Miss Ellie: Month Ten

Dearest Ellie Dear,

Ten words to describe you at ten months:

Toothless
Here we are at ten months and still waiting for those two front teeth to arrive. But you don't let that stop your sampling of just about anything the family is eating.

Predator
Your brother is obsessed with learning about animals right now. The food chain and the concept of 'prey' and 'predator' is especially appealing to him. On good days, he lets you be a predator too, crawling and growling around the house looking for prey (usually Mommy or invisible gazelles).

Independent
Now that you are crawling and mobile, obviously you are old enough to go outside by yourself, right? You seem to believe so, but I'm not buying it. You find it especially offensive lately when the back door is closed and you are not allowed to roam freely, grazing from the garden and your favorite rock pile.

Adorable 
But really I've always said this. As you've gotten older, the adorableness of your personality shines through more each day. You seem to have this funny sense of humor which always makes others smile.

Determined
You. just. never. stop.

Sassy
We use to get away with taking things from your hands, or pulling the old bait and switch, but not anymore. Suddenly you know what you want and if we try to take the toy, cell phone, or keys from your tiny grasp, we hear about it. You know that you have a voice and you make sure it is heard.

Destructor
 Just ask your brother.

Dramatic
Yes you can crawl, but if you decide you are done crawling and want to be held, you lay your head on the ground and sob. Then, you look up with the saddest little face to be sure your parents are watching. This is repeated until you are picked up or distracted.

Upside down 
Funny way to describe you but it is true.You like when your Dad holds you upside down and when he isn't, you try to replicate it by throwing your head off my lap or the couch.

Heaven
Cuddled up with your warm chubby body as we begin or end the day. Yes my dear, you are heaven.

 

Miss Ellie: Months Eight & Nine

Dear Miss Ellie,

I remember keeping track of and always waiting for the next milestone with your brother. I was so excited for him to begin rolling, crawling, walking! It was all so new and so exciting. 

But with you, my darling dear, I find myself wanting to slow down time and keep you my baby forever. Those chunky cheeks, pudgy hands, and sweet baby babblings bring me so much joy.

These last two months I feel like you have quickly grown from the "I'm an angelic cooing baby" stage to the "Hide your shoes and vacuum this floor because I'm mobile and putting everything in my mouth" stage. Sigh.
 
You continue to be the first thing J is thankful for in his prayers. 

You have quickly mastered the Cheerio to mouth milestone, usually you have one hand in your mouth and the other already reaching for another Cheerio.

Your usually cheery self became very frustrated for about a week while you struggled to crawl, spinning in circles or getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth. But then you got it, and now you are crawling and getting into just about everything, with a HUGE smile on your face (and sometimes your tongue sticking out in concentration). 

J is having the most difficult time with this adjustment. "She was right there..." with a look of disbelief on his face. He is on constant high alert, moving his books, train tracks, and legos to higher ground.

Still no teeth yet, but you have two little bumps on your lower gums that I look promising. (Promising teething, miserable nights.)

Just today you pulled yourself up to the couch, the dishwasher, and the toy box. And when I put out my hands for you to steady yourself, you kindly push them away. Why crawl when you can walk, right?

Mr. Three

This interview was administered at the kitchen table during snack time. J was in an especially silly mood and so every answer was sprinkled with giggles. I did not transcribe the giggles because "ha ha" would not have done them justice.

These photographs were taken on our bed when I asked him to jump for me. Turns out three-year-olds do not like to cooperate without bribery. Enjoy!

Birthday Interview
How old are you today? three years old
What is your favorite thing to do? nice things, go outside and play
What do you want to be when you grow up? get a movie and be a doctor

What are your favorite foods? strawberries, graham crackers, butter, and apples
What do you do really well? hold alligators, build with legos and eat
What makes you laugh? throwing Ellie away

What is the best time of the day? snack time and lunch time
What are you afraid of? just the spirits
What do you like to do with your family? open presents

What do you like to learn about? tents and dinosaurs
Where do you like to go? Florida and the library
What is your favorite book? the Magellan penguin one and Mercy Watson

Miss Ellie: Months Six & Seven

Dear Ellie,

If the biggest news that happened last time was you losing your hair, the biggest news this time is that your hair is growing back! Now we still don't have the long, dark, wavy goodness you had a few months ago, but I'll take it.

