:)

I'm done counting by week for Miss Layla... haha. I'll continue to post her monthly updates but no need to feel the pressure of the weekly update, right?

(let's be honest. I'm a bad blogger but on the road to getting better, again)

Feeling okay. Still fighting a wicked cough.

Getting very excited for our trip to Florida tomorrow... plans include - SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP. And eating. And then a nap. And then eating. Also....

Saturday - Lunch with Josh's family. Mani & Pedi. Dinner at night with 12 of our friends to start the celebration of Josh's upcoming 30th birthday (July 29) - I'm so excited to see our friends, have a nice night out and begin the celebration of my sweet. He's having a tough time with the whole "turning 30" thing - I'm trying to get him to see how amazing it is. He says he'll come around soon ;)

Sunday - BBQ at Laura & Clay's house - lots of fun, sun, food and pool! Layla will be coming with us so that should be good :)

Monday - LUNCH with my darling AMY! I can't wait to see her, Jordyn & Kole <3 So excited.

Otherwise... NO plans. Hoping to keep it that way. We are there until Wednesday afternoon which should leave time to just chill out and enjoy family.

Cheers!

TO DO LIST.

SO...
my house is a disaster.
I mean - it literally looks like a tornado came through.
There are dirty dishes in the sink.
I found a sock in the sofa.
I have about 86 loads of laundry to put away and another 137 loads of laundry to do.
The real truth? My cleaning lady NEVER showed on Monday (I love her cleaning skills but she is an awful, awful, awful example of how to run a business) - she's not answering my texts or phone calls.
I need help.

SO...

A to-do list. This will hold me accountable, no?
Probably not. But it'll make me feel better.

1. Empty dishwasher, load, repeat.
2. Put away laundry and do the piles of laundry taking over our closet.
3. Put away Layla's toys so the living room appears clean for 3.6 seconds. Vacuum. Repeat.
4. Find a place/throw out everything from Layla's 1st birthday party. It is over. Face it.
5. Scrub the bathrooms. FIND A NEW CLEANING LADY.

... And, while I'm at it... a to-do list of things I need done around the house, in general.

1. Call Steve, the landscaping guy, and have the brush removed from the backyard.
2. DECK - at least pricing?
3. Put together Layla's water table.
4. Price swing sets.
5. Begin the transfer of toys from living room to basement - let the playroom transformation begin! (Need furniture, bookcases, etc etc etc).
6. Price out pull-out sofas for basement and living room.
7. Finish office. Get rid of book case in there. SELL BOOKS, DVD'S. (Yard sale?) Make this room look better as it's the first room you see when you walk in. Get pictures for big wall. 5 black & white canvases?
8. Paint living room.
9. Clean out guest room. Give furniture to Nonnie. Paint. Re-organize closet.
10. Find new homes for litter boxes. Blah.
11. Re-decorate master bedroom. Paint. Make warmer. Re-organize closet.
12. CEILING FANS FOR 3 BEDROOMS!
13. Put away the remaining 9 month clothes of Layla. Re-organize closet.
14. Call Stanley steamer and have all carpets mega-cleaned. It's amazing how quickly light-colored carpets stain.
15. MAKE LAYLA'S 3-12 MONTH PHOTOBOOK!
16. Clean out car. Seriously detail it.
17. Price out bigger cars.

........ okay. I think that's it. Probably not.

Oh. And it would be nice if my awful cough would go away.

And it would be doubly nice if Layla's low-grade fever and rash would go away.

IN OTHER NEWS - THE HEAT WON!!!!! They are the champions. Josh's mind can rest easy. Until football season.

:)

54 weeeeeeeeks!!!!

Squinting on the beach.. I wish I took more pictures, she LOVED it!!

The best IPhone App ever - Elmo and Layla facetime!

Layla's current favorite toy *thanks Rosenthal family!!*- this is after visiting the doctor yesterday, a big burst of energy!

A fast update.
When did I become the world's worst blogger?
Uh.
I blame vomit & fevers.

Rewind...

We had a great couple of weeks. We got a new 6 foot privacy fence. We created a list of things we want for the house. We played. We sang. We danced. We made our way down the shore for the weekend with the Kushners for a nice weekend away in Ventnor (thanks for letting us borrow the house Aunt Karen & Uncle Brad!!) - we loved the beach, the sun, the cousin bonding..

