Life at The Station has been crazy. Gates is changing rapidly. If it wasn't for monthly portraits and weekly iPhone snapshots as well as my mom's daily notes, I'd miss a lot. Trying to stay in the moment often seems like an unobtainable goal.
Fourteen months was full of milestones for Gates. First airplane trip. First time meeting her paternal great grandmother. First time meeting her cousin. (Unfortunately, documenting her first trip to NY is a project that requires more time than I have at the moment. If you want to see what Gates wore as well as photos of her with her Great Nan and Grand Aunt, check out this month's Flashback Fashion post.)
Fourteen months also marked the appearance of two new teeth, a third tooth on the bottom left broke through on May 10th with a fourth tooth on the upper left a few days later. Gates has never let the absence of teeth stop her from attacking food (she'll reach for and consume your sandwich if you're not paying attention), but this should help her be more independent.
Other good news came from Gates' pediatrician: Gates doesn't have any food or indoor allergies. We reintroduced cheese, beginning with French Basque Sheep's Milk and then expanding to Holland Goat Cheese (a gouda). She loves both and had no reaction. She also tried organic 2% milk; her reaction was mixed. Milk at room temperature got the thumbs up. Milk straight from the fridge met with a grimace and an extended palm. Gates loves sharing and has begun feeding us small bites of food. She also takes dental hygiene very seriously, wanting her teeth cleaned after she eats foods, such as berries, that might stain them. She now has her own toothbrush.
Gates continues to expand her vocabulary, now saying Ga Ga for grandpa and Ba for bottle. We've been working with her to say Todd but so far no luck. (Don't worry Todd, it doesn't mean she can't say your name. Like mommy it could be a word she holds in reserve.)
Her comprehension also improves. As she reads books about animals with Grandma, she'll look for the animals that match and place them on the appropriate page of the book.
We've let Gates sleep with a few of her favorite toys in her crib for a little bit now. This month she got the green light to do the same thing at Grandma and Grandpa's. Before her nap, she'll pick up the toys she wants to nap with; Piglet and whale are two of her favorites.
How do you stay in the moment?
Additional photos from Gates' portrait session can be found on Flickr.
Ciao Bella!
Eden!
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Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.
Monthly Snapshot is a monthly series, published on either the second or fourth Monday of each month, depending on whether Gates has a well baby check up or not, that chronicles Gates' growth during her first twenty four months. This series was inspired by Nicole Balch of Making it Lovely's series for her two children: Eleanor and August.