So what has happened in your miniature pieper life these last two months?

YOU:
- celebrated your first Thanksgiving with your first spoonful of oatmeal. And have since tried rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and bananas from mommy. And chocolate pudding from daddy.

- flew on your first airplane to Las Vegas.

- celebrated your first Christmas morning with lots and lots of crunchy wrapping paper and bows.

- started talking! I'll ask, "Ellie, are you the most adorable baby in the world?" And you say, "yayayayaya...." 

- are starting to go places. While still on the cusp of crawling, you are a master of rolling and spinning around to get most things (edible and not) into your mouth.

- visited Idahome for the first time where you learned about dogs, snow, and doting grandparents. 

- learned how to give kisses by grabbing the sides of my face and pulling it towards your own. Your mouth is open and exceptionally slobbery of course.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but you and J are just about the cutest together. Sure sometimes it becomes a screaming scratching battle, but more often than not you guys are laughing uncontrollably. 

"I love you sweetie," he says. "You are a porcine wonder," he says.

Miss Ellie: Month Five

Oh Miss Ellie girl!

What happened this month? 

Besides the disappearance of your hair? Not much. Let's just take a minute to silently mourn and compose ourselves before we move on.

You still love that binky and you think it is adorable that you can pull it out and chew on it and then stick it back in all by yourself. 

You have come alive this month! We once thought we had a quiet and contemplative girl but we have been corrected (and love you still the same). 

You love to wake up at 6:30am and shriek loudly (think "Yay! I'm on a rollercoaster" scream, not crying angry screams), until you get J awake and shrieking in his room too. Good morning at the Pieper household.

You also go CRAZY over bath time. Girl you kick and splash and scream like you are going somewhere important, and it is adorable.

You go berserk watching J and Dad run around the house and play. You scream and kick and laugh and giggle just like you are part of the fun. 

Even though you have the hair-do of a balding man, people are gravitated towards you whenever we go out. Hair or no, you still have a charming personality and a smile that melts my heart. 

And those blue eyes just keep getting more blue!

I love this picture! 

This is exactly how I want to remember your naptimes. Snuggled up with your doll, binky, and hands crossed over your eyes. I see this several times a day and it is still so. darn. cute.

See your brother there? You guys are crazy for each other. 

Even though he isn't always as gentle with you as he should be, he usually has your best interest at heart. He fetches burp clothes, puts dirty cloth diapers in the pail, and sings you the sweetest songs. He can make you laugh and giggle like no one else can. 

This next month you will fly on your first airplane (get pumped!), visit family in Idaho for the first time, and celebrate your first Christmas! 

Miss Ellie: Month Four

Four months old! You rock girl!

Two nights ago I mentioned to your Dad that J had rolled from his back to his tummy by now. Since then you have been nonstop trying to roll over, and you've finally got it! It shows that you will NOT be outdone by anyone.

You love to sing (or what you think is singing). Last night I went to your room to tuck you in and tell you goodnight. I sang you "twinkle twinkle little star" as you began to doze off. As soon as I was finished, you spit your pacifier out with a smile and started shrieking high notes and then lower notes. Your Dad came in with a smile, "I thought you were putting her to bed!" 

Oh my girl you have our hearts. There is not a single day that goes by that we don't repeatedly gush over you, "You must be the most adorable and beautiful baby, ever!"

Even J, "I love her really much!" Don't we all.

You live to smile and giggle. If I am holding you while talking to someone, you cannot help but steal the show and smile and coo until you have all the attention. You bat your long eyelashes and pretend you are shy and then come right back again with more dimpled grins. 

This week in church we almost had to take you out, not because you were crying, but because your giggles and shrieks were getting quite loud as you talked to the whole congregation.

And your favorite person in the house? A cute little girl who lives in the mirror. You two have SO much in common and love to make each other laugh.

Obviously your smile is contagious.

Miss Ellie: Months Two & Three

Hello Sweetheart,

These past two months have been an absolute joy with you! You have stolen all our hearts, especially your brother's. 

