I can’t believe you are a year old now! This past year has flown by. I am so thankful to be your mommy and have enjoyed watching you grow and change this year.
At your one year checkup with Dr. Lahr you were 28 inches long (10th percentile), 19 pounds and 4 ounces (42nd percentile) with a head circumference of 18 ¼ inches (86th percentile).
I felt brave and decided to take all of your birthday pictures by myself this year. Yikes! I’m sure they would be better if Grandpa had taken them, but I’ll never get better if I always have someone else do it. All in all, I’m pretty happy with how they turned out! (Grandpa did take photos of your party so I could play hostess and help you open gifts. I’m so glad he did!)
We had your party on the Saturday before your birthday. All of your grandparents and cousins and aunts came and most of your uncles. (Uncle Drew had to work and Uncle Sam is at basic training.) You decided not to take a morning nap at all that day! I was worried that you would be fussy, but once everyone arrived, you enjoyed yourself very much!
You got a lot of cute (and noisy!) toys as gifts. Grandpa and Nana gave you a little ladybug that plays songs and teaches shapes and colors. Grams and Pops gave you a walking toy that has lots of fancy lights and buttons and songs. Uncle Caleb and Aunt Jennifer gave you a board book and a toy camera. Uncle Jacob and Aunt Jessica gave you a stacking & sorting toy and a board book. And Uncle Drew sent his gift with Nana - a toy cell phone and a stuffed Minnie Mouse. What fun!
As far as cake goes, you hated it. You did not like touching it and getting messy. And even when Daddy helped you taste it, you did not like it. Oddly enough, the day we took your cake pictures, I found you eating cat food just an hour later - and enjoying it. You’re so weird!
We made some special memories this week and I’m so glad we did! I love you so much birthday girl!
Here are some comparisons of Penny and you at one year old. I love to see how similar and yet how different the two of you are!
(No height & weight measurements taken this month.)
Sleeping Pattern:
Still the same… two naps each day, about an hour each. And you sleep about eleven hours each night. (You sleep 3-4 hours fewer each day than Penny did at your age!)
Eating Habits:
You have nursed once each day - in the morning right after you wake up. You are eating mostly finger foods now, instead of purees, but it is taking you a while to get brave about different textures. You’re picky about your foods! But you’re making progress. At the beginning of the month you would not eat any meat and by the end you were enjoying fish and chicken nuggets and one day you even ate a few bites of Daddy’s cheeseburger! Your favorite foods are peas & carrots, shredded cheese, crackers, and freeze-dried strawberry slices.
Personality, etc.:
You are kind of demanding. :) You want to always have someone paying attention to you and you do not like being alone. You love being with your big sister, especially if you can be in her bedroom with her! You like to be read to and you are learning new words. You are very vocal and make lots of sweet babbling noises!
One of my favorite words you say is “sock.” Every morning when I am dressing you, I say the word “sock” while I put each sock on your little feet and you say it back with such excitement!
You have become quite attached to your little blanket! It doesn’t have to be a specific blanket, but you prefer the little receiving blankets because they are perfect for snuggling and for playing peek-a-boo, which you love to do.
You still fuss in the car seat a lot. We turned you around so that you are facing forward now - just a couple of weeks earlier than we were really supposed to. It seems to help some, but there are times when you still scream and cry the whole time we are in the car. I wish I knew how to help you be happier in the car. I have found that the odds of you staying happy are better if you have your cup, a blanket, and some toys. But sometimes that is just not enough. You adore bath time. Usually I start the bath water while you are playing in the living room. As soon as you hear it you scoot as fast as you can straight to the bathroom, squealing and yelling the whole time. I think you would sit in the bath tub all day long if I would let you.
Accomplishments & Habits:
At the very end of this month you started getting up on your hands and knees and rocking back and forth. You still haven’t crawled in this position - you still army crawl with your belly on the floor - but you’re getting closer! You also have pulled up to your knees a few times, but not to a standing position yet. If I stand you up next to a piece of furniture or a standing toy you can stay in that position for quite a while, but you don’t know how to get down by yourself so when you get tired of standing you cry until I help you down.
You are quite the parrot! You can repeat so many words, but you don’t use very many on your own and I can only understand them because I’m your mommy. For instance, when you say “blanket” it sounds like “boo-dah.” It’s super cute!
At the beginning of the month you were able to tip your sippy cup and drink by yourself, thank goodness. And you LOVE milk. We make sure to have it just about everywhere we go!
Photos:
November 6 - First pigtails!
I am including this picture just to be realistic. You do this sometimes! ;-)
Taking advantage of a beautiful day and swinging outside.
November 7 - A family day at the zoo included your very first carousel ride.
November 13 - We let Pixie come with us when we took Penny to school.
November 13 - You are eating lots of finger foods now.
November 14 - Twirly Toes
Drinking by yourself (without lying down)
I love your gorgeous eyes!
Practicing standing
Sleepy girl - you suck on your index finger and snuggle your blanket.
November 22 -Playing peek-a-boo
November 24 - Playing with Penny is one of your favorite things to do!
November 26 - I don't actually let you watch TV, but you wanted to see what Penny was doing so badly that I set you up next to her for just a minute. You felt like such a big girl!
November 26 - Your first time to sit in "big church" - you were perfect!
November 27 - a Thanksgiving photo with your cousins
November 28 - Bedtime stories with Daddy
November 29 - A toy you got for your birthday - so many giggles!
