Feeling happy

So it's been awhile since I've written. I started an entry about AJ's sleep patterns several times, but I never finished it and probably never will. BTW- she sleeps 12 hours a night and has been doing that since she was about 4 months old. She's awesome.

Here's a quick update. Aleida June:
Is totally healed from surgery
Has two bottom front teeth popping through
Rolls over from front to back, but not from back to front (she hates being on her tummy, and isn't about to go there willingly)
Loves taking baths
Can sit up without support indefinitely- but I still hover nearby in case she topples over
Has eaten and enjoyed avocado, banana, brown rice cereal, yogurt, and mixtures of all of those
Will be trying sweet potatoes and pears this week
Weighs about 14 lbs or so- she's only about the 10-15%ile for weight- but about 50% for height
Was dressed as a monkey for Halloween
Has an average of 3 outfit changes a day
Stops fussing whenever we play the video for Beyonce's "Single Ladies" or Daft Punk's "Around the World" or various musical numbers from the show, Glee
Loves music, our pets, and going on walks
Turns pages in books as we read to her
Went crabbing on the Oregon Coast
Took her first airplane ride (and did very well) over Thanksgiving
Skypes with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Juli on a regular basis
Has started playing with blocks
Enjoys going with mommy and daddy to the rock-climbing gym
Loves to practice standing up- and will probably walk before she crawls
Dances
Likes playing airplane
Drools excessively
Takes two naps a day
Gets very excited when we walk through outdoor-equipment stores- especially a place called the Next Adventure here in Portland
Has been to Greeley, Denver and Heeney, Colorado
Is an excellent grocery-shopping partner

I could go on- it has been quite a few weeks. It seems like she is developing at super speed now. Something about getting teeth or starting solid foods triggered a cascade of milestones. She's such a fun, good-natured soul. Sometimes when she's napping, I'll get impatient for her to wake up because I just want to hang out with her. She's SO MUCH FUN, in fact, that I want a dozen more.

Okay, not a dozen. But I have gone from thinking that I want two kids 3-4 years apart, to thinking I want 3 kiddos, closer to 2 years apart. Who knows how things will work out, but she has not deterred me from wanting more kids- quite the opposite.

I think back to the pre-AJ me, and have to laugh. Even as I was 8-months pregnant, I remember seeing women pushing strollers around the neighborhood and thinking, "How boring." Those thoughts used to worry me. But it is so not boring. Even taking a little walk with Aleida is pure pleasure. She gets more fun and interesting every day. I have started seeing little glimpses of the person she is going to be, and she is awesome.