You, Me and Doggy Makes Three.: 12 months

This is very surreal. We have a one year old. This past year feels like it’s been a blur. So many milestones. So many smiles. So many nursing sessions. So many tears. So many diapers. All worth it. There were days that dragged by and there were days that felt like they were over in an instant. I wouldn't trade any of them, even the ones that found me covered in bodily fluids with a screaming mess of a baby and no sleep. Watching our baby girl grow from a little bundle of newborn goodness to a cruising, laughing, babbling one year old love monster has been one of the greatest joys in my life.

Josie is growing and learning so much these days! She is (I think) close to walking. Though I apparently should stop trying to predict her development because I said she’d be walking by her first birthday and that hasn't happened. She will cruise on furniture and will stand up by herself in the middle of a room and has even taken a couple steps holding onto our hands. However after a step or two she’ll squat down to her knees and crawl to us. She crawls like a champ and has gotten pretty fast.

She is very much "in to" things. When I cook dinner I now have to be prepared to clean up multiple messes created by Jos while I cook. Her favorite things to do include:

Opening the recycling bin, pulling out cartons and plastic bottles and chewing on them (eww)
Putting her hand in the trash can (double eww)
Pulling all the brown paper bags out from their storage space between the fridge and the wall
Opening the lazy susan and gnawing on all my spice jars (this has been prevented by a lovely baby proof latch. But if I need spices while cooking, I make sure I know everything I need and go for it- while fending off two grabby arms)
Opening Paisy’s food container and playing with the measuring scoop and occasionally the food
Splashing in Paisy’s water
Crawling under the table, putting her little hand on Aunt Megan’s knee and freaking her out while she’s studying (this is pretty funny)

So- she’s everywhere! Everywhere except the nice little play area (complete with foam padding) we made for her in the kitchen. I guess that’s the way it goes though, right?

She has 4 teeth and is currently getting her top middle two. She had gotten her the two teeth on either side of the middle teeth so until now she’s had “fangs”. They are so funny and cute.

We went to the doctor for her one year well visit and she weighs 17 pounds, 7 ounces and is 27.5 inches long. This puts her in the 5^th and 7^th percentiles, respectively. She’s still a teeny little thing! We did just “upgrade” her to a convertible car seat. So far she seems to like it- it’s more upright than the infant seat so she can see out the window better.

She now says mama, dada, night night, dog and a version of “woof”. The clearest of all of these is night night and she mostly just repeats it when I tell her it’s time to go night night. She has the funniest gestures. She will often wave her hand back and forth in front of her like she’s throwing up gang signs, often with a deadpan look as if to say “what homey?”. She also loves it when we lay on the floor and she crawls right over and will often lay her head down on our stomachs and suck her thumb. My stomach is apparently her favorite and she will often lift my shirt to put her head down on my bare stomach. It’s so cute and endearing. She is a snuggle bug often, which I love!

She continues to love Paisley and Paisley is still very good with her. We’re working teaching Josie how to gently pet Paisley as she will often hit instead of pet and likes to grab fistfuls of hair. Pais is so good and just takes in stride. Josie is also very into the water. She likes the community pool and loves the little baby pool we’ve set up on our deck for her splash in. We’re heading up to Loon Lake so we’ll see how she likes the lake.