb.

• yesterday Chloe rolled from her tummy onto her back for the first time and several times, although it still seems to be a surprise to her every time it happens so she can't exactly replicate that action at will.

I Can't believe 4 Months have gone by!!!

Four months ago, at exactly this time, Chloe took her first breath. It was amazing to meet her for the first time!! That moment is utterly, indelibly, irrevocably etched into my mind (as I'm sure most, if not all, moms would agree). She is simply a joy to our family. It is so fun to glimpse her little personality. She has such a peacefulness about her that I can't help but bask in her serenity. I love that little girl more every day, and I'm still in awe about how a little person could grow inside me and then come out and be her own little person...it boggles my mind, and yet it happens all over the world, everyday. It amazes me that such a miracle as life could be so prosaic.

Chloe commemorated her 4 month birthday this morning by grabbing her toes for the first time. (Too bad my camera was in the car and I had to resort to my cell phone camera...the things we take for granted these days...resort to another camera....my how technology has changed since I was a kid!) ;)

Chloe's 4 month size picture. Our day was pretty crazy. By the time I was able to take a picture of her, she was dreaming sweetly. Oh well, I guess it makes it interesting because it's different than all the others...although I might do another one tomorrow. :)

A Few Days In The Life of An Infant

•last week Chloe started laying with her legs straight up in the air

•this week, yesterday for the first time, she used those raised legs to help her flip from back to front...she did it by turning on her side while her legs were raised and then suddenly flipping onto her tummy

•she's only grabbed onto hands, her pacifier, or clothing until today...for the first time today she reached for two different things out of curiosity: my hair and a book I was reading (in both cases she just watched her hand exploring the object of her attention but never grabbed anything...just explored)

•this week she's taken to sucking on one hand while raising the other straight into the air and keeping it there...maybe she's been watching too many super-hero shows with her dad ;)

•tonight I was rocking her to sleep, her face was in the customary nuzzle position-- flat up against my neck-- and her breathing was slow and deep, when suddenly she let out a long, giddy giggle.... I'd really like to know what that dream was about!!!

Chloe's Blessing

Chloe was blessed on 11 April 2010. My dad's birthday. :)

I didn't take any pictures!! :(

The next day my sweet sister Maria came over to my house to take some pictures of Chloe in her dress since we missed it that day.

This is a little video clip of Chloe during the shoot....ignore all the giggling in the background. :P

The dress she wore was a dress my Grandma Grace made over 60 years ago when she had her first child. It was worn by my Uncle Eric. I've loved it ever since I first saw it so my grandma intended it to me when she passes away but she decided to give it to me now so that my little Chloe could wear it to be blessed in. I find it incredibly special that she was able to wear a dress made by the wonderful lady she was named after!!

The blessing was really special. It wasn't too long and it was very meaningful! I had three of my sisters write it down as they heard it so that I could put those in her baby book. I hope she will treasure that as I've treasured many of the blessings I've kept record of in my life!!

(12 April 2010)

Chloe Giggles

Chloe was very happy this day, and she let out her first giggle...it was very short, but it was a giggle. :) And she's giggled a bit more/longer several times since then.

13 March 2010

2 months....3 months

I got a bit behind in posting so here's Chloe's 2 month size pictures:
And here's her 3 month size pic's:

A Miracle....in My Eyes

Last night, at about 9:30 p.m. I fed my little sweet pea. She spit up about half of it and soaked a few burp cloths. I changed her diaper and clothes, swaddled her up, and then handed her off to Rob. He rocked her to sleep and held her for an hour or so until about 11:30 p.m. I packed lunches and then worked on turning useless swaddling blankets into more burp cloths until midnight. I had a snack and pumped around 1 a.m. (because Chloe hadn't woken up to relieve my fullness). :P

Then the next thing I knew Rob was waking me up around 7:30 a.m. asking if Chloe was hungry. She was laying in her bassinet just making smacking sounds. That little girl hadn't eaten in 10 HOURS and she wasn't even complaining about it!!! She was simply laying by herself, smacking her lips, and wishing her mom would wake up and feed her!



