My beautiful, sweet, loving, funny little girl,
How could this be baby? You are halfway to a YEAR?! I don’t believe it, it feels like just yesterday you were a brand new wrinkly and squishy little newborn that I held in my arms all day long. You are such a different baby now, its amazing how fast time goes!! I know I say this often, but watching you grow is so bittersweet, I love cheering you on as you reach each milestone, but each one that passes sets in the reality even more that you will grow up, and there is nothing momma can do about it. I always joke around when friends ask how you are doing, I usually start with telling them a milestone like “She has two teeth now!” and follow that with “I may as well just send her off to college!” Silly, I know, but each day that passes, makes me miss and remember the first day I spent with you.
You are so special to your daddy and I, every day we talk about how incredibly lucky we are that God chose YOU to be OUR baby, it really is a miracle. (We think he chose the most perfect baby in the world by the way).
You are so loved and spoiled by your family, they love you so much! Grandma Val and Papa Kent, Auntie Bug and Uncle Haris (lovingly named Uncle Harry which I am sure he just loves) live here in Arizona and we try to see them as much as we can with our hectic schedules. You get a real kick out of how silly Kent can be, and you love when Grandma Val sings you songs. Grandma Suzanne and your Bumpa are still in California, but we see them all the time, and you love to see them on the web-cam and hear them on the phone (although all you ever want to do is eat it). Auntie Bean and Uncle Jose are in California too, baking your baby cousin who will be here in a little over 2 months. They all will be here on Christmas morning this year to celebrate with us. (Mommy is still plotting for them all to move here to be with us, lets hope before your one year letter they live down the street!). Speaking of Christmas, it will be our first year all celebrating together and we are so excited. You have been such a sweet girl this year and I know Santa is going to bring you lots of fun things 
This month you are: yelling/screeching like crazy, loving eating your pureed foods (especially prunes, carrots, pears, and sweet potatoes), have learned to “buzz” your lips which you think is so funny (and it is, except when we are feeding you, makes for one HUGE mess!), starting to sleep on your tummy with your face nuzzled right into your crib bumper, any other way and you just wont sleep. Still love when momma rocks you to sleep, still up twice in the night to eat, loving picking up toys and throwing them, and you also learned to put a toy from one hand to the other (a milestone according to your pediatrician). You just love your daddy, whenever he is in the room, your eyes are glued to him with a huge smile on your face, I think we have a daddy’s girl on our hands. Kobe is just about your favorite thing in the entire world, you could just stare at him all day and especially love when he gives you kisses (when really all he is doing is looking for any food or spit up, gross), you still love the jumperoo and exersaucer, you love falling asleep to classical music (you loved that when you were in Mommy’s belly too), and love when we sing you songs. You are showing a big interest in crawling, you have scooted quite a few times and have the right technique down, I think you are just extremely determined to get to your toys that we make sure to place out of arms reach. You are starting to not like being confined, whenever we try to hold you you immediately turn the other way to see whats going on around you, I think you are very observant, especially when we are out shopping, you just love people watching! You really love toys that are bright and colorful, the more noise the better. You will hold your own bottle now, but only if I am holding you. If I prop you up with the bottle, you are flipped over and scooted 3 feet away from where I put you in about 2 seconds. The morning times are your favorite, you are so funny and playful and full of laughs, mommy and daddy really get a kick out of it. You still take about 3 naps a day. Still loving bath time, we got you a cool new bath chair and you still are unsure if you like it or not. Your hair is still long and crazy just like when you were born. I think there are some ringlets coming through, which makes momma SO happy! Lately I think your hair will be a light brown/red color, but that could always change. You are just about the best thing that has ever happened to us and we love you more and more every second!
I know that in the coming months, you are going to start really crawling, furniture cruising, talking/babbling, walking…I just want to freeze us in this moment in time, today, at 8:32 am on Wednesday December 23rd, because I love the baby that you are at this moment so much, I hate to think that you will change so much. I thank God every day for the blessings he has brought to our lives with you, we are so lucky to be the parents of such an amazing little girl.
I love you baby girl,
Momma
