12 Month Update

One year already? It went by so fast! I've come a long way since those newborn colicky days. Every day and every month just keeps getting better and better! 

Stats:

I weigh 18 lbs, 6 oz. (9th percentile) and measure 29 inches long (12th percentile). I'm a small kid and although my height is back on track since my last appointment, my weight dropped down a curve. The doc said it's probably from all that moving around I've been doing lately. His orders were to feed me fattier foods (ie. avocados, yogurt, cheese) and don't stop feeding me until I indicate I want to stop. Best doctor's orders ever! 

Developments:

I'm officially walking! It started happening about a week before my first birthday and now I can easily walk across a room without falling down. I still take breaks for longer distances and sometimes, crawling is still faster. But I'm enjoying this new found mobility!

I go barefoot about 95 percent of the time because I still hate wearing socks or shoes!

Along with the walking, I have this constant desire to stand. It's impossible to take me anywhere because I refuse to sit still. I'm always trying to stand up in shopping carts, swings, restaurant high chairs - and if I'm not trying to stand I'm twisting my whole body around trying to see what's behind me. I get so easily distracted, it definitely does not make eating out any fun for Mommy or Daddy. 

In terms of verbal development, I've said the words mama, dada, hi, and no. I had been repeating the sound "ma-ma-ma" for awhile, but one evening Daddy was carrying me and put me down, and I crawled straight toward Mommy and said "mama." Mommy is pretty convinced that was the first time I said "mama" and meant it. 

Here are some other random things I've started to do this month:

• roll my arms when Mommy chants Pat-a-cake
• say "hi" and wave to everyone I see in the classroom when we drop Kaitlyn off at preschool
• charm everyone with my smile, especially people working the cash register at stores, and people waiting in line behind us
• splash my hands in the bathtub when prompted
• put a telephone to my ear
• throw or roll a ball toward you
• dunk a ball into my toy basketball hoop
• explore playgrounds. I've finally stopped trying to eat the tan bark all the time, so Mommy lets me check out the play structures and try to climb up the slides. I still need to stop trying to eat the sand in sandboxes though.

Eating:

Eating is as messy as ever, as I insist on feeding myself and refuse to wear bibs. I recently started deliberately dropping food onto the floor during meals. I love to look down to see where it lands, and then watch Brady gobble it up. Sometimes I even look around first to make sure Brady is nearby, then make sure to drop the food in his direction.

This month we discovered that I have a peanut allergy. I ate a tiny amount of peanut butter from the crust of Kaitlyn's peanut butter and jelly sandwich. About twenty minutes later, as we were picking Kaitlyn up from preschool, my face had broken out into hives around my mouth. My eyes were itchy and got really swollen from me rubbing them. The nurse hotline told Mommy to call 911 or take me to the ER immediately. Fortunately one of the mothers at preschool is a pediatrician and was able to check me out right there. She gave me some Benadryl and all the swelling eventually went down. Now I'm supposed to avoid peanuts until at least next year.

Weaning:
I made it an entire year of exclusively breastfeeding! It wasn't exactly what Mommy had planned, but that's just how it ended up. We're still trying to figure out what to do next. I love nursing, and it's a quick solution to my night or early morning wakings. All Mommy has to do is give me the boob and I'm down for another one to two hours. On the other hand, Mommy would like me to be a little less dependent on her, especially during the day. They started to give me cow's milk from a straw cup but I still haven't shown much interest.

Sleep:
After six months of sleeping in a Pack n' Play, I have FINALLY moved back to the crib in the bedroom. It took a few sleeps to adjust to being back in there, but I'm finally sharing a room with my sister again. Bedtime is a bit challenging. Before, I was sleeping in a pitch dark room with the door closed and the white noised turned up, while Kaitlyn did the opposite (door wide open, hallway lights on, and a bunch of other nightlights). In order to make it work, I go down first with the lights off and door closed, Kaitlyn does her bedtime routine in Mommy and Daddy's room, and then they sneak her into the room after I'm asleep and tuck her in, leaving the door open and a faint light on outside. There have been a few times when I've woken up angry, and my crying in turn has woken her up, but hopefully it won't be long before we can enjoy being roommates.

My naps are still pretty scheduled, with the longer morning nap starting around 9:30-10am, and the afternoon nap around 3:30-4pm. I'm usually so tired by 10am that I probably won't be consolidating to one nap anytime soon.

Disposition:

As Mommy and Daddy both like to put it, I am one crazy little kid. It is always nonstop action from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. I am curious, adventurous, and persistent. Those three traits combined equals trouble. I love getting into everything, especially places I don't belong. My favorites are the shoe closet and Brady's bed. I also try to climb everything. If someone leaves the stepladder out, I will try to climb it over and over. Basically, if it is dirty or dangerous, I am there.

Overall, I am a very happy baby. Always smiling and always observing. I love staring at strangers and once I'm comfortable enough, will flash them a huge grin. Mommy predicts that I will have a pretty outgoing personality when I am older, at least compared to Kaitlyn. 

Likes: the tags on my muslin blankets (and those blankets in general. I have become attached to them more than ever - they are my comfort items!)

Dislikes: diaper changes (probably mentioned before, but I really do hate them)

Birthday crown at Little Wonders

Oops, we didn't get any photos of me and Brady together this month, but here's a video of our typical daily interaction.