June: 11 Months, plus some Sadness

What a beautiful baby. And I mean baby loosely. Just in the past couple of weeks, she's become so much less of a baby. She's not walking or talking yet, but I can't help but feel like she's so grown up. She just has a spunky little personality, she's assertive, she laughs easily. I've been trying to discourage her shrieks by not responding, and she's figuring out that if she does something cute instead (like laughing and dancing), she'll get what she wants. 

Look at that big girl standing up!

She plays peek-a-boo (or inai inai ba) in a variety of ways: with her hands or with a blankie.

Where's Junie?

Where's Junie?

There's Junie!

She's such a sweet, happy girl. She's sleeping so much better than I could have imagined a couple of months ago, though the poor baby has four teeth coming in--including three molars. Isn't she too young to be getting molars? She just decided to skip the canines, I guess. 

I made this little outfit for her for the Fourth of July but didn't get pictures. It's made out of a clearance tank top from Walmart and some other repurposed stuff. I get a little extra satisfaction when I make stuff using little or no money.

Sweet baby.

On a somber note, those of you who are on Facebook may have seen my status update regarding the little boy in Sandy, Ethan, who died in a terrible accident. I visit taught the mother for about a year, and I served with the grandmother in the Relief Society presidency for over a year. It is the kind of tragedy that breaks your heart no matter what, but knowing and caring about all the family members has added greater depth to the sadness that I feel. The tragic events have been consuming my thoughts and made me more fervent in my prayers that the people I love be kept safe. Sadly, we have no guarantees in this life that we will be spared from heartache and tragedies.

Ethan and his mom:


And then we wake up this morning to the news of another tragedy, a mass shooting in a Colorado movie theater. It is an emotionally difficult week.

So let's be a little extra grateful for our families today. Hug your babies a little tighter. I don't usually get too serious on this blog, let alone speak of spiritual things, but this is a scripture in which I've often found comfort:

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with ^asurety ^bhopefor a better world" (Ether 12:4)