Keeping Up With Aaliyah

Let's Catch Up

If you're still with us, here are a few things Aaliyah has been up to: 

Wanting to walk a lot more. Yes, she's been making her way around with furniture and making progress for a while now, but she has a lot more stability than before. She's got bars set up so that she can practice back and forth, and she *demands* to be walked about by whoever is willing to be her mode of transportation.

Being extra affectionate with loved ones. She will rest her little head on your shoulders and smile so sweetly. It is the most heartwarming feeling to be squeeze hugged by Aaliyah.   

Hugging her plushies! She is starting to have favorite plushies! She has a little fox and a Bluey plush that she will hug, carry around, and play with. I can’t wait until she has one she refuses to detach from. 

                                                 

Solidified routines. 

Aaliyah has always been pretty good with routines, but her schedule is so stable right now. My favorite part of the day is bedtime. After dinner (she is still loving her solids), she plays on her ballet bars and with her toys/plushies, we do bath time, brush our teeth together, I show her my 10 step skincare routine, we read a book, and off to bed.

Co-sleeping is amazing too. She's been getting more rest (as have I), and night to night it varies, but occasionally there are less wake ups than usual to feed. If she doesn't wake up to breastfeed, she turns to the side to feel that I'm there, and she falls back to sleep once she's confirmed. 

Talking. 

Aaliyah has learned a handful of words. Her favorite: UP. She says it when she wants to get out of bed, out of her high chair, anytime she wants to get up and around (often lol). She says car, cat. Duck (sometimes) and quack when we sing 5 Little Ducks. When we sing 5 Little Speckled Frogs, she will chime in to sing "Yum Yum." She is so intelligent, her brain is soaking up so much information. 

Most unbelievably: Aaliyah is 19 days away from turning 1.

I cannot believe how fast time is moving. We say it all the time, but it feels like everyday it goes faster. She looks like a toddler already; she's getting taller, her face is growing into her features, her awareness increasing every day. It makes me feel like crying, honestly. The first few months...I could never have imagined her being this big and active. She's so beautiful, too. Her smile, her laugh, her round little face and double chin, her whole spirit is just so sweet. The end of infancy feels like a huge milestone, not just for her, but it feels like we survived the first chapter. We're moving on to a new chapter, with new challenges and milestones, but it feels incredible to get to this point. 

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Aaliyah, I hope you read this one day and know how much fun it was, and what an honor it was to have you come into our lives when you did. You are so loved. 

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Sincerely, 

Jocelyn