We drove home Sunday. Prior to our departure, Layla took a 2 1/2 hour nap in the pack & play despite Max & Abbey played right outside her door. Weird. We woke her up. Packed the car.

She fell asleep in the car. Again.

Something was strange....

We made our way off the highway, Layla woke up and cried blood murder... and then threw up. All over. The car seat. Herself. Elmo, cookie monster and Ernie were also hit in the crossfire. We cleaned up, got her home, and thus began the 4 days of throwing up/bad fevers/general unhappiness.

My poor, sweet angel. I feel so bad.

We're pushing through and hopeful today is the last day. She hasn't thrown up since last night at 11:30 (progress?) and her fevers are low. I'm keeping Tylenol in her so she doesn't get too uncomfortable.

In other news... I started emailing schools. All the local synagogues. I think she will start going twice a week in January... I'm scared/excited/nervous.

I'll write more later. Or not. But I'll try. Music class is over. Need to make plans for Mondays & Tuesdays to keep us from getting bored.

Lots of love. I am also sick with a bad chronic cough. Hopeful we'll all be healthy by our trip to Florida next weeeeeeek! :)

p.s. a very special Father's Day shout out to my dear husband. I'm so sorry I didn't spoil you more this time around. I'm a bad, bad planner/wife and will make it up to you, promise.

1 year. 12 months. 365 days.

12 month stats:

Weight: 21 pounds, 11 ounces.

Height: 30.5 inches. 

Eating: 3 meals a day, 4 bottles of organic whole milk (all done formula!) – working on getting rid of bottles.  

Clothes: 12 month, 12-18 month, 18 month

Diaper: Size 3. Size 4 at night.  

My darling girl --

Here we are. My letter to you at 12 months. I know I’m a week late in writing this. My normal excuses of being busy, being tired, celebrating your birthday could all work – but the truth is, I am so sad to write this. I think back on this year and can’t help but wonder – where did time go?? Wasn’t it yesterday I brought you home from the hospital and cried because I didn’t know what to put you in to sleep? Weren’t we just celebrating your first smile, your first long stretch of sleep, your impossibly cute face? I know that the dance goes on and this next chapter will be even better then the first – but I’ll forever hold the memories of our times together, late in the night, sweet kisses and soft lullabies.

At 12 months, you are more gorgeous then ever and look completely different then you did just a few weeks ago. You seem to have lost that “baby” look and your fast moving into a whole new phase – toddler! Your hair, despite your recent haircut, is longer than ever and always in your eyes. I think it’s safe to say you inherited my hair growing skills! Your blue eyes are so insanely gorgeous – I can’t say it enough. Everywhere we go, people comment on them – so stunning. Your fair skin and your light hair are the perfect complement to your gorgeous face. I’m simply in awe of you and beginning to wonder if I should look into baby modeling!

Every single day, you learn something new and we simply watch at how SMART you are – You are days away from walking. You can cruise along furniture, stand alone and use your new push-toy from Mom-Mom & Pop-Pop so well – once you get the confidence to take that first step, you’ll never look back. You are the fastest crawler I’ve ever seen. You wave hi and bye (and love to YELL HI and BYE!), you clap, dance, rock, blow kisses, give kisses, give huge hugs, scrunch your face and a million other tricks. The past few days, you absolutely love to color – I’m going to have to get a lot more paper, crayons and markers – maybe you’ll be an artist!

Despite my best efforts to limit your television watching, it seems I’m in a losing battle. Sesame Street and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse are your only two shows but you love them dearly and dance along. We are starting to introduce movies and the only one you watch so far is the new Muppet movie. You literally sit in the pack & play and watch the ENTIRE movie from start to finish. It’s not a cartoon so I’m not quite sure what you are so attracted to but you love it – I guess it’s the music??

Sleeping is always an uphill battle in our house. After a long bout of early morning wake-ups, these past few days have been pure bliss. You are going to sleep between 7:00-7:30 PM, waking up in the 5:00 AM hour, crying and needing a little pat on the back and immediately fall back asleep until 6:45 AM. Just about 12 hours!!! SUCCESS!! You also nap twice a day for 1-2 hours a nap – you go to sleep so easily, I hate complaining about your early wake-ups. We need to wean you off bottles, especially right before you go to sleep – we’ll get there. Sippy cups are easy for you so I know we can do it!

