I'm not sure how I feel about continuing with the monthly updates. I've stopped taking photos like I did for the first twelve months, and somehow it seems strange to write an update when I haven't taken a photo with the chalkboard. (That, and I can't seem to post the updates until about a month after they've happened.) But since I already had a 13-month post drafted, and since Scoops will be 14 months old this weekend, I figured, meh, why the heck not. Without much glamour (i.e. in a bulleted list), let me tell you what Scoops was up to at 13 months:
- Finally started signing "more"
- Has signed "potty" once
- Has a word for "airplane" but not the actual word
- Easily climbs out of my lap when done nursing and/or ready to play
- LOVES books, and asks to have them read to her
- Plays peek-a-boo by covering her face with her hands, a blanket, or the shower curtain (yes)
- Interacts with every page of Pat the Bunny
- Loves her blankie and snuggle bunny
- Loves her "drumsticks" and xylophone from daddy
- Sips out of her play cups and washes her dishes in the play kitchen sink
- Takes toys out of one container and collects them in another
- Stands up easily from sitting
- Learning to use a spoon and fork to feed herself
- Thinks "protein" is the best food group ever
- Is mostly sleeping through the night
- Pooping in the potty almost daily
- Dancing on the reg :)
- Talking/babbling a lot
- Can identify body parts (Head and Shoulders song, anyone?)
- Learning the difference between you/yours and me/mine
And since 14 months will be here in just a few days, I'm going to preemptively write a few updates to the above list.
- Understands the power of signing "more"
- Signs "please" - but not actually (her attempt at recreating the sign is to pat both shoulders at once)
- Says "pease?" or "pwease?" (and yes, it is the cutest thing in the world)
- Identifies by pointing and/or naming Mama, Dada, and Baby (herself)
- Identifies other people by pointing, when asked
- Is definitely an intermediate user of spoons and forks (she still misses a lot, but she's hitting her targets more and more now!)
- Loves being chased, tickled, and startled by Extreme Peek-a-Boo with daddy
- Thinks her farts are at least a notable accomplishment, at best cause for a laugh attack
- Blows actual kisses, with a sweet kissy noise - this is also her response when we tell her to say "I love you" to someone
- Dances to any music or musical/rhythmic sound. Acutally, she starts dancing if we even mention music. (She is her mother's daughter.)
- Has a full 7 teeth (3 on the bottom, 4 on top), and seems to be getting more although I can't feel them coming in yet
- Said "Santa" tonight while watching the old-school stop motion animation Rudolph movie (yes, I teared up)
 |
| Enjoying a quiet little break at a very lively Thanksgiving celebration |
I'm enjoying watching my little girl rapidly grow and develop. I've become very comfortable with referring to her as a toddler, though I've taught her to refer to herself as The Baby. She will always be my baby.
I realized this evening that I don't take as many photos of her as I think other moms must take of their babies. I feel like I'm often told to take a picture when Scoops is doing something cute, but I don't always like to. She knows what my phone is (and that she's not allowed to play with it), and she knows that we can take pictures on it. But one day a couple months ago, when I was logging her meal in my baby tracker app, I looked up to see her imitating me tapping my phone screen. It would have been cute, except that she was urgently crying out "mama mama mama!" while doing it, and clearly trying to get my attention. I don't want her thinking my phone is an extension of my arm, or that it's more valuable or interesting to me than she is. I also don't want to miss being part of special and significant moments just because I was trying to document them. (But if I can get a vid of her saying "pwease" you can bet your ass it'll be posted on the internet, quick status.) So I might have less photos than other moms, but I'm ultimately ok with that.
At almost 14 months, I am feeling much more settled into mommyhood. I am completely aware that I still have much to learn as Scoops gets older, but I also feel that I have lots of valuable information to share with newer moms. The newborn stage seems so incredibly far behind me now, even though it also feels like it was just yesterday. I know that I appreciated the advice of, shall we say, seasoned moms? when I was a brand-new mommy. I hope I can pay that forward now. I'm feeling a renewed motivation for writing with this realization (or remembering, maybe) that I actually have something to offer to the blog-o-sphere, so expect to see more of my musings soon!
