12 Months!!!

Baby girl... I should be sad today that you are a year old... but I'm not! I'm so happy to celebrate this day with you... it's the day everything in my life changed for the better... the day life had new meaning... and the day I learned what love really is! This past year has went by so fast and even though I had tried to document it as much as possible, I wish I could go back and relive the last year... but I can't... so my goal for the next year is to write even more about the things you do, the way you are changing and what you enjoy. And also to take more pictures and videos so I can remember this time that I will never get back. Days, weeks and months seem to run together, but here is what you have been up to during this final month of your first year:

• You are still in size 4 Target diapers... but I think after we use up what we have, we will switch to size 5. This has been the longest amount of time that you have ever stayed in a diaper size, which is reassuring that now that you're more active, your weight is evening out!


• You wear a size 6 shoe (big foot)... really a size 5 1/2 fits you perfectly but you have no room to grow in that size.


• You still love Liza & Remi and try to pet them all the time.


• You love taking baths and splashing in the water and you also love being in the swimming pool. You still think it's funny to stick your face under the water... the problem is water usually goes up your nose, but after you cough a few times you just laugh about it!


• You are no longer drinking that icky formula! For the past 2 weeks you have been drinking regular (2%) milk and you have done great. I mixed it with 1/2 formula for 3 or 4 days and then switched you to all milk and you didn't seem to notice the difference (or maybe you did because now there is never a drop of milk left)! You still have 8 oz of milk 3 times per day all from a sippy cup (which you just started drinking out of the 12 month and up one) except for your nighttime bottle... which we will stop today...on your birthday!


• Like usual, you do great with eating anything I give you! You will even eat pieces of raw onion!


• You are still crawling around everywhere but I've noticed you have seemed to be crawling less, and walking (while holding onto something) more! You love it when I grab your hands and let you walk around the apartment (I usually just follow you and let you go wherever you want). You are also getting very good at standing by yourself, you can bend over and pick things up without falling and will sometimes stand there and wave your arms and dance!
• You have also started standing up without using anything to pull up on! The first time I saw you do this I was amazed... it just hit me that you were growing up so fast!


• You are wearing mostly 18 month clothes. We still have some 12 month shirts that fit you and you could still fit in 12 month onesies but they were getting a little tight because you are too tall for them.


• You still sleep for at least 12 hours every night. You have started going to bed even earlier than last month... you are usually tired and ready for bed between 6:45 and 7:00... it depends on how long your naps were during the day. Sometimes you stay up until 7:30 or 8:00 but when that happens you usually get pretty fussy.


• It's funny because you are very independent when it comes to sleeping... a lot of times you won't fall asleep while your Daddy or I rock you and we have to lay you down and then you go right to sleep. You also won't take a nap with me. This is probably a good thing because you can sleep on your own but when we travel somewhere we have to make sure you have your own space to sleep.


• You now have 4 teeth on the top and 5 on the bottom (with another one that will break through soon). Your first molar came in and I could tell it was really bothering you. According to charts I have seen, this is early for it to be coming in, but at least you're getting it over with!


• You still get mad and throw a fit when I tell you know, but I think this has got a little better over the past month. You know what 'no' means and if I stop you and make eye contact with you, you will listen.


• You still only say 'dada' and 'mama' but just over the past couple of weeks when I point at the cat (Winston) and say kitty you will say 'kkkkkk...kkkkk" so I think you are trying to get it!


• Just like you were when you were just a month old, you are still a Daddy's girl. When he comes home and you hear him opening the door you will start crawling as fast as you can to meet him!
• You also love it when he throws you up into the air! You get the biggest smile on your face!


• The best news from this past month is... no more reflux!!!! We took you off of your medicine a couple of weeks ago and you have done fine! There have been a few times when you have spit up and I think it burned your throat, but once the 2 week adjustment period passed everything got better! And if that wasn't enough good news, you have also grown out of being allergic to apples!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of you over the last month!

Just like I tell you every day, your Daddy and I love you so much! You really have brought us so much happiness over this past year and we cant wait to spend years and years to come with you. Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Love,

Mommy