Talking, talking, talking – or should I say – repeating – EVERYTHING!!! There are several words you know (and actually have meaning) – these include Mama, Dada, Rigby (our cat), Dat (Cat), Birds, Baby, Banana, Wubba (Grover), No, Yes, Hi, Bye – and others too!! But what’s amazing is you repeat everything and anything!! The other day you yelled “GOOD GIRL!” because I always say that to you. You’re SO SMART! My little talking girl.

I’m learning what you like and don’t like to eat – you still eat a lot of baby food because it’s the best way to make sure you’re getting a lot of fruits and vegetables. You eat bananas and blueberries whole (and a lot of them). You LOVE turkey and chicken. You can’t get enough of bread (who can?). You’ll eat meat sometimes. You LOOOOOOVE French fries. I can sometimes get you to eat organic macaroni and cheese and pasta. I’m going to start meal planning so you have nice, well balanced days. You love eggs (sometimes). And sweets… you love them. Ice cream, cake, cookies, cupcakes. A girl after my own heart.

Monday mornings at music class are your favorite – you now sit in the middle and dance rather than sit on my lap. All the kids in the class LOVE you and want to hug you the whole time – you just let them. It’s so funny. You also love to play Miss Sandy’s guitar – it’s your favorite part of the morning. This summer, we’ll be switching to Fridays for music class leaving Mondays and Tuesdays completely free. Hoping to go to the park a lot and Camden Aquarium often – we joined as members for the year!!

You have your 7^th trip to Florida coming up in a couple of weeks – seriously a professional traveler. We love it though – it’s so important to us that you are just as close with your Florida family as your Philadelphia family – you know them well! This past weekend, your grandparents and Aunt Sydney came to visit for your birthday party and you didn’t miss a beat – you smiled and squealed in delight when they walked in the house – you know them well!

Your 1^st birthday party was PERFECT – better than I could have wished for. I’ll be writing about it this weekend and posting a million pictures but I’m SO SO SO happy it all turned out so well. I know we’ll always remember that afternoon.

We love you so much. This past year has taught me so much – patience, kindness, determination and more. My heart is so full of love and I honestly can’t remember my life before you. You are the perfect addition to our little family and I can’t wait to see what this next year brings. Keep smiling, keep learning, and keep being the perfect girl you are.

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Mama

The beginning of you........

12 weeks in my belly and already loved waving!

My first of one billion kisses.

One day old.

52 weeks!!!!

WHAT. IS. HAPPENING.
It's 52 weeks.
As in one WHOLE year.
Rather then post and re-post the same thing over and over - I'll just save it all for my ONE year entry (coming up WEDNESDAY).

We are looking forward to Layla's birthday week - plans include turning her carseat forward, trying peanut butter, eating a lot of cake, the aquarium on Wednesday and her BIG PARTY on Saturday!!

Our toes are painted pink and we are ready.... my girl is turning ONE!!!!

Layla's new ride - thanks Aunt Sydney!!

Fun with her cousins (and best friends) Abbey & Ava!

Painted pink toe nails thanks to piggy paint! (non-toxic for kiddies!)

51 weeks!!!

51 weeks (plus one day) - ready for the pool!

Another week, come and gone.....
ONE more week until Miss Layla Jules turns the big O-N-E!!! The chance to face forward in the car, eat chocolate, drink milk, try peanut butter and assorted other fun and exciting adventures!! We are days away from toddler-ville and I'm so excited to step into the next adventure!!!

Our week became MUCH better then last week...

Thursday, we had our weekly dinner at my parents. Poor Josh was still mega-sick so Layla and I went alone. It was great to see the family, including Mom-Mom Millie & Mom-Mom Rose!! My cousins were also there along with Aunt Karen & Uncle Brad... I loved seeing everyone! Allison made this AMAZING video full of pictures as a surprise for Mom-Mom Millie's upcoming 90th birthday. It was so sweet and so beautiful... I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!!

Friday, I decided it was time for the sleep training to begin. That night, Layla woke up twice (a random 11:30 PM wake-up and again around 4:00 AM). I let her cry it out and had to go in twice both times (without picking her up, just laying her back down and rubbing her back). It was hard but both times she managed to put herself back to sleep. I was very proud of her. That day, Josh's sickness remained so we took it easy and relaxed.

