13 months

I feel like we have truly gone from baby to toddler this month because she is a real toddler now. She is much better on her feet now & falls less than she used to. This month she has officially started walking (June 2nd) without holding onto mom or dads hand.  She toddles around on two feet nearly 100% of the time. Tantrums have been a whole new can of worms. Lilly is very much into climbing – stairs, her chair – & she’s not very steady yet. Thus, we have to tell her “no” a lot when we’ve had our fill of back-breaking spotting. With the word “no” comes a head-banging, back-arching tantrum. I just do my best to support her body while she flails about so she doesn’t hurt herself & ride out the storm so to speak. And my gosh I am soooo tired of changing diapers holding her down with one hand! I wish I could explain how important diaper changes are to her wellbeing.

Lillian has been 100% breastfed. This is something I dreamed of being able to do through her first year of life & is something that I am extremely proud of.  At the same time, breastfeeding is something that I am happy to say goodbye to.  Was it easy?  At first- Hell No.  Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! Only the greatest for Lilly! I am determined to give her what was & is best. I have started weaning her after her first birthday. By that time, we we're down to just four feedings a day anyhow. During this month, I had dropped down from 4 feedings a day to 1 over the course of a few weeks. We’re still nursing once a day. 

Everyone keeps asking me why I haven’t stopped completely. I’m just not ready! First thing in the morning is so easy & convenient. Lilly still asks for milk as soon as she’s up, so I’m waiting to see if it loses its appeal in the coming weeks. I think she’s holding onto the routine as much as I am & just staying on for comfort. To say the weaning process has been bittersweet is a huge understatement. Yet as hard as it to say goodbye to nursing, I know it is right for us. Now on the other side, I’ve been really happy with the decision & timing. I’m so thankful we have had such a positive experience & I definitely look forward to giving it another shot with baby number two, someday. 

I have started giving her cow’s milk at lunch & dinner. She usually sips a few ounces, but she doesn’t chug it down. For the first month I gave it (maybe a few times a week) she just let it dribble back down her chin, but lately she’s actually been taking sips. One time last week she drank the whole cup & asked for more. Lillian is eating almost all of the food we eat now.  I wouldn't say that we necessarily went the traditional way or even the "baby lead weaning way"... we were just sorta winging it with a little direction from friends & family.  
She continues to be a picky eater & changes the foods she likes daily. Sometimes it’s frustrating to figure out what she wants to eat. Where do you find the balance between a short order cook & having them go hungry? Isn’t she too young to understand the whole “this is what you get. eat it or go hungry” concept? I think so, but I don’t want to be starting bad habits by getting her whatever he wants... hem hem cheerios! Some of her current favorites are cheese, blueberries, tender pieces of chicken & most recently she'll try anything that we're eating! 

One year

12 months!!!

I never thought I could possibly love someone as much as I love this little kid. Every day with her is exponentially more fun than the last.  I fondly remember sobbing over her growing up too fast (when she was literally four days old, but I was totally bonkers at that point) but now I look so forward to all the incredible things that she learns & does.

It just keeps getting better & better. I wasn't sure I wanted to do one of those "one year stats" posts, but I have decided that I have to. It will be fun to look back on, to remember all these things & hopefully will come in handy for baby #2... someday.

Age: One

Stats: 29.2 inches, 19.5 lbs, 18.3 inch head circumfrance

Favorite Foods: Banana, Blueberries, Avocado, Eggs & Cheerios

Favorite Words: More, Milk

Favorite Toy: Books, tv remote, push walkers

Favorite Activities: Bath time, imitating everything we do, running laps around the hall, story time, playing with friends & swinging

Least Favorite Activities: Getting out of the bath tub, diaper changes, the word "no" & being calm.

Nicknames: Lilly, Lillybug, LC, Lillybean, bug

Signature Moves: She loves dancing to the hot dog song from Mickey Mouse Club House- Girl's got moves.

11 Months

Lillian is so fun these days.  Approaching the big one is kind of like planning a wedding: you really love the process, details & all the excitement but then once the party has come & gone you think: “Wow, I am sort of glad that’s over!” I am definitely excited for one to come & have another baby someday, but I’m also thrilled that walking, talking, playing & toddlerhood are all just around the corner. =) 

We have a new trick at mealtime: spitting out food! She seems to have figured out that she doesn’t have to eat everything. It’s been cool to see her make decisions though. She cried when I gave her leftovers two meals in a row & I just figured she wasn’t hungry so I took her down from her high chair. When she continued to cry I gave her a bite of my lunch & she just gobbled it down. Poor baby was just trying to tell me she wanted something else! When she is hungry, Lilly will say “mm! mm!” & she does it when something is particularly delicious too. 

