Happy Birthday, Macyn!!

Happy Birthday, Macyn!  I knew it was coming, but I still can’t believe you are a year old!  You’ve grown and changed SO much during your first year, and here is what you’re up to now:

·         You weigh 20.10 lbs (45^th percentile), are 30 ½ inches long (80^th percentile), and your head is 18 ¾ inches around (95^th percentile).  You are in mostly 12 month clothes and you wear size 3 diapers.  Though you can still fit into some of your size 2 shoes, your feet are growing and you fit into some 3’s.

·         You pretty much eat whatever we give you, so I’m not going to make lists anymore of what you’re eating.  I will mention that you LOVE fruit, ice cream, and cake (now that you’ve been allowed to eat it!). 

·         You have 4 teeth now and you love to brush them with mommy and daddy.  Let’s hope you keep up that good habit when you’re older (haha).

·         You are really working on learning to walk.  You stand all the time now and “cruise” to your intended destination.  You hold our hands and walk.  Your cousin, Brayden, got you a walking dinosaur toy a couple of weeks ago, and you knew exactly how to make it go.  (And you love it!)  In the past couple of days you have even been brave enough to take 2-3 unassisted steps before you realize what you’re doing and fall down.  When you’re not thinking about it, you will let go of whoever/whatever is holding you up and stand on your own.  When you realize what’s going on, you immediately drop to your knees.   

·         You talk and sing ALL the time.  Your favorite thing to do is pick up a phone or remote control, put it to your ear, and have a conversation.  I think you learned this from watching us on the phone, which just goes to show how often that is….haha!  You learned the motions to “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” just a few days ago.  I’ve been singing this to since you were born, but one night while I was singing you just started making the movements with your hands.  Let me just say that it is TOO cute! 

·         Fun moments of this month – you went to Dallas to see your buddy, Avery, and she took you to your first Rangers game.  You celebrated your first birthday!  You had 2 parties: a small family one before Brayden left to go out of town, and a big one with lots of family and friends to help celebrate.  Your official party had a safari theme, and mommy’s friend, Carla, made you a beautiful zebra/hot pink cake for your guests and a giraffe cake just for you.    You had lots of fun playing with your friends and your new toys.  You also took swim lessons!  Even though you’ve always loved water, you suddenly became a little timid when time for swim lessons.  You were a pro at being dunked under the water, but you do not like for us to make you kick your feet.  You do love to splash, though, and you don’t mind being splashed back.  We’ll keep working on it and maybe you’ll love swimming soon!

As fast as it's flown by, we have enjoyed every moment of your first year.  We love watching you grow, learn, and change daily, and we can't wait to see what's in store during your second year!

11 Month Update

You’re 11 months old!  Here’s what you’ve been up to this month:

·         We haven’t been to the doctor lately, so we don’t have an accurate weight/height this month. You are in between wearing size 6-9 month and 12 month clothes,  and you wear size 3 diapers.  You’re still in those size 2 shoes, so you obviously inherited your feet from mommy.



·         You love to eat, and you’ve been trying out lots of new things lately.  Your new favorite thing to eat is chicken and real veggies (yay!).  We tried out a couple of those toddler meals for you, but you wanted nothing to do with them.  You prefer big people food, and whatever you see us eating you want for yourself.  You’ve also gotten the hang of your sippy cup, and you like to drink juice and milk from it.  Your favorite snacks are cheerios, goldfish, and popsicles.

·         You got another tooth this month, so you’re at a whopping 2 teeth now (haha).  The second was a little easier than the first, though I know it still wasn’t easy for you. 

·         While you still love to socialize, you are going through some separation issues right now.  It doesn’t help that we had to change daycares this month, so now you have to get used to a bunch of new friends and teachers all at one time.  I have a hard time leaving you every morning when you get so upset, but I know you’re ok because your teacher sends me pictures of you having fun all the time.  Outside of daycare it usually takes you a few minutes to “warm up” to new people but, once you do, there’s no stopping you.  You especially love kids and you will chase and laugh for hours once you find someone to play with you.

·         You are a ridiculously fast crawler.  We have to be very careful when we put you down because sometimes you are nearly impossible to catch.  You’re very determined and, once you’ve set your sights on something, you will figure out a way to get it.  While this is sometimes frustrating for your daddy and me, it is a great quality to have and I hope you never lose that.  You stand up (assisted) all the time now.  If you can find a way to pull up on it, you will.  You also take assisted steps and seem very interested in walking, so we’re just waiting for you to figure it all out. 

