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. ;)

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

18

18. 18.... it sounds like such a small, minuscule number. It's merely nine twice, or three sixes. 18 is the number of holes on a golf course. Eighteen is the age kids are suddenly considered adults...(to the person turning it, and to all their younger siblings it seems SO grown up...an eternity! And yet 18 seems to be younger every year.) 18 weeks, this past Tuesday, is Chloe's age. 18 short weeks!! Somehow it sounds even smaller than 4 months to me...and yet, I can hardly remember life without her.

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. :)

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:

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

Chloe's Birth Story: Picture Version

Talking to Gretchen, my midwife, and putting in my first 20 minutes on the "machines"

After taking a walk around the maternity ward and trying to figure out when/how long the contractions were...without much success. :-/

We never were able to measure them.

(When I was at about 8 cm my sister started unofficially trying to track what she saw because that's about the time the contractions got a bit more intense,

but by that time I was too distracted to focus on timing). Spending some time on the ball...the ball is part of what saved me from a cesarean!!!

Thanks to Claire Stanely!!!!Support for my support.

We asked my sister, April, to come be the photographer/videographer of Chloe's birth.

She ended up doing much more than that as Rob realized that he needed support in his role of support. :) This ended up being one of my most preferred ways to deal with a contraction (but towards the end April and my mom took turns pushing on the pressure points on my lower back, which helped immensely, and Rob couldn't do it because I was holding onto him) :)She actually came out!!!

I kept saying between pushes: "I don't think she'll come out". :-/

We were both exhausted!!!

She was so quiet and alert.They had to take her and clean out her mouth because she was turning blue. Being weighed.

She didn't like being meddled with by all the medical staff!Holding Daddy's hand in the bassinet...I wish it weren't blurry. :-/Another darn nurse poking and prodding...at least she had daddy to hold her and make it better!!Her footprints.

Being admired by daddy and papa.Grandma and Papa adoring their second new grandchild of the day!!!Saying thanks to Aunt April for all her help!!
Cuddle time with Daddy

Grandma and Grandpa came to meet their precious new granddaughter.
Getting to know each other

First time in the car seat, getting ready for her first car ride...

Heading Home!!!Chloe's first size picture...2 days old.