Saturday, we woke up to find Layla had slept from 7:30 PM - 6:10 AM. YES!!! It took ONE night of sleep training and our girl was back.... I felt like an idiot for not sleep training earlier but whatever, it worked and I was happy. ALSO, Josh woke up feeling BETTER! WOOOOOOOOO! My husband was BACK! I felt so bad for him, he was completely out of commission and missed playing with Layla so much!! That day, Layla and I headed to Masons Mill where Layla had a PHOTOSHOOT! My awesome sister in law Danielle has really become an amazing photographer and was gracious enough to do a huge photo shoot! It was sooooo much fun. Layla did great despite the HOT weather and I can't wait to see the pictures!!! We are going to do a second photo shoot indoors complete with a cake smash, wahoo! After that, we spent the day relaxing and cleaning. That night, we went to our favorite local Italian place as a little family, it was yummy! We were going to hit up the local carnival but thunderstorms took over and instead we went home, put the babe to bed and watched "We Bought A Zoo" (loved it).

Sunday was spent cleaning some more and lots of relaxing. After the babe's afternoon nap, we went to Rachel's dad's BBQ (sooooo good to see my BFF, home from NYC and looking gorgeous as ever). Afterwards, we went to a BBQ at my sisters house - a blast per usual.

Monday was Memorial Day - so fun! We went to a BBQ at Jaime's casa and it was great to see everybody. Layla played with the other kiddies there and after getting over her initial shyness, she was crawling all over the house and attempting to cruise along every piece of furniture.

Yesterday, Layla and I spent the day at the mall - she's SO much fun and loves looking around and yelling "HI!" and "WHAT'S THAT??" while pointing to anyone and anything. It's so sweet. After her (2 hour) afternoon nap, Melissa & Addison came over for a play date!! The girls haven't seen each other in a little while and it was SOOOOO sweet to see them "playing" together. They kept touching each other, exchanging toys and giggling. I love it. It was super hot so we set up the baby pool for them - I thought Layla would HATE it (as the bath isn't her favorite place in the world) and it turned out (after the addition of some warmer water) she LOVED ITTTTTTTTTT! As in, splashing, drinking the water, playing, standing, crawling, dunking her head... who was this baby??? I was so proud of her and can't wait to play with the pool again!!!

Better run - until next week - the ONE year letter... wow. wow. wow.
xoxo
Court

My little water baby!

CHEESE!!

Drinking the water.. what a weirdo!

All smiles!!

50 weeks.

Look close, you can see her right eye is still half-swollen shut. Never stops her from reading!

The letter of this week is S.

The number of this week is 4.

Why, you ask?

S stands for SICK & SLEEPY!!!!

… The past few days have been really rough. Josh came down with a horrible case of something resembling the flu+strep throat+assorted other horrific sickness. He was completely bed ridden when he was being pumped with medicine. The doctor confirmed it was a nasty bug and prescribed an antibiotic on Monday which seems to be doing the trick. He had been sick for the past couple of weeks with a cold and it seems to have manifested into this nightmare. He’s heading back to work today and I finally saw signs that my normal husband was back (instead of the sick, sad, coughing man that has been living in my house the past few days…).

…to top that off, on Monday, Layla woke up with her right eye completely crusted shut. Now mind you, SHE has been sick off and on with a cold for the past few weeks as well and apparently her sickness turned into PINK EYE? Yes. I kid you not. SO… off we were to the doctor Monday afternoon. Her ears, lungs, mouth and everything else appeared fine so the doctor prescribed eye drops (4 times daily for a week uh) – they seem to be working. Within 12 hours her eye looked better and by today she looked completely normal.

And 4?? The number of the week?? (OR the number of the past TWO weeks?)

