8 teeth in 8 months

Dear June,

Guess who just got her 8th tooth?

Seriously, are you trying to break records?

We just got back from a night over at Liz and Ryan's and Liz said, "This kid's going to be an early talker." Why? Because you were completely determined to either make yourself a part of the conversation or drown out everyone else's voices completely.

BAAA BAAAAABBBBAAABBAAAA BBBBAAAAAAABABABABAAAABBAABAAAAH!

It was awesome in every way. YOU are awesome in every way.

You are very into eating right now and there doesn't seem to be anything you won't eat. Paper, of course; the old standby. You eat oatmeal and all kinds of fruit, beans, crackers and tonight you had a sweet potato french fry. You approved.

You're kind of squirrelly, though, in that you pack stuff away in those giant cheeks (for later, I guess). This morning I gave you blueberries and an hour later you were leaving a trail of blueberry skins all over the house.

I am SO excited to celebrate your first Christmas with you. Sometimes if I think too hard about these kinds of things I just start crying. You'll only have ONE first Christmas, you know? This is IT. But then I try and make myself snap out of it. Life is for living and enjoying and too much ruminating can make things seem too heavy.

I love you, my sweetest little sweet pumpkin. I love you every second of every day. Even when you're scratching the hell out of my chest while you're nursing. Even when you scream bloody murder (especially then, in fact) in the car at night (you hate it - why?). You'll never have to wonder if you're loved, Juniper Bean. Isn't that a good feeling?



Smooches and smooches and more smooches until the end of time,

Mama

(Sometimes when I post pictures like that I try and think of you and Zoe all grown up looking at it and thinking, "SHE LOOKS SO YOUNG!" and that is such a weird thought.)

Dear June,

Well, hmmmm. Guess who is waaaay more of a rascal than I thought?

You learned to crawl a few weeks ago and then a few days later you started pulling up. Then a day or so after that you started making a beeline toward things you could pull over on yourself. Your face is covered with scrapes and you fall over all the time. BRUISER!

You're going to give me a run for my money, child. Your Grandpa David totally predicted it, too. Before you were into anything rascally he said, "That girl's gonna give you a run for your money, Chels." I thought, "no...she's mellow and sweet." Well, you are sweet and mellow and RASCALLY! I never would have guessed.

                                       

An update wouldn't be an update without the requisite "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE GROWING UP SO FAST" so here it is: I can't believe you're already 8 months! In 4 months you'll be 1 and that is NUTS. Even though you are rascally (hey, it runs in the family), you are still the sweetest, smiliest, snuggliest baby. I love sleeping with you - you're all snuggly and you coo and smell like sweet milky baby breath. I might die of little baby love. Seriously.

We are all having so much fun with you, love. Zoe likes to get right in your face and make these horrible, loud noises but you just laugh and laugh. When I ask Josie to keep an eye on you so I can do something, Jack is sad I didn't ask him. You're so lucky to have so many people who love you and we're so lucky that we get to have you in our family. It's win-win, I tell you. It's just all love, all the time.

Right now, as I write this, your Grandpa David is downstairs playing with you and you're trying to figure out how to climb up the stairs. Aye yay yay! Or however you spell that. Slow down!

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love you, bean. More than is expressible, for sure. One day you'll probably have your own babies and you'll understand. Maybe.

Love,
Mama

crawling!

A letter from Aunt Jess

Welcome to the life of being the little sister Junie, from one to another. It sucks. But the good news is, you and Zo will probably be best friends like me and your mom. So I guess in addition to sucking it is also awesome. You will have someone bossing you around FOREVER who has your best interest at heart.

I have admittedly not had as much time to fawn all over you in person as I did with your sis because:

1.  I was an insane person planning a wedding for the last 9 months

2. Zoe B is no joke about make sure she gets attention around these parts. 

But don't you worry, I have been fawning at your from afar - all the way from brooklyn. I've been busy looking at how cute your cheeks are and how funny you are with your noises. Baby werewolf and baby pterodactyl make me laugh when I'm stressed out at my high-powered NYC job. I show pictures of you to my co-workers and friends without them asking. I compare photos of me when I was a baby and you now; the resemblance is staggering. You are my mini! You are very chill, agreeable and busy observing the world around you. 