What an amazing girl....her first full nights sleep and she does it with a bang!! No measly 6 or 7 hour sleep for her....she goes for 10 big ones!!



When she finally got to eat around 7:30, which, by the way, was a very guzzling affair, at one point I adjusted my position a bit in the bed, so Chloe detached and looked up at me with wide eyes but simply looked back down and went right back to her hasty breakfast.



I tried to get a smiley pic after she'd eaten, to document this momentous occasion, but all she would do was stare wide eyed at Rob and I with an expression that seemed to say, "what are you two lookin' at?" .....Until I put the camera down that is, then she broke out the smiles...of course.
....maybe the "I love mommy bib" was the key to this miraculous event.... lol

Sunday at Home with Daddy

We're not ready to bring Chloe to church yet so I pumped some milk and we tried a bottle for the first time (Sunday, January 31) and after we knew she'd take it, I headed off to church and left her home with daddy. I went to an 11:00 sacrament meeting at another ward so that Rob could take the kids to ours at one but I got home and Chloe was having such a good time with her daddy, and he was enjoying her so much that I decided I could use another dose of church and they could use more time together so I took the kids and went for two more hours. (That was about all my recovering tail-bone could take).

Daddy was excited to get to feed her for his first time and Chloe seemed to take the bottle pretty well.

They took a nap together during church and another nap after church. I came in and found my sweet honey sleeping next to my sweet baby girl. What a precious sight they were! I was afraid I'd wake them up taking pics, but it was a risk I couldn't resist!! :)

**Molly got to feed Chloe for the first time as well that evening, there was a little left in her bottle from earlier. Molly also got to hold her up on her shoulder in burping position for the first time.

**Ben asked to hold her and held her for quite a while. He'd only asked/held her 2 or 3 times previously. He's very cute/sweet with her though.

(Too bad my camera was upstairs and I didn't get to document these fun things with the kids... At least Paula took a pic of Molly holding Chloe up on her shoulder.) :P

Highlight Pics of Chloe's 1 Month Birthday!!

Good Morning....Happy 1 Month!!Bath timeSo nice and clean!

Dressed and ready for the day....after a napAll bundled up....still napping. :P Monthly Size pic with Mr. Lamb

Milestones

Last weekend we got Chloe her first paci. I was at Whole Foods and saw one that intrigued me. She did get one from the hospital that we'd given her once in the hospital and just a few other times but we were holding off on getting her hooked on the paci until she'd gotten a good 'grasp' of breastfeeding. :P

Last weekend also marked another milestone for Chloe. We decided she was too big for the newborn clothes so we got out some bigger clothes and this pic is when she wore her first 0-3 outfit.

Bathtime With Mommy

Sunday, January 17, Chloe and I decided to take a bath together. Her cord had recently fallen off so we decided it was time to try a real bath. She seemed to like it.This is Chloe all cozied up in her little bear/towel suit after her first real bath.

Look at me!! I'm 1 week old!!

Chloe tells all about her 3rd and 4th Days:

I'm 3 Days Old:

Daddy changing my diaperI met my older cousin Milo and his mom,

my favorite Aunt Amber.

Milo is almost exactly 2 months older than I am.

But guess what?! He was only a bit longer,

although he definitely had more meat on his bones. :)

I slept the whole time, so I guess I'll have to get to know Milo another day.

I'm 4 Days Old:

I was getting ready for my first outing

...it's hard work

...had to stop and rest. :)My big sister Molly loves to help take care of me any chance she gets...

She helped Daddy give me my first bath at home...

I didn't like the bath very much...

but I felt much better once they took me out and put me in that nice warm towel!!

...I'm so lucky to have such a cool big sister!!All ready to go....

My 1st Outing: Getting my biliruben tested.

(Note: Mommy had never heard of biliruben.

When the hospital doctor told us we had to get my biliruben level checked,

Mommy thought: "Who's Billy Ruben?!? And what does he have to do with my baby?!")

P.S. My biliruben level was down when they tested it!!

I got to meet my favorite Aunt Maria...
And my favorite Great Grandma Grace...
I'm named after her!! Then I got to hang out with my favorite Grandpa Jan!!

Ahhhh....I'm SO loved!!!