That’s the time Layla has been waking up. Anywhere between 3:45 and 4:30. It’s been a nightmare. I think I’ve created a horrible sleeping habit. I thought long and heard and I realized what happened…

Back when we were in Florida (the first time, April 20-25^th) – she had a really rough time adjusting and woke up several times. Of course, we rushed to comfort her and rocked her back to sleep. This was the start of her waking up. The second trip to Florida she slept great but woke up around 5:15-5:30 every day. Still too early (although at this point I’d love for a 5:30 wake up). I think between being sick and getting used to us coming to rock her back to sleep, she’s having a hard time putting herself back to sleep. We’ve pushed her bedtime from 6:45/7:00 to 7:15. I’ve stopped breastfeeding. It’s been a rough month for her, I know. And I feel bad but something has to change. Due to lack of sleep at night, her naps have been affected – ranging from 45 minutes – 1 hour. (She used to do around 90 minutes). SOOOOO… long story short, we will be sleep training her beginning Friday morning. It has to happen and it’s going to stink but my sweet girl NEEDS to sleep and her mama is possibly going insane from severe sleep deprivation. This morning I somehow managed to get her back to sleep from 4:30 – 6:00 AM. In our bed. She literally hasn’t slept in our bed in MONTHS. I was so tired, I was unable to properly realize I could be setting us up for a horrible new habit (haha).

… BUT… luckily, Josh seems to be better, Layla’s eye is better… and we will get Layla BACK to sleeping good and normal!!!

In other news… (hahaha)

We had a great weekend. Friday, we saw the Avengers (so fun). Saturday, we went to the park where Layla’s birthday will be (AMAZING!! I’m obsessed) and Sunday we celebrated Mom-Mom Millie’s 90^th birthday. A perfect celebration to honor one of the most wonderful women in my life.

I’m in awe that Layla will be one – 2 weeks from today!!!!

I’m excited. Nervous. Ready for the party.

I’m tired.

BUT – on an exciting note – I think I lost another 2-3 pounds this week. I’ve been really concentrating on weight watchers and its working!!!!
Also, we’re going to join the Ambler Y this summer – a huge, gorgeous outdoor pool, a gym (with free childcare) and more... I am excited!!

This was the brain-dump of all posts. Hahaha. I blame lack of sleep.

CHEERS AND WISHES TO A BETTER, HEALTHIER WEEK!!!

Giggles at the park.

Layla & Remi playing at the park. BFF!

49 weeks!!



My sweet girl dancing and clapping at music!

 HI!
Sorry two days late.... lack of sleep and keeping busy has made me a bad blogger.

Another fantastic week, despite the major sleep regression we are currently facing. For some STRANGE reason, Layla has decided her new wake-up time is around 4:15 AM. And one night she woke up around 3:30 AM but luckily went back to sleep. WHAT IS HAPPENING? I'm exhausted, Josh is too, and Layla's lack of sleep is beginning to catch up with her causing a bit of my usually happy girl to be cranky and clingy beyond words. I don't know if it's all the traveling we did, teething, the end of the cold, a growth spurt... what is it?? :( It's hard but i know this, too, shall pass... and I'm trying to see the silver lining (middle of the night cuddles, sloppy wet kisses, lots of love) - I'm beyond thankful for Josh and his willingness to take the baby downstairs during the early morning hours so I can catch an extra hour of sleep but this is tough!

Also new... separation anxiety. Layla has become shy when meeting new people at first (although after 5 seconds usually flashes her toothy grins and is willing to go to any woman that is willing to play with her) - men are a different story. She keeps a safe distance and cries at the sight of facial hair :( Poor Uncle Matt. I think it's a sign of maturity that she is dealing with separation anxiety -- apparently when Josh gives her to Brooke, our nanny, she cries - heartbreaking because she LOVES Brooke. I know she'll pass this stage but it's so hard.

On to the GOOD stuff.... (and i don't want to seem like I"m complaining. I'm so lucky that Layla is SO easy going, SO happy, so calm.... it's actually commented on EVERYWHERE we go... she really is happy and this is just a small rough patch)...

We had such a great weekend.

