12 Month Post

Ok, so obviously this is overdue. Our world was a little hectic during her birthday week, so it just didn't happen.

Without further ado, here are pictures of our birthday girl!

We celebrated her actual birthday with breakfast at IHOP (where our waitress, who adored Phoenix, gave her a tiny bowl of birthday-breakfast ice cream), followed by a trip to the hospital. We stopped in the NICU, where the nurses oooh'd and ahhh'd and reminisced about how tiny she used to be. The rest of the day was pretty normal and laid back -- Phoenix and I went to Gymboree, and then she hung out with Josh while I worked.

Gettin' after her ice cream

In the hospital lobby

Updates:
- We had her 1-year checkup this Friday, and she weighs at 23.5 lbs. She has gained just about 21 lbs this year ... no wonder we have gone through so many sizes of clothing! She is mostly wearing 18M things these days.
- Still no crawling. Our pediatrician isn't worried, so neither are we. She is pretty darn good at rolling wherever she wants to go, and she can even scootch around while sitting up. The nursery workers at 12Stone are so glad she isn't crawling ... they are totally in love with her, and love that she has stayed in their room for so long (since crawling is the criteria for moving up).
- She has two teeth on the bottom, and some serious fussiness (and swollen gums) lead us to believe she is going to get some top ones pretty soon.
- She is an eating champion ... even with just two teeth, she is pretty good at eating whatever I give her. Cheerios, blueberries, watermelon, tomato insides (that I squirt in her mouth), bread with hummus, avocado, baby puffs, and carrots are some of her favorites. We are slowly starting to decrease her formula intake, and introduce some water and milk.
- She is clapping.... though her form is a little sloppy. Since she is a baby, we let it slide. She is also just stating to get the hang of waving.
- She is pulling up on EVERYTHING. And she ALWAYS wants to be standing. Too bad her tiny little feet don't help her balance.
- Phoenix and Josh play a sweet little game where they smush their faces up against the pack n' play. It pretty much melts my heart to watch them together.
- She LOVES showers. I just set her on the floor on the tub while I shower sometimes, and she plays contentedly with her toys, occasionally looking straight up into the stream to smile at me. She's the best.
- She loves the sound of her own voice. I can't wait until I can understand her, because sister sure has a lot to say.
- She is still a people-lover. Though she has a little bit of separation anxiety, she is easily diverted and loves to hang with anyone who will give her attention. She even seems to think other babies are fascinating...

That's all I got. She's just cool ... that's all I know.