A Few of Your Favorite Things

Dear Gabriella,

Since you are about to turn eight months old, I decided to tell you about some of your FAVORITE things.  These are things that make you smile, giggle, and tremble with joy.



You love to chew on your feet.  Every time I am changing your diaper, you always have to have a taste of your feet. 
You also like it when I eat your feet too.



Your Auntie Jani gave you these rings that hang from your carseat, and they have been a lifesaver!  You used to scream during carrides, but now that you can play with your rings, you don't mind carrides at all. 
(P.S. Your Auntie Jen made the cute carseat cover that keeps you shaded in style.)

You play on your jumper everyday, and you are getting to be a pretty great little jumper. 
Sometimes you even throw in a twist or a cute ballet move that makes me happy.

This is kind of an old picture, but I love the look on your face. 
"Don't even think about taking this bottle from me."
You are very serious about bottle time, and you really do not like any interruptions during bottle time.

You have many stuffed animals that you absolutely love.  This one your Nana gave to you for your first Easter. 
Stuffed animals were the first toys you played with, and they are still your favorites.

Your Grammy gave you this saucer for your first Christmas. 
As you can see by the smile on your face, you LOVE to play in it.
It's been fun for me to see how you like different toys on the saucer at different stages of growth.
Right now, your little hands can make the bees fly across the bar, which they couldn't do before.

You get so excited when you hear the can rattling with PUFFS. 
Within the last month you have mastered picking up the puffs and putting them into your mouth.
I make sure to have these in the diaper bag at all times because I know they will always make you happy.



Your Dad told me that he was eating Cheetos on the couch, and you were sitting on the floor with your mouth wide open waiting for him to put a Cheeto in it.  We decided to compromise and get you baby Cheetos, and here you are double fisted ready to shove them in  your mouth.  So delicious!




Madi also likes the Puffs and the baby Cheetos. 
(Baby Cheetos is not their real name, but that's what we call them. 
They're really called lil' crunchies.)





If there is a strap, a string, or a shoelace within reach, you will find a way to get it in your mouth.  The straps on your pink chair were covered with carrots because you would always be chewing on them while you were eating your carrots.  You love it when I wear hoodies because they have the strings that are right at your grasp when I am holding you.



Of course, you love your Daddy.  In fact, you say, "Dadadadadada all day long."

Next you love Mom.  (See the look on your face.  It's bottle time.  Don't bother me.)

And you love Madi.  Madi loves you because you are the only one that lets her lick you, and you share your food with her.  You love to sit on the ground with me and play fetch with Madi.  You laugh and laugh when she runs off to get the toy.  Madi cannot wait until you can throw the toy for her.  Right now you just want to eat her toys, which grosses me out.

To all of our family and close friends, Ella loves you too.  I just wanted to keep it simple.

Some of your favorite noises to make are: spitting, dadadadadada, mamamamama, nanananana, and slapping your gums, which kind of sounds like a horse galloping sound.  I love watching you grow and learn new things everyday.  You are definitely one of my favorite things.

Love,

Mom