Last Tuesday, on a random complete whim, my sister & decided to take Layla for her first haircut at Wiggle Worms (and Max needed one too). I was completely nervous - after the LONG wait, we were seen. Of course, despite a fever and runny nose, Layla was an angel. She sat perfectly still while the stylist worked her magic. Of course she looks beautiful but I semi-regret getting the haircut... she doesn't look the same to me!! It's growing on me... an adorable little pixie cut and Layla can finally see. She no longer has the mullet in the back. I know it'll grow fast and it was exciting. She got a little certificate with her first pieces of hair :( So crazy. (I'll post pictures from it soon)

Friday night, Josh surprised me with tickets to see Rent at a tiny theatre near our house.. it is a 300 person building and completely incredibly fun. This was my 4th time seeing Rent and was SERIOUSLY good. I was expecting a high school performance (judging by the size of the theatre, the price of the tickets and the fact that the cast only rehearsed for three weeks) but it was soooooo good! The voices, the set... all perfect. It was a great date night. Kelly babysat for us - she's 16 and she watches Layla for us every other Friday so Josh and I can go on a date. It's so nice and easy. Poor Kelly never gets to see Layla as she is always sound asleep by the time she comes but at least all she has to do is watch her on the video monitor and watch movies :)

Saturday, we woke up to discover Josh's laptop wasn't working. We decided to change our plans and headed to Suburban Square (outdoor shopping, food and the Apple store) - the weather was perfect and we had a great day. We had a yummy lunch outside, did some shopping and got a new plug for the laptop (phew, money saved there!). That night, my sister & I met up with Jaime & Melanie for a yummy outside dinner at Honeys and we saw Ingrid Michaelson. It was a great night and I'm really, really glad my sister came out. It was her first night out in forever - a great chance to escape for a few hours :)

Sunday was mother's day! Josh allowed me to sleep in until 8 AM (glorious) and got me breakfast in bed (dunkin donuts, my favorite). After Layla's morning nap, we got dressed and went to brunch at Cheesecake Factory and did some shopping at Nordstrom Rack (wowza, love the new store). I got a new dress for Layla's party - I need to look good because I hired a photographer and I hope to get some new family pictures. We came home, napped, and headed to my sister's house for a fantastic BBQ. it was great to be with my family and enjoy some yummy food (despite counting points on weight watchers, haha).

A fantastic weekend, for sure!!
Monday was our usual and always fun music class - followed by lunch with my dad, Kim, Remi & Josh. Yummy!!

Yesterday, thanks to an AWFUL night of sleep, was a complete stay at home day. I had to cancel our play date with Addison because I was too sleepy. Huge bummer. Layla and I really bummed around playing with her toys - we made one quick trip to Target and that was it.

And now here we are! I went this afternoon to put a deposit down on a 6 foot privacy fence - I'm so excited. There is SO SO SO much I want to do to our new house and it feels great to (slowly) cross things off our checklist.

Very much looking forward to the upcoming weekend - lots to be thankful for.

Layla's birthday party is fast approaching - the only thing left to do is figure out the main dish we will be serving (most likely pizza) and getting the plates, cups, silverware and napkins.

Lots of fun - until next week!
Cheers!

BABY EVOLUTION! haha.. Layla, Remi & Samantha. I love this.

Mother's Day 2012!

Me and my favorite.

ALL 9 BABIES! IN ONE PICTURE!! *From top left - Max, Abbey, Layla, Ava, Marley, Justin, Samantha, Andrew & Remi

11 months and 48 weeks!!!

11 month stats:

Weight: If I had to guess, close to 21 pounds? 

Height: NO idea? Maybe 30 inches?? 

Eating: 3 meals a day, puffs and Cheerios for snacks, 4-5 bottles a day of formula and officially weaned off of nursing :(   

Clothes: 9 month (small), 12 months, 12-18 months and even some 18 month!

Diaper: Size 3. Size 4 at night.  

My sweet,

11 MONTHS - what?! Where did these past 11 months go?? Are you SURE you're going to be one year old next month? Are you sure you're my talking, crawling, almost walking, always smiling, beautiful, sweet little toddler-to-be instead of my squishy, blue-eyed newborn?? 

If it's possible, you're prettier then ever. Your big, blue eyes glimmer in the sun and your ash blond/light brown hair is SO long, I think it's time I finally take you for a haircut. Your whole body is changing - your fabulous rolls and chubby hands and feet are slimming out too quick for my liking - I guess all the moving you do is really burning some calories!!

You have so many tricks, I can't even keep track - you yell, screech, giggle, growl, fake cry, throw tantrums -- you randomly learned how to blow bubbles with your mouth while we were in Florida - too funny. You can walk holding on to furniture or pushing anything that moves (toys, high chairs) - you pull up on everything and you're the fastest little crawling lady, it's hard to keep up!! You give hugs and kisses like a champ and make a kiss noise all the time. You love to squeeze your stuffed animals - huge hugs for everyone from Mr Bear to Kyle to Wubba! You can also switch the lights off and on, your speciality! 

