First, and most importantly, Madeline is now 13 months old and doing very well. She was a whopping 18lbs at her 12 month check up and 32 inches tall. She's still very small on the weight side, but 90th percentile for height...which we have no idea where that has come from. She started sitting unsupported at 6 months, crawling around 7.5 months, cruising by 8 months, and this girl was eager to already start walking at 9.5 months. Needless to say, she's been early with all of her milestones. She is on the go all the time. Now she's starting to run and also learning how to kick. Surprisingly, she outgrew her milk intolerance and the transition to whole milk was easy peasy. She also doesn't have any food allergies that we are aware of. She's tried everything from nuts to shrimp! She eats what we eat, and we stopped giving her baby food around 11 months.
I cannot put into words how blessed we are to have such an amazing baby girl. The past year definitely had its' ups and downs, but all for the best. We are so lucky. I am so proud to be her Mommy.
She's starting to talk more and more. "Mama" and "ball" are her first real words. She started saying "Dada," but got bored with that and moved on. Tommy practices "Dada" with her endlessly, but she refuses. I think it's pretty funny, however, he is ready for her to start asking for him. All day long she's pointing at objects and saying "mom" and wants me to tell her what they are. She has also mastered the wave, high five, "uh oh," and "I don't know." She also shakes her head no for both yes and no...which is adorable. Oh, and I taught her "shew-wee" or aka the stinky gesture the other day, so she's been having fun with that one.
Sleep is mostly okay the majority of the time. We ended up sleep training at 8 months, and as hard as it was to do, it was well worth it. We're dealing with molars cutting in right now, so this week naps and night sleep have been somewhat a challenge some days. She has 8 teeth so far. She's still on 2 naps per day, and I don't think she'll be ready to transition to 1 nap per day for at least another month or so.
The Mommy Cling also starting about 2 months ago. Some days I spend carrying her around the majority of the day. She loves Tommy, but right now she's all about me. She'll even cry hysterically when Tommy takes her, but once she doesn't see me and starts playing with Tommy she's fine. Tommy is eagerly awaiting the Daddy Cling stage. It really does make him sad that it's all about me, but he'll have his time. Besides, when M's a teenager, she probably won't talk to me for 5 years. Ha.
We are on the go all day long. She keeps me fit and active. We go shopping, to Mommy and Me class, and to the park every week, and try to see friends and family when possible. We try to get out of the house everyday...even if it's just a trip to Target. She LOVES her Mommy and Me class. We started it around 10 months, and she's been long it ever since. It's pricey, but it's good for her, so we'll continue it as long as we can. We also try to do playdates, but those are complicated to do these days working around nap schedules. Oh, and music. My goodness this child is obsessed with music. We play music and dance all day long. And when I say "we" I mean the both of us. She loves to dance. I wonder where she got that from?
I absolutely love being a stay at home Mom. Though, it has it's challenges. Sometimes, I think my 60 hour per work weeks were a piece of cake compared to being a SAHM, but I'm certainly not complaining. I know I'm lucky to be able to stay home, and it's what we want as a family. I laugh at myself when I thought I'd be able to have time to "work from home part time." Sure, I could, but I wouldn't be going to bed until after Midnight. I guess I'd assume I'd have a ton of downtime, when that's certainly not the case at all, quite the opposite. But, it's fun. I love it. Again, not complaining.
I posted last year that we'd be going to Florida for our good friend's wedding (we were both asked to be in the wedding), however, we aren't going to be able to make it, and that's okay. They totally understand. However, we are throwing them a coed bridal shower next month, so that will be fun.
Speaking of travelling. We are going to attempt our first "family vacation" next Summer. We'd love to take Madeline to the beach. We had gracious offers this year, but there was too much going on. So, sometime next year we are going to try to go to Destin. We are also going to try to make a trip down to Texas to visit family, however, that trip is a little more difficult to plan. But, nonetheless, we will try our best, but no promises just yet.
I don't want to make this post too pic heavy, so I've randomly picked a few photos. Photos are challenging to get these days due to a running toddler. I have told myself I have to go try to take more photos. The birthday photos were taken by Bran and Michelle.
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| Birthday Girl |
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| Very Excited Birthday Girl |
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| 13 Months |
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| Nana, Madeline, and Myself |
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| Outdoor Fun |
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| Me and Tommy |
Thankfully, the weather is starting to cool off a bit. We were able to go to the zoo with Ray-Ray, go to the park, and play outdoors at Gammy's and Poppy's recently. When it's nice we try to play in the backyard as much as possible, too. Next year, we are planning on getting Madeline an outdoor playhouse and cedar swing set.
I am soooooo excited for Fall and the holiday season to begin. Christmas this year is going to be so much fun. I cannot wait.
Okay, so I guess I'm done rambling for now. I am going to try my best to update twice per week. We shall see if that actually sticks. :)
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