Happy Birthday, Tali!

Tali with some of her favorite stuffed animals.

Dear Tali,

Happy Birthday! You turned two today and you've become such a great little girl. It's been amazing to watch you grow this past year. You went from taking your first steps to running around the house and saying your first words to speaking complete sentences. There isn't a shy bone in your body and you are a very active child. In nursery school, your teachers say you are always up for anything and very adventurous on the playground. You are now full of personality and have distinct likes and dislikes.

At this age, your two big loves are food and animals. Luckily, you are still a very good eater. While you don't always want what I offer you, you are still willing to try new foods and eat everything from chili and red beans & rice to beets and broccoli. Your love for animals is a big part of your life. You've never met a dog you didn't like (thanks Jackson!) and will happily pet any animal you come across - in a house or on a farm. Speaking of Jackson, you love him dearly and have become very attached to him. If anyone takes him on a walk without you, you cry his name until he returns. You also enjoy petting him, playing with him, walking him and feeding him.

Some other things you enjoy at this age are:
Books (you know all your books by name and have most of them memorized)
Sesame Street
Stickers (your favorite place to put them is on the back of the sofa)
Stuffed Animals
Gymnastics with Mommy (mainly somersaults and headstands)
Bubbles
Coloring (with markers or chalk)
Sleep

I still remember the screaming baby from two years ago. It's incredible that you've turned into such a fun and happy toddler. You are very creative in your play and make me laugh constantly. Plus, you are very, very cute. Yes, you throw your share of tantrums these days, but the good times we share more than make up for it.

Happy birthday to my favorite two-year-old! I love you and hope you had a wonderful day today.

Love,
Mommy

P.S. Thanks for the three-hour nap! Sorry we had to wake you.

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Tali!

Dear Tali,

Happy belated birthday! On Thursday, December 24, you turned one year old! I know I am a little late in posting this, but I've been very busy. You are now 17.5 pounds, 27" tall and have outgrown all of your 3-6 months clothes (except one pair of pants). This first year has definitely been an experience - nothing like I ever imagined.

Some things you can now do:

Voice your opinion - you can't talk, but you get your point across

Shake your head "no" (although I'm not 100% sure you really know what that means)

Stand on your own for about 10 seconds

Play with Jackson and laugh, and laugh, and laugh...

Show off - you love an audience and are such a little drama queen

Have a favorite color - I'm not sure why, but you love orange things

Wave bye-bye and understand what it means

Walk well with your wagon (see below)

Some things you still can't do:

Clap your hands

Grow teeth (yup, still toothless)

Walk on your own

Respond to your name (it happens sometimes, but not all the time)

Understand that I'm serious when I tell you "No"

Fall down and/or bump your head without screaming, no matter if you hurt yourself or not

Change your own diaper

Eleven Months Old Today

Dear Tali,

Today you are eleven months old today. One more month and you'll be able to eat eggs, drink milk and have honey (yes, I do milestones by food - it's your favorite thing). In this past month you've really gone from looking like a baby to a little person (maybe it's the skinny jeans?).

You've also grown very attached to me and Jackson. When you are upset, you look to me for comfort and Jackson for giggles. Luckily, we are good at meeting your needs.

You now have full-blown separation anxiety and freak out when I leave you home with Savta or a babysitter (hopefully you'll get over this soon).

You have become a very skilled crawler and can get to what you want rather quickly.

You have definitely inherited my independent streak but that's okay. It's fun to watch you try to do everything yourself.

In the beginning people would tell me that every month is better than the last. For a while, I felt that every month was the same (so much crying!), but now that you are getting older, it really is getting better. I'm having a lot of fun with you. I hope you are enjoying it too!

10 months old now

Dear Tali,

On Saturday, you turned 10 months old. For some reason, 10 months was an important marker for me. Now you have a personality, strong likes (and dislikes) and a sense of humor. You've grown from being a big crybaby to a baby who smiles a lot, laughs at random things and cries on occasion. Some observations about you:

• You love food and it seems that bananas are your favorite. If someone is eating a banana in front of you, you get very upset if they do not give you a piece (Aunt Cara experienced this in Florida). At the grocery store, I have to sneak them into the cart when you aren't looking. If you see them, you will turn around and try to get out of your seat to get to them.