I wish that you lived right next store so I could come over and squeeze your cheeks and make sure you know just who your aunt jess is. I hope that your mom is busy making picture books with me in it so you don't forget my face. But thank goodness for technology because we ichat together and you still smile when I talk to you, so I am taking that as a good sign.

I look forward to knowing you Ms. Junie, you are awesome and amazing in every single way and I just know that Zoe and I will add you to our best friend club, because clearly, that is where you belong. 

I love you so much little baby.

xoxox

Aunt Jess

Dear Juniper Berry

Hey, kid.

I know I can't start out every single letter to you with "my, how time flies!" because, well, everyone knows that's stupid. And obvious. Obviously stupid. 

Still, I'm tempted. I can't believe you're already almost 7 months old. Right now you're at that perfect age where you sit on the floor and don't topple over and you can only really move in about a 2 ft. radius. Soon you'll be crawling - I can just tell by that rascally look in your eye - and then things will be ROWDY up in here. I remember feeling this way with your big sis; I want you to crawl because YOU WILL FREAKIN' LOVE IT and you'll finally be on your way to having all the fun the big kids are always having without you. On the other hand, geez, please just stay sitting there for a while. It's awesome.

You are off the charts cute, bean. I want to freak out sometimes when I look at your sweet little smiley face because GOOD GOD no one is that cute. No one! It's against the law.

 You love love love your big sister. Your face lights up when she walks into the room - it's AWESOME.

You do this growling thing that might just be my favorite baby noise EVER.  Check this out:

We have sort of started table foods with you - you've had banana, avocado, pears and sweet potato. You seem into it but you'd also happily gnaw on my shoe so I'm not so sure how you really feel about it all. 

I love you so much, kiddo. I could spend all day just smoochin' on your fat cheeks. I go to bed every night feeling so excited and lucky that I get to spend all day every day with you. 

Your mama loves you more than you'll ever know, my sweet little love. 

xx

Me

6 months of awesome

Hi Junebug!

Yesterday Zoe and I took you to see Dr. Fisher for your 6 month checkup. You're officially very long, kid. You are 29 inches long and taller than 99.9% of all other babies your age. You weigh in at 19.5 lbs. SUPER BABY! Keep it up, champ.

Junie Beth, 5 months!

Dear June,

Somehow you are 5.5 months old. Huh?

 You sit up. You have 5 teeth. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS IS HAPPENING SO FAST.

You are the cutest little pumpkin baby - I just want to eat you up. (Did I ever tell you that my parents used to call me a little pumpkin baby?) LOOK AT YOU!

Last week we were in NYC for Aunt Jess's wedding. You stole the show with your non-outfit (I had you in a pretty little polka dot dress, but it was HOT and you were spending most of your time in the backpack so we ditched the dress) and your enthusiasm for beer bottles.

We also spent three weeks in August in Michigan, where summer is awesome. We spent A LOT of time and the beach and you spent A LOT of time trying to eat sand. I understand that babies eat sand because that's what babies do, but I really wanted your first foods to be FOODS. RASCAL. Look how cute you are in your little baby wetsuit and hat - I could die.

I know that soon you're going to be mobile. But right now I'm cherishing this "I just sit here and chill" phase.

Did you know I love you so much I could explode? We're having a lot of fun together when Zoe's at school, and soon we're going to be taking a baby sign language class together. Some good mom-and-junie time. Can't wait!

 I love you, baby!
xxMama

a tooth?

What? You're getting a tooth. You're only 3.5 months old, June.


STOOOPPPPPP growing up so fast!

Junie Beth, 3 months old

Dear June,

Guess what, Chubs? When I took you in this morning for your shot-only appointment, I snuck you on the scale and you weigh 15.5 lbs and that's apparently more than your 8 month old friend, Cora! We love the chubby babies around here, so keep it up.

