12 Months Old

My baby is 12 months old...a whole year *sniff sniff*

Two hours from being on the "outside"...I was super excited to meet this girl!

Our first family pic <3

Just born

one week old

two weeks old

three weeks old

one month old

two months old

three months old

four months old

five months old

six months old

seven months old

eight months old

nine months old

ten months old

eleven months old

twelve months old

EAT:

Lots of finger foods for the girl with (almost) no teeth.  Still eating everything I mentioned in the 11 month post, but lots of new stuff too.  I'd rather stick to the pureed stuff, since she doesn't have any teeth (except for one tiny piece of top right tooth poking through)...but Syd isn't having the pureed stuff anymore.  She wants the real deal.  I'm trying to make it balanced with some protein at every meal, so she gets lots of scrambled eggs, black beans, and black-eyed peas.  She pretty much eats anything I put on her tray, as fast as she can get it in her mouth.  She's also drinking water from her sippy cup with each meal...finally.  She's terrible at it though and chokes herself almost every time by taking in way too much water at once.

She is now taking bottles 3 times a day, which include a mixture of pumped breastmilk and Alimentum formula.  I've had to cut back on the dairy again after she started spitting up, so I'm going to have to go to formula first and then work in the cow's milk slowly...like we did with Millie.  She still nurses from the breast for the first meal of the day because it is so early and we are still practically asleep.  I haven't been in a hurry to wean her, primarily because I enjoy the bonding time with her.  So we are taking it slow.  Plus, she is forcing me to take it slow with her hatred of the taste of formula.  ;)  Stubborn Syd is pushing back.

SLEEP:

She goes down between 7-7:30pm each night and wakes up between 4-6am to eat.  Sometimes she goes back to sleep...sometimes we have a really early start to the day.  She takes two naps per day: 9am, 1pm.  She is the easiest child on the planet to put to bed: put her in crib, give her a paci, turn on sound machine, lights out, close door, done.  

She looks so grown up in this pic with her bermuda shorts and shoes on.  I love it and hate it all at the same time.  She's wearing size 3 diapers, but I'll be moving those up to size 4s really soon.  Clothes are size 12-18 months, shoes size 4.

Syd's 1 year pediatrician appointment is later this week; her unofficial stats are: 27" tall and weighs about 21 pounds.  She is considerably shorter than Millie was at this age...and a bit more "padded". ;)  I sort of love how they are so different...not just body type, but hair color, eye color, skin color, personality and temperament.  

PLAY:
She's learned how to sit in chairs this past month.  I remember this being a big deal for Millie.  They figure out they can do it, and they seem so proud of themselves.  It's adorable.  She loves to get in and out of her brown polka dot chair in her room...over and over and over.  Not only is she walking everywhere, but she's also starting to trot.  She gets going so fast!  I wouldn't exactly call it a "run", but it is way faster than her normal walk.  She loves for us to chase her.  Interesting though how she can do all of that, but she still has yet to stand up on her own without using the wall or some piece of furniture (or person) to help her pull up to standing.  I don't think it has occurred to her that it's possible.

We haven't really been working on waving, I kind of forget about those little milestones.  However, last week when Midge was taking her picture, I told her to wave and she did!  It only happened once though...and she still isn't into clapping either.  Her current loves: playing with Millie, riding on her new push tricycle, swinging, dropping toys in a bucket, grabbing Buddy's fur, walking/jogging laps through the house, putting leaves & mulch in her mouth, falling down to snuggle on top of mommy and daddy when we lay on the floor, taking sips of Millie's juice box, eat eat eating, walking up and down the sidewalk, reading books, listening to mommy sing (especially Baby Beluga), stealing clothes from the dirty laundry basket or shoes from the shoe basket, playing the puff-fetch game, peekaboo.

Dear Sydney Diane,
What an amazing year we've had with you...such a precious gift.  I thought I would be so sad to see you turn one year old, but instead, I'm so excited because I know it just keeps getting better.  I'm excited to see you change into a true toddler and start hearing you speak words and form your own ideas.  I know we have already gotten a glimpse into your laid back personality, but I can't wait to see if that sticks or will you decide to get more demanding?  Will you continue to let Millie boss you around, or will you decide to give it right back?!  I have a feeling it is going to get more interesting around here. ;)  Just can't wait to see what's in store for my sweet angel baby.  Syd Pid, you're the perfect addition to our little family, and we're all so grateful for you.  Beautiful baby of mine, with your deep laugh and gloriously chubby thighs...with your daddy's eye color and your momma's long toes...with your sister's sheer joy for life and love of a good chase...with your fantastic snuggling skills and curious nature...you are loved more than you'll ever know.