Of course you still love TV and music - Sesame Street still leading away with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in a close second. We listen to music all day, everyday and you clap your hands right in rhythm - too cute. You love the music class CD's we listen to in the car. You giggle and sometimes move your lips to pretend you're singing along - the best. 

Sleeping is great - I'm so proud of you for sleeping SO well this past trip to Florida - the trip 2 weeks ago was a lot rougher and you slept horrible, but you got it together and slept great for grandma - HUGE RELIEF!! My only wish is that you'd sleep a LITTLE later - your wake-up time is 5-5:30 AM and I miss the day of 6-6:30 AM - but you sleep through the night and you continue to nap twice a day for 1-2 hours at a time. How can I complain?? You love your nap time routine and you especially love teething tablets as it appears you've been NONSTOP teething since the age of 3 months. My poor girl - but we swoon over your mouth of pearly whites, too cute for words. 

You never stop talking - your favorite word is HI - but you also shout mama, dada, mom-mom, ball, uh-oh, byebye, wubba, dat (cat), dog, and more - incredibly smart and clever. 

Although sick a few times this month (including right now, sporting a lovely fever and stuffy nose), your love of food has rarely dulled. You LOVE all fruits and veggies, you can't get enough of meat, chicken and turkey, bagels and all bread - you didn't like spaghetti and sauce (BUMMER!) but you will eat plain pasta. I literally can't believe how much you love all different foods and I hope it continues -- I think the days of pureed fruits and veggies are probably coming to an end as you love to feed yourself. You continue to drink a lot of water - a few cups a day! I won't be introducing juice anytime soon. OH - and I do believe you are a lover of sugar. The few tastes of whipped cream and the one taste of chocolate shake I gave you had you swooning!! ;) I can't wait to see you eat cake at your birthday party!!

You still love music class - we would probably go everyday if we could!! I'm so glad and it's such a fun bonding time. 

It's been an exciting month for you - you're a professional traveler!!! You had your 5th and 6th trip to Florida and experienced the best of the state - Orlando AND Fort Lauderdale!! I felt so guilty leaving you for 4 days but you could NOT have done better - you loved spending so much time with your Florida family and I was so proud of you. The moment I got to hug you after those 4 days away was pure bliss. The first time you saw Daddy & I your eyes lit up and my fear of you not remembering us was quickly gone. We are a family :) 

I am officially done nursing you. I miss it already. The last time was on Thursday - you sweetly touched the side of my face and I knew that part was over. I loved every second (even the painful, sleepy ones) of breastfeeding and I will ALWAYS remember those moments. 

The invitations are sent, the RSVPS are rolling in, I'm getting all the decorations in order -- it's official, your 1st birthday party is fast becoming the biggest drain on my wallet and the most fun I've ever had planning anything, perhaps even my wedding ;) I want this party to be one you'll look back on fondly and realize how very special, important and loved you are. 

Until your 1st birthday,

forever,

Your mama

Scared of dogs -- but learned quickly Max and Lucy are the cutest, friendliest pups around!! 

Grandma & L - take note of Layla's bruise on her forehead - uhhh

Mama & Layla ready for some sun!!

Excited much?

LEGS! 

Monorail fun!

MMM Puffs at Breakfast with the Characters!!

Didn't HATE the characters, but didn't love them either... maybe next time she'll love them more!

Happy.

DONALD!

Dada and Bunny

Goofy.. she wasn't sure he was a nice guy.

We love Minnie!

We love Mickey!

We love Pluto!

Castle! 

Our rings on our wishing star at dinner in Cindarella's Castle

talking on the phone!

Getting SO tall. 

Playing in her room and looking at the birds!

Our view from the balcony at the Fountain Bleu in Miami!

Relaxed.

Double Relaxed

Great-Grandma, Grandma, Bunny and Max!

Sharing with Shluffy!

HERE MAMA!

face.

At the beach in Miami!

Dinner at Gotham Steak - YUM!

My handsome man at the pool.

Celebrity sighting!! 

BEST FRIENDS!