eight months

November 12, 2007


Sweet Gianna Marie,
This month was marked by a very important event - your first Halloween. We dressed up, partied, and "trick-or-treated" long into the night, or at least until 7:00pm when it was time for your bath! You were adorable, the star of the neighborhood party, the only baby your age who made it past the party, neighborhood picture, and into the trick-or-treating parade.

Poor Drew, he obviously doesn't know how to party...although with that outfit, it's no wonder he's having a bad time!

Anyway, Mommy and Daddy had a great time, and you seemed to enjoy it, too! I'm sure you wondered why no one gave you anything you were actually allowed to eat, but then we let you chew on the Sweet Tarts bag (which was your very FIRST treat, by the way) and you were completely satisfied.



This month you learned how to drink out of a sippy cup, although you don't do it very often. You'd much prefer to have us take off the top so you can drink like a big girl. Hopefully you'll change your mind about that so that our carpet and your shirt aren't covered in juice for the next year or so!



Let's talk about crawling. Your version of crawling, that is. You get up on all fours like you're about to take off on a baby crawling marathon, then just as you're about to launch yourself forward and grab the toy you're currently coveting, you drop down onto your belly and start slithering like a snake. Not the most efficient way to travel, I can imagine. You keep teasing us that you're going to take off in a traditional crawl, but everytime you change your mind and go back to what you know. Daddy and I keep predicting the day when you'll decide to crawl "normally", but now I've come to face the reality that you may decide to go right from the army crawl to walking...I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I'll let you know.



I can't finish off this month without talking about the teeth that continue to pop through your gums. You take it like a champ, I'll give you that, but it seems like every time I look into your mouth I notice another one coming through. It can't be comfortable, but you remain sweet and loving as ever. I have to admit though, I'm beginning to wonder when it's going to end - you already have more teeth than the one year-old kids at daycare!



I realized something today that I wanted to share with you...
I was remembering when I was little, and someone would ask me, "What did you do today?", and I'd think of the very best thing that happened to me that day to tell them about. Then slowly, as I grew older there'd be some days where nothing good happened. Over the last 10 years there have been weeks, maybe even months, when the very best part of my day was the same as the very worst part of my day. Life was sometimes boring and gray, and sometimes sad, and sometimes nothing great happened.

Tonight we were sitting on the floor playing. You were supposed to be in the tub getting ready for bed, but instead you were smiling and squealing and jumping around. As I sat there grinning and giggling with you I thought to myself - this is the greatest part of my day. Since you were born I've never had a completely gray day.

You, Gianna Marie, are the good thing that happens to me every day. You are my very, very best thing.
- Mommy