So, this was delayed this month. More so because I think I am in denial about the whole thing...
A,
Wow, here we are, you are now one years old! I truly cannot believe it. I mean, everyone tells you how quickly the time flies by, but it is one thing to hear that and then another to see it actually happen. It feels like it was just yesterday when I held you so tiny in my arms and all you could do was sleep, eat, and cry. And now suddenly here you are, this big girl, with a mind of her own, taking on the world!
You have certainly gotten my stubborn streak that is for sure! Your personality cracks me up so much and oh, boy do you have a personality! You let us know exactly what you want and if you do not get it, well you let us know what you think about that too! You now like to run everywhere. Crawling is a thing of the past and everything is done at a walk or run now. You are very independent and want to do everything yourself. If we try and feed you, you shake your head no (so cute) and wait until we put it down, and then you will go and pick it up and feed it to yourself! You have even tried to put on your socks and shoes now as well! You haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet but it is so awesome that you are trying!
You still love your food but are becoming a bit more picky now. You LOVE blueberries and if you see one, you will take out the food in your mouth so you can put the blueberry in! It is hilarious, though we are trying to teach you that you can swallow your food and then have the blueberry. You drink great from any sippy cup now as well. You, much like me, do not seem to love your vegetables. We are working on that!
You still are not a sleeper, either. You take 1-2 naps a day and then wake 1-2 times a night. While I do look forward to the day you actually sleep all night, I know I will miss those cuddle times! You did give us 5 days in a row where you slept until 5am and I thought you finally had started to sleep through the night, but alas, it was just a phase as you have gone back to your nightly wake ups :)
You have become much more talkative as well lately! It is so cute trying to see you repeat what we say. Usually, you can get out the first part of a word such as shh for shoes and fssh for fish. And then sometimes you surprise us by saying the whole word very clearly! I pretty much understand what you want most of the time and have figured out your language. You still do your signs as well which really helps and you are a master pointer! You will point at what you want until we get it for you (or don't and which point you throw a fit). And yes, even though they say babies do not throw tantrums until they are usually 18 months you have already started those! I try hard not to laugh because I don't want you to think that it is good what you are doing. But it is really funny sometimes! You kick your little legs and get this epic cry face that is just hilarious. Even in a tantrum you are adorable!
I mentioned earlier about your running, but boy, do you run! You love, LOVE, love to be outside and walking around. You will walk to the front door and just pound on it asking to go outside. When we go on walks, you now like to push the stroller around rather than sit in it! You are also quite the gatherer, and like to stop and pick up everything on the ground. Your favorites are leaves and rocks. If you see a leaf or a rock, you will walk straight towards it and pick it up. If there are more than one you will not move forward until you have one in both hands. You are really sweet and try and then give them to me or Daddy and then go get more to hand to us.
You have also become a better listener which is great! If I tell you to wait, or to pick something up, most times you will do it. And the times you don't, is because you don't want to and are purposefully ignoring us, because I know you get it!
We had such a great time celebrating you turning one! We had a party on August 31st at our house. It was ducky themed as you love your ducks right now! So many people came to celebrate with you. You seemed to enjoy your day and coloring with chalk and playing in the "duck pond" (ball pit) at least when the boys were not going crazy in it! You were very funny with your cake! You did not know what to do with it and were very dainty at first. You just played with the icing and kept trying that. You then wanted to share and put a whole handful of icing on my face to share with me! After, Daddy and I helped you with your cake, you got more into it and then got it all over your face!
Then, on your actually birthday, we took your to Disneyland! It was such a fun day! Luckily, it was very empty and so you were able to walk Main Street and ToonTown without fear of being knocked down by crowds. You started the day seeing Pluto as soon as we walked in and you were so excited, so we got in line to meet him. You were so funny with the character (we saw Daisy and Mickey as well!) because far away you really wanted to see them but once we got close, you got a bit scared! One of your favorite things though was not actually part of Disneyland, but was the ducks that because it was not crowded were just hanging out all over the park. You got SO excited everytime you saw one and wanted to follow them! You loved the Tiki Room and the Parade as well. You liked waving to all the characters in the parade! It was such a wonderful day and I hope we can make this a new family tradition! :)
I still don't know how a whole year has gone by. But, to watch how you have grown and flourished this year just amazes me. I often times call you perfect and while you are testing us every day to see your boundaries, you truly are perfect in our eyes. When you smile, it warms my heart, and then when you laugh and giggle, well there is no better feeling then to hear that wonderful sound! I love you more than I thought it was possible to love and feel so incredibly blessed to be your mommy! I look forward to our future adventures and can't wait to see what this next year brings us!
Love you always and forever my precious girl,
Mommy
