Week 31-November 17-23-Hi Petichka! Now when you stand, you stand on your tiptoes. This doesn't happen all of the time, just sometimes. You are growing so big. You were a little tiny girl when we brought you home from the hospital. Preemie clothing barely fit you and now when I see you next to other babies your age, you are taller than them. Up until about six months of age, you wore clothing two months smaller than your age. So at four months, you wore clothing meant for a two month old. At about six months, I could just get you into four month clothing, but anything with feet meant that the tips of your toes were pressing against the material. Now forget it, you wear clothing for six to nine months of age, which is appropriate, I am just surprised about it. You look beautiful to me. When we go to the doctor for check-ups, I do not want to know the growth percentiles. I don't like to compare and the doctor always tells me you are perfect so I don't think about it, but since we have been going to mommy and me classes, I see a few other babies and you are taller than them. I think you will most likely be taller than me when fully grown.

The three of us went to Seattle this past weekend. You have had a stuffy nose, but when we got there, it turned into a full blown cold. You have had colds before but nothing like this. Your little cheeks were flushed, your nose was running, (it still is) and you feel flushed. I finally called Dr. Schramm and she told me that you are going to be okay, this is normal. You never get fevers, thank G-d, but I didn't trust the thermomitor and so I kept taking your temp, papa's and mine to make sure that it worked. You nurse throughout the night and wake up crying because you don't feel so well. So I am pretty tired and take naps with you during the day. I am not getting much done, but I am catching up on sleep and that is pretty important.

When your nose first started running, it would just keep going, now when it touches your lips you stick out your tongue and lick it off. I wipe your nose with a hankerchief but you become upset and cry and turn your head. I remember how sore my nose would get when my mom did that to me, so I try to be gentle and use different tissues, wet, dry, warm, cold, but you don't like any of those options, so I am not really sure the best way to handle it. There has got to be a better way. Hopefully you will be fully recovered soon!

When we were in Seattle, Papa went to an interview at a gaming company, so you and I went sight seeing. We went up the space needle and looked at Seattle from all angles. It was pretty fun. The next day all three of us went to Pike's Market. It was freezing cold, literally. It started to snow later that day. We went around looking at different neighborhoods and homes to see where we could potentially live. Everybody who saw you thought you were exquisite. And you are!

On the 20th, you were so sick, poor baby, in your sleep you started to laugh and then talk. Papa and I were quietly laughing. You are very funny.

You are an excellent traveler, a perfect angel on airplanes and as long as you get out of the car seat every so often, you don't mind being in the car. You just check out the sights from your window.

Now we are back home and back in cloth dipes. I had to use disposable while we traveled. I keep the dipe pail in my shower and each time we change, you and I go into the bathroom and put the used dipe in the pail and run bath water over it. You look at the water and smile. It is just one of our little routines that we do daily that you know and enjoy.

I love you little girl. You are my heart and my soul!