I will never forget last Christmas. I was nine months pregnant, my winter coat no longer zipped over my plump baby bump and it was getting nearly impossible to pick up my three year old. I was anxious to hold my baby girl, but wanting to hold on to my three year old just a little bit longer, knowing soon our life would change. We were nearing an end of an era and knowing 2014 would bring about lots of new transitions, I was excited but guarded. And while we dreamed of a white Christmas, dreams of a pink January stood out a little brighter last year.
And now, here we are a year later. Just like that. The 2014 I prepared for did not disappoint. For sale signs and big holes dug in the ground, Christmas trees in storage and more decisions than I ever dreamed possible. But in the center of it all was this little girl. A little pink bundle that arrived on the first day of a new semester, providing this new little light in our lives that would shine bright through our 2014, bringing us joy and completely melting our hearts every day since that cold January day she arrived. Our Mila Carys came at just the right time and has swept us all away. And now, she's nearing the one year mark and she has grown into the sweetest, silliest, spunkiest little doll. With that gap between her two front teeth and the beginnings of soft little curls above her neck, just looking at her makes me smile. I just love her to absolute pieces.
She has so much personality at 11 months and let me tell you, she keeps us all on our toes! She is only dainty with baby dolls, likes to throw things, throws a fit when you take something away from her, and still bounces like a pogo stick when she's happy or excited.
More of my favorite things about Mila this month before turning one...
...She responds to so many commands and proves her smarts every day. She still opens and closes her little fist to wave hello or goodbye and is caught doing this all the time - she waves at Mom and Dad's kitty, at her favorite stuffed animals, at the daycare associates we pass by in the hall. She also blows kisses and sometimes, give big wet, open mouthed kisses when she's really feeling the love.
...My girl still loves to eat and puts everything - food and non-food in her mouth. She has a special infatuation with wipes of any sort, especially her baby wipes. She reminds me of that scene on Elf where Buddy keeps popping the cotton balls in his mouth - she seems to have no concept of what constitutes a food. Sunday night, I'm pretty sure she ate a quarter bar of Ivory soap! I'm not kidding, she burped and bubbles came out!
She's happiest with a wipe in her hand...
Right after the Ivory soap incident...
We've seen the start of some curls back there!!!
...Unlike her brother's love of loud, noise-making toys, Mila prefers soft things to play with. She now "loves" her babies by pressing her chubby cheek up to theirs and leaning forward to snuggle them, and even feeds them with plastic bottles. She loves playing dolls until Mommy taunts her by loving the dolls, too. Mila proceeds to make sure I know she is my only baby doll by either crawling in to take her place or chucking the baby across the room. :)
...After a cranky spell this weekend, I felt two craters in her mouth where her molars will soon be. That will make for a total of ten teeth in twelve months and we've been blessed with a happy baby through most of it.
...Mila started jabbering more this month and seems to understand that she has the ability to make words and communicate with others. When we tell her to say a word, she watches us so intently and attempts to make a similar sound. She can now say "kitty", "papa", and "ball", and uses sign language for "more" and "thank you."
...Mila likes music and loves to dance. My favorite is when she immediately puts one hand in the air like a praise singer, rocks to the beat and sometimes closes her eyes to really feel the music. And when she's really into it, she bounces. And bounces. And bounces. It's her signature.
...Mila loves to talk on the phone! She immediately puts it up to her ear and tries to balance it on her shoulder, just as a teenager would. She does this with cell phones and toy phones, but loves Grandma's red phone the best!
...Mila has no interest in reading books quite yet, but she does love this little animal touch-and-feel book at Grandma's house. I'll catch her reading it every so often and love to watch her little finger rub the animal fur and respond to its touch.
...She's still a mommy's girl through and through, but is realizing how to pour it on for her daddy and get him wrapped around her little finger. She puts her little forehead up to his, lays her head on his shoulder, and lets him play guitar for her. And loves on him just like her baby dolls. A daddy's girl in the making.
...She's not an official walker quite yet, but we have caught her standing on her own for a few seconds at a time. She also learned to crawl up stairs this month, much to our disapproval. She pulls herself up everywhere, likes to climb things, and loves digging in to places she shouldn't. She especially loves Grandma's card drawer, the tupperware drawer, and the toilet!
...We're continually mystified that Mila responds to nearly every question with a firm shake of the head no. How she knows what a questions we don't know. We even attempt to ask her questions completely monotone with no inflection to our voice and she continues to respond by shaking her head no. "Did you have a good day at school today, Mila?" (Shakes head no). "Are you a good girl, Mila? (Shakes head no). "Was that you who unrolled that entire roll of toilet paper on the floor?" (Shakes head no).
...Mila loves: peekaboo, her brother, standing in the bathtub, being held, eating food, baby wipes, blankies, and playing ball.
...Mila hates: having her nose wiped, wearing clothes, and waiting for food.
Happy 'almost' ONE, Mila girl. You are such a sweetie and we love the sparkle you add to our lives. Baby wipes, Ivory soap and all. :)
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