When you cry out he has to check on you. When you are playing on the floor he has to be near you, stroking your hair or talking really close to your face. He leans in close and whispers in your ear. 

He always wants you near him, watching him do big boy things. He pulls the boppy pillow into his room by his Legos for you to watch him play. And I won't even mention how often you have to be there when he goes to the bathroom...

You continue to love snuggles and being held. Sometimes when I hold you to my shoulder and rock you to sleep, you lift your head and give me the sweetest smile. We are loving that you are now more aware of your surroundings and our faces. It is so fun to see your excited face and kicking legs when we pick you up from your bed. 

You have us all convinced that you are just about the happiest and most perfect baby there ever was. (And we can believe that our completely biased hearts will tell us the truth every time.) Even when we had long long hours in the car driving between Las Vegas and Sacramento, you were giggling and sleeping most of the way. 

You have what I call a perma-smile! Eating, sleeping, observing, and just about everything you do, you do it with a dimpled smile on your face. In our new home in Sacramento, you are absolutely in LOVE with the ceiling fans in every room. You coo, smile, and sometimes even excitedly scream at the fan.

Did I mention that you are adorable? J loves to cuddle up to you and say, "Look mom! We are best friends! Take a picture of us!"

And I do every time!

Miss Ellie: Month One

Because I have regretted not giving J more than a letter, our new baby girl will be called Ellie on the blog. J will say we are playing favorites already.

Dear Miss Ellie,

Congratulations on being one month old!

Because you won't remember much of this month because you have been practically sleeping nonstop (no complaints), I thought I would share a little about you from birth to one month old.

You were born with long dark hair that has since started to curl. 

From the very beginning you have been a quiet and sleepy little girl. When you need something you will cry out once to get our attention but you really would rather not make a fuss. 

You love to smile! Awake or asleep, your crooked grin and dimples gets us every time.

Likes:
- milk
- sleep
- having your hair brushed
- dancing with daddy
- tummy time

Dislikes:
- hiccups
- burps
- being swaddled (you only pretend) 
- mom drinking milk and enjoying other dairy delights

It took a few weeks but now you and your brother are buddies (because he has finally acknowledged your existence). Your time spent together consists of learning to share toys and invading each others' bubbles. He has already adopted the role of protective older brother and provides helpful advice like, "Stay back Baby Ellie! Stay back!" or "Please stop crying Ellie. Please stop!" 

It is hard to believe that you have only been in our lives for a month when it seems like you have been here all along. You are a joy and we love you Miss Ellie.

Love, Mom

PS: I've been taking a photograph of you each week to see how you (and your double chins) grow and grow!

Month 18

Dear Big Boy J,

Let me start off by apologizing to you. Mom is so so sorry that you are spending your 18 month mark strapped into a car seat and stuck in the car for 8+ hours. It really isn't fair to take such a wild and free-roaming boy and make him sit still, but we have to get to Vegas somehow. I promise when we get there we will let you run around and...oh wait! It will be hot hot hot outside. Will you settle for an indoor, air-conditioned wiggle session?

This month you have become a little imitator, copying everything we do. You love trying out new words that you hear and it is fun for us to communicate with you on a new level. During our daily routine of watching cars on the corner, you wave goodbye to the trucks as they pass and then turn and say, "More Trucks Please!?!"

It is also quite adorable when we ask you if you want to go outside and you begin looking for your shoes. I'm never quick enough with the camera, but you always put your hands up in the air and say, "where'd go? shoes?" with a very concerned look on your face.

 This month you learned that you can get just about anything you want when you tell mommy "please" with a cute little grin.
 
You've also discovered that you LOVE strawberries and raspberries (like, you cannot survive without them!), and Grandpas know where the juiciest ones hide.

Your art easel is your new favorite place to express yourself. And you learned that mom can draw trucks and so you demand them daily.

This month I accidentally created a bug killing machine. After seeing mommy SPLAT a fly you now hunt down all the bugs, and get there just a few seconds too late. But being your thorough self, you still swat the vacant spot and say, "where'd go? bug?"

We are so very happy that you joined our family a year and a half ago! You have brought us so many laughs and we can't wait to see what you come up with next. 