·         You haven’t added many new words this month, but you have become better at applying the ones you do know.  You know the word “ball” and you know what to do with them.  You have lots of balls, and you know that you’re supposed to pick them up and find something to throw with you.   “Bo” applies to any dog that you see, and you actually know what they sound like and where they should be.  If you hear a dog bark you will start saying, “Bo, Bo, Bo, Bo.”  Also, you will crawl to the back door (not just at our house) and point and say, “Bo, Bo, Bo.”  You still like “uh oh” and sometimes when we hand things back to you, you will actually say something that sounds a lot like, “Thank you” in your own kind of way.  You also like to poke people and say, “tickle, tickle, tickle.” (Yes, you really do say it!)    It really is hilarious!

·         Fun moments of this month – you celebrated your first crawfish boil at our house.  There were LOTS of people there for you to play with, and you had lots of fun.  You met many of your relatives at the Melanson/Melancon family reunion.  You also went to your very first Astros game and had a great time cheering and clapping.

Now let the countdown begin until you are a year old!  We love you precious girl!!

10-Month Update

Wow, this month has flown by!  We’ve been a busy, busy family, but you’ve just kept right up with mommy and daddy.  In addition to all of that, here’s what you’ve been up to:



·         You weigh 18 lbs 3 oz and are 29 inches tall.  You wear size 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers.  You’re still in those size 2 shoes (though you did grow out of one of our favorite pairs!).

·         You love to eat, and you’ve been trying out some new things lately.  You’ve had hot dogs and french fries, pancakes, cheerios, crackers, mashed potatoes, rice, and refried beans.  Still haven’t met a food you don’t like – for which I am very thankful!

·         You got your first tooth!!!  We’ve been waiting and waiting for it to come in, so I’m very excited about it (probably more than I should be).  It did give us a few long, sleepless nights of trying whatever we could think of to help.  But overall, I think we made it through pretty well. 

·         You’ve always been a social butterfly, but now you recognize family and friends and go nuts when you see them.  You wave/clap/flap your arms like a bird whenever you recognize someone (especially your cousin, Brayden).   You LOVE attention (go figure), and you know how to make sure everyone in a room is watching you. 

·         You’re a crawling rock star now, and you act like you’ve been doing it your whole life.  You’re quick, too, which makes keeping up quite a feat for us.  Your teacher told me that you pull up and stand at school all the time, but you won’t do it at home.  I think it’s because we’re all too eager to help you, so you just let us.

·         New “words” you’re using are “Buh” when you point at Beaux and Cooper (our dogs) and “Uh uh” (“uh oh”) when you drop something.  You can actually apply those things about half of the time on your own, but other times we say it first and you repeat.    Singing is probably your favorite activity.  You like to “sing” along with the radio, and it cracks me up to listen to how your voice actually sounds like you’re trying to sing.  Usually you clap along also and get really excited.  Your favorite song at the moment is “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” even though we only do the first verse (you haven’t learned stomping and shouting – and we’re not quite ready for that anyway). 

·         Some fun moments this month – you celebrated your first Easter in New Braunfels with the family.  We stayed in a cabin and had lots of fun, complete with an Easter egg hunt that didn’t catch your attention much.  You also “drove” your Grandpa’s tractor.  What a big girl!



We love you very much, sweet girl!  Looking forward to where the next month takes us. 

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

9-Month Update

Macyn, you are 9 months old now! It is almost unbelievable that 3/4 of a year has gone by with you.  You are such a joy to have around, and we love watching you grow and learn.  Here's what you've been up to this month:

• You are 17.14 lbs (30th percentile), 29 inches (90th percentile), and your head is 18 1/2 inches (or as Dr. Anderson said, "just plain BIG").  You wear size 6-9 month clothes, size 2 shoes (when you keep them on, and size 3 diapers. 
• You're still a great eater.  There's not much that we offer you that you won't eat.  On top of your usual baby foods, you've now tried mashed potatoes, french fries, ice cream, crackers, sliced bananas, and rice.  You still love your bottle, but you like eating the real stuff more.  You're getting better with your sippy cup - I think we just needed some practice.  On a side note, you can finally feed yourself a bottle.  I think you've known how to do this for a while, but you've been LAZY by letting us do it for you. 

