Your big milestone this month is that you are pushing things. You started pulling up on things pretty quickly after you started crawling. We were at your great grandma and grandpa's house in Utah when you pulled yourself up onto this MEGA blocks plastic wagon. The next thing I knew, you were halfway across the room and giggling ecstatically! You realized pretty quickly that you could get around faster by pushing that little wagon. Once we got to your grandma and grandpa's house in northern Utah, you had a blast pushing around and pushing the buttons on the old NOISY fire truck!
While we were at great grandma and grandpa's house, (the week prior to Thanksgiving) you also stood on your own for the first time. We were downstairs in the office, I let go of your hands, and you just stood there for about 10 seconds before you realized that I wasn't holding onto your hands and then you sat right down. Your balance has improved since, but you seem to lack the confidence to stand on your own. Whenever I let go of your fingers, you slowly sit yourself down in a controlled manner.
Your crawling speed has increased greatly. When you have a target in mind, you can get to your desired location very quickly. This was the case with the kitty bowl at great grandma and grandpa's and the doggy bowl at grandma and grandpa's. You loved chasing this little wind up train at your great grandma and grandpa's.
While we were out in Utah, both houses had animals, but great grandma's cat would not let you anywhere near him. It's probably a good thing too because Tiger is not always the nicest cat! Once we got to grandma and grandpa's house up north, it was a big change. Max, their dog, was pretty excited to meet you and gave you lots of kisses. The cat, Shenobe, even let you touch her! You loved that there were animals that wanted to play with you. Aunt Morgan's huge dog, Gilligan came to visit and you loved him as well.
You are getting much better at handling your food. You like to feed yourself now (even though you miss your mouth frequently). Your favorite things to eat are mandarin oranges. While we were out in Utah, we let you self-feed yourself an eclair. We'll just say that you REALLY enjoyed it, but made quite the mess! Your pincher grasp is getting much better and you can now pick smaller things up. Unfortunately this means that ANYTHING on the floor is up for grabs! In the last couple of days, I've had to retrieve a piece of a sponge, a tiny ball from a Christmas wreath, a twist tie, and a piece of cat food from inside your mouth. You're good at storing it away in your cheek pouch so I can't get to it!
While we were out in Utah, we also did our annual gingerbread houses out of graham crackers and frosted sugar cookies. You got to taste both... And it turns out you have your mother's sweet tooth. You are especially fond of graham crackers.
You STILL don't have any teeth and your hair isn't coming in very quickly. We have fixed the hair problem by accessorizing you with all sorts of cute hair bows. The tooth part, I can't really do anything about, but you like to try more solid foods all the time and have gotten pretty good at gumming the food down so that you can swallow it.
When we were at great grandma and grandpa's house, you got to play with your second cousin Taylor who is just a month older. Your older second cousins Kayla and Tommy loved to play with you and would hurry to finish their homework just so they could come upstairs to visit. When we had the big cousins' pre-Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday, you had no fears at all and got right in with the big kids to play!
We also got to hang out with your Aunt Kierstan and Cousin Eva. You and Eva had a great time playing together. Eva is the closest in age to you besides your new cousin that will be here in May.
While we were in Utah, you also experienced your first snow. It was also FREEZING cold, so we did not stay out long.
Your daddy and grandpa were working on an aquarium stand while we were out in Utah, and you would love to go visit them in the shop! You also got some good playtime in with your Aunts Katie and Lexi. You have a lot of family that loves you dearly!
While we were in Utah, we also went to mall to get pictures with Santa. You were incredibly serious and we couldn't get you to even crack a smile. You kept on looking back at Santa with this quizzical look. I think you wanted to grab his glasses.
We made a Christmas mug together while at grandma and grandpa's house. You did not like getting your hand painted green and we were lucky to get as clear of a print as we did. We put some Reese's Puffs on your tray and painted your foot red. I think you were so busy eating that you didn't even notice what we were doing. I really like how it turned out! One day, you will be able to drink hot chocolate out of this mug in the wintertime.
While we were out in Utah, you got to play on two different special rocking chairs. One of them was your Grandma H's when she was a little girl (on the left) and the other was your daddy's when he was a little boy (on the right). His chair was made by an Amish man that had 10 minutes of office phone hours once a week on a neighbor's phone!
We also got to go on one of your great grandpa's morning walks while we were out in Utah. It was really cold, but I think you liked going out after being stuck inside.
We also got to visit your Aunt Katie at BYU, your mama's Alma mater. She showed you all the cool places that pre-animation majors hang out! We walked all around campus and mommy got to feel old... You fell asleep on your stroller.
Another first that you experience this month was your first plane ride. Luckily for mommy, you did very well! On our flight to Utah, we were fortunate enough to have an empty seat next to us so that you could lay down for your naps. All of the people around us on the plane were complimentative and said you were "the perfect baby!" The flight back didn't go as perfectly because the planes were packed, but you still did very well. It is A LOT of work to fly with a baby!
Before our trip to Utah, I decided that I needed to wean you from the pink infant tub. You were scared at first to be in the bath tub without the extra support, but now a month later you crawl around the tub and play with the drain once I unplug it. You also have an old bath toy of your daddy's that you love to play with. We had a fun time spiking your hair and putting you in a cute little bug towel at grandma and grandpa's.
My dearest Leah, I love you so much. It is my favorite thing to just hug and squeeze you in the mornings when I take you out of your crib. You have started to hug me back and it just melts my heart. I can't wait to see what you are doing in the next month!