On the communication front we have made HUGE progress this month: sign language!!! LC knows “all done,” "more," "eat," "baby," & “milk” although she doesn’t always use them appropriately. We think she has “all done” down pat though. She started doing milk during nursing one day & I could barely contain my excitement that she had made the connection. She has also started clapping which she couldn't do enough of at her first major league baseball game while watching the Seattle Mariners.  The sign language break through has been so exciting though, so now I’m using a lot more. She also has learned to point to things when she wants more of them, so that has been a helpful “sign” too.

She is a speed crawler now & into everything. Our house keeps getting emptier, which my minimalist self secretly kind of likes! She loves to push things around more than any other games. After nursing she crawls so fast she tries to shoot off the side of the bed. Gone are the days of snuggling in bed for a while in the mornings. Now she likes to wheelbarrow off the edge with me holding her feet while I lower her down to the floor. We do our diaper & outfit changes on the floor now in her room. I usually have to find a toy or bubble guppies on the phone to get her to settle before I can start on a diaper change. Once she is entertained the changes usually go better without fighting or thrashing around. 

10 Months

What’s new with my lil’ lady? walking-ish! Lillian is up, down & all around. She can practically run when pushing the walker around the house, loves to stand & cruise around. She isn’t standing or walking on her own yet, but it can’t be too far away. She gets more confident everyday but with that kind of confidence comes more accidents. Poor baby gets hurt more these days as she’s learning to crawl fast & walk from things. We saw blood for the first time last week when she bonked her lip on the bath & got a goose egg on her forehead after laughing her way into the coffee table. It breaks my heart when she gets hurt, but these are all accidents that come with the territory of learning to move’s body. 

It has become really fun that now that she is mobile & can really play well with other babies. She & Tucker play chase- she also likes to play kitchen with her friend Ava & by that I mean eat the toys while feeding them to one another. It’s really fun to watch her interact with her friends. Most of her playmates are older than she is & she has gotten scratched, hit & slapped in the face a lot recently! Most of the time this is over the sharing of toys. Poor Lillybug.. she just sits there & takes it. 

I don’t want to proclaim that Lillybean said her 1st words yet, but she is working on them. We are very close to getting a true “more” & “milk” out of her. Right now they are “moo” & “muh” but there is a connection especially when combined with signing. She also said a very clear “bye” the other day, but I’m not sure it was a real word with meaning.We have four prominent upper teeth & four on the bottom so teeth brushing has started…at least for practice. 

I've been able to drop the post-nap feedings this month & am happy about that. We’re down to about 4 feedings a day. I didn’t know how long I’d breastfeed when I first became a mom beyond my goal of a year but I’m really glad we’ve made it this far. On the one hand, I’m eager to get a little bit more independence for us both, but on the other hand it makes me really sad to think about nursing being over. Lilly still seems to want to nurse, but she doesn’t seem to be obsessed with it so I think I could probably wean her easily when the time comes. I don’t plan to force wean over a weekend or anything, but I think I’ll start after her first birthday.

9 months

I love watching Lillian grow each & everyday.  But at the same time, I wish I could go back in time a bit to her itty bitty days & snuggle. I have a feeling this is the way I'll feel about her from here on out, it's probably the way all parents feel.  She has been on the move & getting into everything! Lilly's becoming quite independent & would rather be off on her own, exploring! 

She melts my heart day in & out, & continues to be such a happy go lucky baby who always has a smile on her sweet face & can instantly light up the room.  She loves being around people, especially other babies. We've started getting together with friends for play dates & she has thoroughly enjoyed them.  Lately her biggest obsession is playing with noisy, light up toys, anything on wheels & anything in my hands. Needless to say, she continues to amaze me each day.  

This month the 3 of us went to Hawaii to celebrate Phillip returning from deployment & my 7 yr. dream of becoming a PT. It was in Hawaii that we found out I officially passed the NPTE & was licensed to practice! This was our 1st vacation, we never took a real honeymoon since I lived in FL when I came back to WA to get married. We had such a great time! Lillian swam in the ocean, enjoyed the warmth & beauty of the island of Oahu! I seriously could not get over her baby bikini, I'm not sure if it's the belly or rolls, but it was certainly the cutest thing I have ever seen. Were so not ready to leave Hawaii- is anyone ever ready to leave Hawaii? 

8 months

Christmas is over, which means I am already looking forward to Spring. But this year, one of my New Year's resolutions is to take it easy this year & not wish away any of this precious time. To not rush around so much trying to get things done or make things happen. To make time to do more things on Lillian's list than my own, more time to let her play & explore rather than just trying to squeeze it in between getting groceries & other obligations.  What an amazing year 2013 has been! It has been so much fun looking back on all of our memories & seeing how Lillian has grown last year. 2013 is going to be hard to beat, but I know there are great things in store for us this year.  We kicked off the year with Lillian crawling at 8 months, what an accomplishment!