• Your sleeping pattern hasn't changed this month.  You sleep for about 8-9 hours a night, usually waking up once to eat at around 2 a.m.  You are such a snuggle bug which I LOVE, but I have to admit that it's put me in the "bad" habit of rocking you to sleep every night.  I know we should be letting you put yourself to sleep by now, but I just can't help it.  (So sue me!)  You also like to take naps in our bed and you snuggle with me before you fall asleep.  I cherish that now because I know it won't last forever.
• Milestone of the Month:  You are CRAWLING!  You've been working on it for several weeks, and one night when we were playing in the living room, you just took off.  Just as we thought, it's been impossible to stop you since.  You love to explore, so we just have to find ways to keep you safe while doing it.  

• You love to sing and play clapping games.  Your favorite is still Pat-A-Cake, but you also like "If You're Happy and You Know It," "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider," and "The Wheels on the Bus."  You might be in the middle of a huge fit and, if someone starts singing, you'll stop and join in, then return to your fit when the song is over. 
• You can wave "bye-bye" and your dad taught you how to "gimme five."  The only bad thing about "bye-bye" is that you seem to get suspicious that you're going to be left alone, so you'll wave and then cry if the person starts to walk away.  I wouldn't say that you've had much "separation anxiety" per se, but you definitely do not like the thought of being in a room by yourself.  It doesn't matter who's with you, as long as you've got someone to entertain.  

We love you very much, baby girl.  With as much fun as the first 9 months have been, we can't wait to see where the next one takes us!

Love,  Mommy and Daddy

8-Month Update

I'm a little late on doing this, but that's because it's Spring Break and we've been super busy!  Here's what you're up to this month:

• You weigh 17.5 pounds and are just over 27 inches tall.  You are wearing mostly 6 month or 6-9 month clothes and size 2 shoes.  You wear size 2 diapers and recently began fitting into swim diapers so we could officially take you swimming!  We went this week and you had SO much fun.
• You still sleep for about 5-6 hours at night, wake up and go right back to sleep after having a bottle.  You take 2 good naps a day, with the occasional catnap here and there.  No matter how many or how long your naps are, you are ready for bed between 8:30 and 9:00 every night.  You have the cutest way to let me know you're sleepy - you rub your eyes and curl up into whoever is holding you for snuggle time.  Although you tend to get fussy when tired as well, it is completely adorable.
• Still no teeth, though I swear they've got to be coming soon.  You gnaw on everything, as well as suck on your lips and such all the time.  Good thing is you're not ususally fussy about it, and I hope it stays that way when teeth finally do make their way in.  Having no teeth doesn't stop you from eating, though.  You eat sliced bananas, french fries (sweet potato ones are the best!), mashed potatoes, and crackers.  You also love your baby snacks, and we still haven't found any baby food that you won't eat except peas.  We're working on a sippy cup, but we're not pushing that too hard yet.  We just wanted you to get familiar with what it is, which you seem to understand just fine.  You know you're supposed to drink out of it and can get it in your mouth on your own, but you have trouble tilting it up without some help.
• You have perfected rolling, and can even steer yourself quite efficiently to an area of your choosing.  You set your sights on a toy and you're impossible to stop!  This past week you began getting onto all fours and thinking about a new way to move (i.e. crawling), but you're not quite sure of the mechanics.  The result was a push-off with the legs and a faceplant.  Once your arms get with the program, you'll be off for sure!
• You LOVE to "sing."  Your favorite at the moment is "Pat-a-Cake," which your Aunt Shannon spent many, MANY hours teaching you.  Now you know how to clap along, and can even get us to sing it to you when you randomly start clapping on your own.  You'll giggle and clap until we sing it (and we always do!).  You also like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Pop Goes the Weasel" as well as playing Peek-A-Boo, especially with Daddy. 
• Though you're still a social butterfly, you've gotten used to playing and exploring on your own now.  You have your own play area in the living room, and Daddy and I can put you there with your toys and watch you have the best time.  You seem to love all your toys pretty equally, so it's hard to say if you have a favorite or not yet.  It's just fun for us to watch you as you discover how things work, which ones light up/play music, which ones are good to talk to (your stuffed animals), and even that you're supposed to "read" books by opening them and looking.
• You can say "Dada," "baba," and "Mama" now.  Though I can't be certain, I do believe you understand who your "Dada" is.  You do use it at times when Daddy is not around, but you rarely use other words when you're talking to him directly.  You'll even reach for him and say, "Dada," which obviously makes him melt.  When you ride on his shoulders, you'll pat his head and say it - so I really think you know what that one means.  "Baba" and "Mama" are a different story, but you've only just begun to say those anyway. 

You've grown so much in the last 8 months, and with the speed you're learning now, I'm sure next month will bring even more big changes.  We love you lots, sweet girl!!!