• Speaking of the grocery store, it's one of your favorite places. Most babies like the grocery store because of all of the colors. You, however, like the people. You love when people say hello to you and tell you how cute you are. You also love the free food samples (surprised?).

• For the most part, you are well behaved in public. You like to go places and see people. You enjoy waving "hello" and "goodbye" and almost always smile at strangers, even scary-looking ones.

• You think Jackson is the best toy. You have a great time playing tug with him and get so excited every time you see his leash and collar. You've learned how to pet him (but still pull his hair) and you even gave him two kisses this morning.

• Right now, your favorite toys are items that you can pull up on. Your little chair, the crib railing and your little table are all items that you crawl to regularly. You also enjoy pulling up on the baker's rack in the kitchen and crawl right back to it every time I pull you away.

• You are a very determined little girl. When you want something, you go to it. No matter how many times I pull you away, you go back to that same thing. If I hide it, you start looking for it. Usually you are good natured about it and just keep trying, no tears, just determination to get what you want.

• As with most babies (I assume), you hate being told "no" and even though I think you understand that word by now, you do it anyway. You don't like waiting for your food to be made or served to you. You want it now! And, you don't like having things (pens, coasters, etc.) taken away from you. All of these make you cry.

• You are a drama queen. You can produce tears in seconds and can stop them just as quickly. You can be a perfect angel for strangers and as soon as we are alone you show your true colors.

• One of the funniest things to you is when I yawn. You find it hysterical to see me open my mouth wide. On our flight back from New Orleans, you spent the first half of our flight laughing (loudly) at the guy two rows back and across from us who was sleeping with his mouth open. You'd lean over, look at him, laugh, look back at me and repeat. You made an entire area of the plane smile and laugh at your open-mouth obsession.

• Sometimes, you look at Jackson and laugh. Usually he's not doing anything, but that's funny to you.

• I've become very skilled at making you smile/laugh. Singing the Ants Go Marching or Trot To Grandma's house always gets a smile. Peek-A-Boo receives an ear-to-ear grin. And, spinning around in a circle together emits a chuckle every time.

• You still enjoying cuddling with mommy.

Tali, you've become a lot of fun these past few months and I enjoy spending time with you. I can't wait to see what you'll be like in two more months.

Six Months Old Today!

Dear Tali,

Today you are six months old and it's amazing to see how far you've come. Many people have told me that your personality really begins to develop around six months and I cannot wait to see it! In the past six months you've about tripled your birth weight and have become a real baby, full of movement and expressions. There's a lot I've learned about you so far. Here are some of the highlights:

You love music. Music class is your favorite activity and I know that I can almost always get a smile and a laugh when I sing to you (off key, very off key) at home. 

You enjoy being outdoors. Nature is very soothing to you and you are very content on our morning and evening walks with Jackson. 

Speaking of Jackson, you think he's hysterical. There's always a big smile on your face when he comes over and you can't help but laugh when he plays fetch. You also enjoy pulling his hair and trying to eat him. We're working on that last one. It's just gross.

You are not shy. In fact, you love looking at strangers and have a smile for almost everyone. 

You cry. A lot. Yes, you cry less than you did in the beginning, but you still cry a lot. I'd like that to stop now. Please?

Tali, my life is very different now that you are here but I'm so glad you are. You are definitely a challenge but I'm up for it. It's amazing how much I've fallen in love with you. I can't wait to learn more.

An Important Lesson for Tali

Dear Tali,

I've been meaning to write you a letter or two on this blog but never seem to have the time or know what to say. So this will be my first. Today, you learned an important lesson that I'm sure will stay with you until your teen years: go to the toy store with Daddy. Yes, when Mommy goes to the toy store she has a goal (and a list!) and gets what she needs and leaves. But when Daddy goes to the toy store, he spends two hours playing with everything and picks up lots of extra toys for you. On this trip we went to purchase a high chair but left with a lot more. You got six toys - from stacking rings to a percussion set - and Daddy also bought some candy. I know you are too young for candy but I will warn you now - Mommy isn't going to buy you candy very often. Daddy will probably be your go-to parent in that department. You'll come to Mommy for food, comfort and many other things. But bat your pretty blue eyes at Daddy when you want to be spoiled at the toy store.

Love,

Mommy

PS I promise to write a more serious letter next time. 

One of Tali's new toys.

Another new toy.