Lola- One year old

Lola Rae

One Year

I can’t believe how much things have changed in only a couple months. You have turned into a little girl, not a baby anymore. You are active, you are clever and you are the silliest. Where do I even begin?

At your one year check up you weighed in at a whopping 16 pounds and 27 inches. You are certainly our little peanut.

Miss independent. That is who you have become in this past year. You like to do things on your own, you like to get to places on your own and it makes me proud, yet a little sad at the same time.  You don’t want to be carried around, you’re not a fan of just being held.  I miss those days when I could hold you in my arms like a little baby and rock you. Those are moments are few and far between. If I’m lucky I’ll catch you when you are really really sleepy and you’ll let me rock you for a little bit. I mean, for the first 6 months of your life you were constantly held, and I’m so glad I soaked up those moments when I had the chance. Now, you are constantly on the go go go!

You are definitely on the move, but not walking yet. You can make your way around any piece of furniture in a flash.  You just are not confident with yourself enough to take those first couple steps.  I am in no hurry however, you can take your sweet time little girl. You can now really take off on your walker. You are so happy and proud of yourself when you cruise around the room with that thing. You can stand on your own for a couple seconds. Usually you don’t realize you let go, but when you do, its PLOP on your bottom.

Nursing. I’m not sure how I got so lucky, but you sort of weaned yourself.  My goal was one year and you stopped 5 days before your birthday.  At 9 months you started only nursing about 4 times a day, then 10.5 months only about 3, then around 11 months only morning and night and then 11.5 only morning and then 5 days before your birthday, it’s like you just forgot about it and woke up and never asked for it. I think my milk supply was slowing decreasing with the pregnancy and all, so that probably helped out a bit. Yes, it made me sad, but not as upset as I thought I would be. The fact that we will not share in that bonding experience anymore and you are getting older and more independent makes me sad.  And yes, I love nursing, but knowing that I will get a little break before this next baby comes along is pretty nice.  I’m just thankful for the bonding time we had and that you are happy and content with the whole situation.

You love to eat, nobody believes how much you can eat until they see if for themselves. I guess you stay so tiny now because you are so active.  Dr, says you will be a petite little thing, but there is nothing wrong with that. ;) Your favorite foods are bananas, eggs, strawberries, blueberries, and zucchini. We started giving you whole milk and you love it, so we lucked out there as well. We try to feed you as healthy as possible and all organic, you are food spoiled for sure.  We need to stop eating out so much, when you see a server walk by with a food tray you lose your cool, I think people think we starve you.

You’re a goofball. You have SO many funny faces. You are so animated, I have no idea where you get it? ;D My favorite is your sweet/shy face you make when you tuck your chin into your chest and look up with those adorable pouty eyes. Oh my, you can certainly get whatever you want with that look.

Language. You’re language is developing like crazy, both vocally and your sign language. The words you can now say are “ma ma”, “mom”, “da da,” “il-e” -Lilly, “Lola”, “ba-oon” -balloon, “dog”, “wow”, “woah” ,“no”,  “blah blah” -banana, “uh oh”, “du” -duck, “hi”, “boo”- book, “ball”, “nin-e”  (paci) and maybe more that I can’t think of this second.

You hardly ever say hi or bye, which is a little weird to me, but you looooove to wave hi and bye with  great enthusiasm and to anyone.

Words you can sign- milk, dog, eat, more, all done, drink, bath, baby, bird, duck, music, shoe (we made up a couple) , “where is it?” and “bonked your head”

You are such a happy baby. You love to squeal and giggle and when you smile your nose crinkles and your eyes get squinty. I love that face. You love being chased and tickled and you love to tickle your daddy. You two are soooo adorable.

Sleeping- Since 8 months you have been the perfect sleeper. You have always been a good sleeper, but around 8 months is when you started sleeping for about 12 hours straight. You go to bed around 8 and wake up around 8-9. You demand your banana first thing, so I give you a banana while you wait for me to make your breakfast. You eat and then play for a whole hour, then it’s ready for nap time around 10:30- 1-ish. Then you get up eat lunch, play play play and then you’re ready for your nap again around 2:30-3 and sleep till around 5.  You will start to lay your head down on things or sometime you will even crawl to your bed and pull out your frog and “nin-e”.  Or I will say “Lola are you ready for your nap?” and you get so excited, sometimes you will crawl to your room when I ask you that. You never fight your sleep, I lay you in your ned, give you your frog and “nin-e” turn your sleep sheep on the rain sound, tell you I love you and shut the door.  I seriously do not know how I got so lucky, but thank you, thank you, thank you little one. Now, will you teach your brother or sister how to do the same please? The only downfall, you will not sleep anywhere besides your own bed or your car seat. Traveling is sometimes a pain, because getting you to sleep in your pack m play is not always the easiest.  Sometimes I even wish you would sleep with us! Your father and me have tried to set up a pallet on the living room floor and lay you down with us but you will not have it, you love your bed/bedroom too much. You will fight sleep until we give up and put you in your bed and then you are out before we shut the door. Like I said, miss independent.

You’re my little explorer. You love to explore any and everything. If you have never seen the object before you must touch it and check it out.  You are a lot better about not putting everything you grab in your mouth and if it’s something you don’t think you should have in your mouth you take it out and hand it to me. You are also very good at listening to me when I tell you not to put something in your mouth or to take something out of your mouth. If you are heading somewhere you don’t think you are supposed to be going you shoot me a look to see if you’re going to get away with it.  And 90% of the time you will still head that way even though I tell you not to. Little Stinker. You’re pretty good at entertaining yourself. You can get lost in your own little World with just a couple bowls and spoons.  When you want me you crawl up my legs and say " say “mom” “mom” “mom”. Yes, when you want me you say “mom”, not “ma ma”. Not sure how that happened, but you’re too little to say “mom” already. ;(

Watching you grow over this past year has been the sweetest experience of my life and I cannot wait to see who you will be a year from now.

 Mommy and Daddy love you Peanut.