7-Month Update

Baby girl, you are 7 months old!  You’re growing and learning like crazy, and here’s what you’ve been up to this month:

You’re wearing 6-9 month clothes, size 2 shoes, and size 2 diapers.   Shoes make you smile, but you’d rather eat the m than wear them on your feet.  Your hair is finally growing back in from thinning WAY out around 5months, and your teacher at school has even gotten it into some super-cute ponytails/pigtails on occasion.  I’m working on it, but I’m not quite as good as she is!

You are a rolling machine!  You have figured out how to get from any position into rolling position. Once you’ve decided where you want to go, there’s no stopping you.  You’re pretty quick, too, so I’m a little nervous about keeping up with you when you figure out crawling and walking.

Your new favorite toy is an old cell phone that our friends, Jeff and Terri, gave to you.  The funniest part is, you know what to do with it.  You’ll pick it up and hold it by your head (not quite your ear) and talk to it.  You’ll even pause sometimes like you’re waiting for a response before continuing your “conversation”.  Ha ha!

You love to feed yourself your own snacks.  Of course, more gets on your clothes, face, or hair than in your mouth, but it doesn’t matter to you.  I will sprinkle a few onto your tray and you will cram as much as you can fit into your mouth, and the rest you will hold in your fists to make sure no one else steals them.  When you have no more, you will bang your fists on the tray and stare at me as if to say, “More!  More!  More!”  Your favorite snacks right now are your little puffy “cheetos” (as we like to call them).

We introduced you to a sippy cup, more so to see how you would react, not necessarily to see if you could use it.  You did grab onto it, but couldn’t quite figure out how to get the juice out.  I tried a few times to help you, but you just got frustrated.  I ended up holding it for you and you gulped down your juice.  At least you don’t mind drinking from it – but we’ll just keep working on how to use it yourself.

You seem to be picking up new things faster and faster, and I can’t wait to see where you are next month.  Your daddy and I so enjoy watching you grow and learn.  We are so blessed to have you – we love you, sweet girl!

6-Month Update

Wow!  I know it's cliche, but I truly cannot believe that you are 6 months old now.  I guess the old saying really is true - time flies when you're having fun!  Here's what you've been up to this month:

You'll go for your 6-month checkup next week, so I'm not sure exactly what your stats are.  I know a month ago you were exactly 14 pounds, and my guess is that you are between 15-16 now.  You're still quite tall and skinny, but your cheeks are getting chubbier.  (It's super cute!)  You're wearing 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.  We still have a hard time finding shoes that fit you, but the ones you can wear are size 2's. 

As always, you love your food.  New foods this month are pears and green beans.  Your very favorite is still sweet potatoes, which I think you would eat all day long if you could.  We've started including you in family meal time and you adore it.  We feed you your big girl food while we eat, and you love interacting with us at the table.  Mrs. Julie (your teacher) puts you at the table with the big kids at school and she says that you are the life of that party, too.  (Go figure!)  You also (finally) started eating our homemade baby food, which you used to spit out and turn your nose up at when we first tried it.  Daddy started experimenting with better textures and adding "flavors," and now you like it.  Whew!

You're a pretty good sleeper.  Being such a social butterfly at school wears you out, so you've been going to sleep around 6-7 pm every night recently.  You usually wake up once during the night to eat, but always go right back to sleep.  Occasionally we'll have "rough" nights where you wake up several times and want to play, but that doesn't happen very often. 

Milestone of the Month:  You can sit up all by yourself!  You've been sitting with the help of your Bumbo seat for several months, which I believe helped you build up strength to sit on your own so easily.  One day after changing your diaper, I decided to sit you up on the changing table and see what you did.  To my surprise, you stayed sitting!  Of course I snapped several pictures and cheered until you got so excited that you tumbled.  Now you practice every day and are quite good at it.

You're a very busy girl.  You literally get into everything within your reach, and we can only imagine how much fun it'll be to keep up with you when you become mobile.  Your favorite toy is still your Exersaucer, and Daddy and I love to watch you figure out how everything on it works.  When we put you in it, you know exactly which toy you want to play with on it, and spin yourself in front of it immediately.  You can focus intently while playing and hardly notice if anyone is in the room (at least for a little while).  You're very determined and usually find a way to get what you want.  (Though that creates a lot of "fun" for us sometimes, it's a great quality to have and I hope it sticks with you as you grow up!)

We love you very much, sweet Macyn, and can't wait to see what this next month has in store!