You are getting so big - you're definitely no longer a tiny little infant larvae. You're a real baby with a personality and everything. I know you're going to be a mover and you'll give me a run for my money. You rolled over at 2.5 months and at 3 months you're always trying to sit up in your carseat. I have a mirror in front of your seat in the car and whenever I look back at you, you look like you're trying to get out. "No car riding for me, thanks, I'll just be going now."



You are still spitting up like CA-RAZY. Usually I just let you puke all over me because I'm Sisyphus here. You puke, I change my clothes and you puke again. No sense in trying to prevent getting covered in baby vomit because it's inevitable. But then sometimes I forget and when I turn my head to one side, I think, "What the hell is that smell?" Oh, right. PUKE! But, whatevs. You're still getting fat and chubby and I know you'll outgrow it.

Just like your big sis, you love to sleep in the swing. I guess I now officially owe my sanity to Fisher Price, makers of the Aquarium Cradle Swing. The other night the batteries ran out and I figured I'd see if you'd sleep in bed all night with me (you usually sleep about half the night in my bed). We're headed to New York next week and I can't take the swing with me so I thought it would be a good trial run. The answer? NO, SIR. It's not like you fuss or anything, you just seem like you're having some kind of spastic episode. No bueno. So guess who's buying a used swing in Brooklyn?




Man, I love you, kiddo. You're just the sweetest, happiest, most go-with-the-flow baby around. Whenever Zoe goes off with the big kids or spends the day at Grandpa's, I always intend to strap you on my back and get things accomplished around the house but I almost always just lay around with you. I make stupid noises and you laugh and I snuggle up and smell your neck (I have no idea how it smells so good with all the puke you pour all over it). I just want to drink you in because I know you'll grow up way too fast.

I love you, sweet girl.
-Mama

Yay! She rolled over!

She rolled over from her back to her tummy today! It was excruciating to watch, but she finally pulled her little arm out and made it. Hoorah!

Exclamation point!

Two months!

Two months already!

Junie had her checkup with Dr. Fisher on Thursday. She weighed in at 13lbs 12 oz and is off the charts (99.5 percentile) for height at 25 inches.

I was much more together this time for her first shots. Well, she only got one injection, so it was much easier.

Go, June! You're growing like a champ!

9 weeks

Hi June!

Today you are 9 weeks old and you are just the sweetest little bean. You are smiley when you're awake and you sleep well when you're asleep (your favorite place to sleep is in the swing or on someone's body). You rarely ever cry and you absolutely light up for your siblings. You are like a little tiny ray of light, I swear. I know that makes me sound like a hippie (I'm not - despite my lazy hair removal habits) but it's really true. I speak the truth (except sometimes when telemarketers call - I like to tell them lies).



It's a good thing you are the cutest, best-smelling, smiliest, mellowest baby ever because you love to spit-up all your breastmilk. ALL OVER ME. And all over the floor and all over your playmat. Between you and your sister, who has started changing her clothes about seven hundred times a day, I am getting really good at doing laundry.
But guess what? I don't care. You can spit up all over me as much as you want. That's how much I love you.



You're getting to be awesome at your neck control and pretty soon you'll be sitting up in your little Bumbo seat and getting all BIG and chubby. I just ordered you a bunch of sun gear so we can spend the summer at the pool and beach. I already sunburned you once and I vow never to do it again. People will probably make fun of me, but you're going to be the most well-protected baby at the pool. You just wait and see.

I love you like the dickens, Baby Bean. If I could sleep in the crook of your neck, I would. But you're tiny and I am huge, so that's out. That's maybe a little too Of Mice and Men.

Love,
Mama

this look says: "mom, you're lame."

HELLO, JUNIPER!

Juniper "Junie" Elizabeth was born on March 28, 2011 (her big, big sister Josie's b-day, too!) at 2:13am weighing in at a whopping 9lbs 13oz and stretching out to 21 inches.

Her big sister, Zoe, is very proud.