Love, Mom

Month 17

My dear miniature man,

Another month, gone quicker than you running full speed for an open door, cabinet, toilet, or dishwasher! Our house has been much more noisy as you have added many words, sounds, and high-pitched screams to your repertoire. I am amazed at how quickly you are learning and growing.

You have learned how to help unload the dishwasher (the middle-man between the dishwasher and the cabinets), put away your clothes (kinda), and throw away your own diapers. You are also becoming better at using a cup and a spoon. (With the exception of applesauce...just too fun to smear.) 

Your new favorite outdoor activity is to sneak away onto our neighbor's front porch and shriek, "TRUCK!" at the top of your lungs. You really do love cars and trucks. Nearly everyday we sit on a busy corner so you can watch them go by while honking and beeping at them.

In fact, you about died and went to heaven this week when the city repaved the road right in front of our house. HUGE trucks zooming back and forth, meant you were sprawled on the back of the couch all day.

You have also added another performance to your circus act. You truly are living up to your nickname, Monkey Boy.

This month we also went camping for the second time as a family! You loved the dirt, bugs, and splashing in the lake. It was fun to look back and realize this same time a year ago we went camping for the first time. Both times we camped and threw rocks into a lake, both times we came home early because the thought of another sleepless night with a Mr. J was just too much to bear.

Happy 17 months my little ball of energy!

Month 16

Happy Sweet Sixteen Months!

Thankfully your sixteenth month hasn't been as stressful as I'm sure your sixteenth year will be. Lately you have a teenager sized attitude, but at least I don't have to deal with dating and driving too.

Last June when I was writing your four month letter, I was most excited about you rolling from your back to your front. Now I am excited when I can catch you long enough on your back to change your diaper. Oh the changes a year brings!

Obviously you still have the same dark blue/grey/green eyes and I still pose you on the bathroom rug right before you get in the tub. (But now you get hungry before bath time and need a snack?)

A year ago I was thrilled to take you to the zoo to see the animals for the first time. (Because everyone knows that a four month old appreciates... never mind. I'll admit it was more for me). This year you are able to recognize and say the names and sounds of certain animals! Some of your favorites are ducks, dogs, and birds.

We even had a nest of baby robins right outside our bedroom window which you thought was awesome, until Dad started feeding them your strawberries.

You thought that was NOT okay.

Last year we were tickled if you noticed when we came into a room and greeted us with a smile. This year, we were ecstatic when we left you overnight with grandparents for the first time and you didn't even notice we were gone. (Well happy for the most part but just the tiniest bit sad you didn't miss us).

For a boy of sixteen months, you seem to pick up on things quickly. Too quickly. Whenever I get the camera out you say,"CHEESE!" and give me the cheesiest, crooked smile that you have. Now I have to be especially careful and quiet when I want to capture you with a normal expression.

Oh the photographer in me hopes you grow out of this phase! But at the same time, the mommy in me says, "Oh how I love that adorable little weirdo of mine!"

Month 15

Dear J,

This month I was thinking about where we were as a family a year ago. Last year at this time I wrote you a similar letter to the one I'm writing now, except it was for J at three months old.

One year ago I was so excited that you were just beginning to grasp toys with your hands. I was so proud that you could finally hold your head up! I was delighted then that you would hear our voices and turn your head to find us. One year ago you had barely started smiling at us after months and months of scowls and angry eyes.

When I think about who you are now, it is hard to imagine that quiet, contemplative, immobile little guy.

This month you have decided to live up to your new nickname of "circus boy" by climbing on top of just about everything in sight. You climb on kitchen chairs which leads to kitchen tables (and peanut butter!). You climb the counter height chairs which leads to the kitchen counter! 

Let's just say you are under close surveillance now.

While trying to convince your parents that you desperately need a dog, you took the vacuum for walks around the house. You were very persistent, even when the vacuum didn't want to budge.

This month you have also expanded your vocabulary to include shoes, juice, peaches, ball, yogurt, bubbles, and Grandpa. Your favorite word by far is still cheese. When we ask if you want to eat, you always respond with a big smile and ,"cheese cheeeeese cheeese!" You have even learned to open the fridge so you can find cheese for yourself.

You are on your way to being an independent boy, and I couldn't be more proud! Love, Mom