11 months

To my almost one-year-old...

You are fascinated by the remote controls. You will always find them and put them in your mouth and turn on the tv and change the settings to French.

You are not particularly interested in us reading to you. You can't sit still long enough.

You are constantly under the kitchen table putting little bits of food in your mouth. I wish I could say this has made me better at sweeping, but...no.

You will crawl over to the record player, stand on your tip toes and reach your little hand around the dial and turn on the radio and mess with the volume a bit and start dancing...and laughing...and screaming and turn the volume up even more to which Greta will say, "Too loud, Stella."

You love to jump in the bean bag with your big sister. You get on your knees, put your hands up high in the air and fall into it, just giggling. 
Oh, Stella! You are so much like your big sister. You gals know how to have a good time. Much like your Dad.

You are becoming quite the daddy's girl. You complain when he doesn't pick you up straight away after getting home from work. 

You have six teeth.

You point at everything.

You can stand unassisted for sometime.You have even taken a couple steps without realizing it.

You started clapping this week. You have been practicing while you nurse.

It's hard to recall last summer, but if I had to guess, you went on Papa's boat for the first time over the Fourth. You didn't much care for the life vest, but other than that, you enjoyed the ride.

You and I watched the fireworks together while Daddy put Greta to bed. You seemed mesmerized by them. 

You like baths again! I don't know what changed your mind...perhaps it was seeing everyone in the hot tub having a good time over the Fourth of July weekend? Whatever the reason, I am so grateful you don't scream anymore when I give you a bath.

You say "Dada", "Ge-ta", "bubble", "pop", "aw du" (all done), "hi" and occasionally, if the mood strikes you (if you are super upset), you say "Mama". 

2.11

To my almost three-year-old...

You love to draw and most of the time what you draw is pretty unrecognizable, but one day you came up to me and said, "Look mama! I make two smiley faces!" I was nursing your sister and looked over and was so amazed! Yes! You did, Greta, my love. You did, in fact, draw a round face and two eyes and a mouth. Twice! I was so proud I almost cried. You even progressed to giving your faces hair and little bodies.

You keep asking to go to your other home...in Seattle. And I love the way you pronounce "See-AT-all".

When you sing, you announce the name of the song you are about to sing. "Twinkle, Twinkle"...pause..."Twinkle, Twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are!"

You went on your very first carousel ride at Navy Pier. You didn't want to go on the horse, so we sat on the bench. After we got off, you wanted to go right back on.

You are just the sweetest big sister. You love to kiss Estella and feed her and you play so nicely with her...most of the time. I just love you for this.

You have never liked loud noises. Therefore, you didn't watch the fireworks this year. They started going off as your daddy put you to bed and you complained that they were too loud, but as soon as your head hit the pillow, you were asleep...and the fireworks were still going off.

You are becoming increasingly interested in learning your letters. I try to tell you what the letters are when we are building with your ABC blocks, for example...but no. You don't want me to tell you what letter is what. You prefer to tell me. 

Oh Greta, my Greta. A wild yet tame heart. You cannot be told what's what. You must find these things out for yourself...which makes teaching you a new thing very, very difficult, I'm afraid.

To my 22 month old!

We just called your great grandma, whom you met on our recent trip to Nashville.  Your dad and I think you have the cutest "bye-bye".  It's even cuter when you add, "luh-you gamma, bye-bye".  She enjoyed it, too.

You have grown much more attached to your daddy; but, you already understand that he has to leave sometimes to go to work (thankfully, we only had a few tearful goodbyes, mostly because you were sleeping past the time daddy left for work).

When you hear a truck or a motorcycle, you tell us.  When you see a jeep, truck or motorcycle, you tell us.  "Ruck", "cycle", "jeep".  Trains are "choo choos".

You have started saying, "I do"...for just about everything.  You definitely love pressing buttons for all the automatic machines we have (dishwasher, coffeemaker, blender, food processor, washing machine).  You also like to help...even helping me unload the dishwasher or helping us clear the table when your brothers don't listen.  You know what needs to be done and you go and do it.  That is a beautiful thing!  You even help us pull weeds!

Yesterday, your daddy asked you where your brothers were and you told him, "playing ow-side".  Good job on the phrases, buddy.  I pray to cherish these things for you are growing so fast!

You love hide and seek.  You know to be quiet and you know to be out of sight.  Where do you learn these things?  Your daddy said you hid behind the towels hanging in the bathroom when he said, "Where are you?".

When we went to our local jazz festival this weekend, you were putting on a show (dancing and climbing and jumping and being cute) for everyone around us.

You like to pretend you are sleeping because you know it makes us laugh.  Daddy says you lie down on the bed with your bottom in the air and close your eyes.  Sometimes you fake snore.  Then, you pop up and want daddy to notice and tickle you.  You do this over and over again.

We went strawberry picking recently and you loved eating sun-ripened strawberries.  Luckily, your brothers were great at picking this time.  So, they helped me quite a lot so that we could keep up with how many you ate!

Your brother is teaching you numbers.  You repeat them; but, we are not sure if you know what they mean yet.

You love to ride in the stroller and on your tricycle (that we push...that all of your brothers used...and thanks to a hand-me-down from a friend).  You somehow get your brothers to take you out whenever you are jonesing to go!  You also love pushing your "mawmower (lawnmower)".

When we leave the house and your rain boots are in sight, you HAVE to wear them. 

You are teething up a storm the past couple of months--2 molars so far!  It is wonderful and amazing to watch you grow and learn and laugh.

I pray for all the blessings God gives us through you, dear son.  We all love you so.