You are ONE! I can't believe it. I would ask where the year has gone, but as I looked through pictures today, I was amazed at just how much we have done this year. It has been a really good year. You are such a good baby, a sweet girl, a precious gift from God. I have loved having you as my sidekick. It is rare for you to not be content just being with me, being carried wherever the two of us need to go. We have been to Indiana together by ourselves twice this year, and with the family twice also. We have been to Disney probably five or six times, plus the beach, Georgia, Orange Park, strawberry picking, baseball games, the farm, 4th of July Parades, the park, and much more. I'm so glad that we had you as a part of our year.
Sometimes it blows my mind to think about the fact that you aren't always going to be a baby - that you are going to grow up and say funny things, and learn to read, and talk to me about life and go shopping with me. We are going to have a relationship. You are my forever daughter - not my forever baby. As great as this year was - and it has been such a rush - so full of new and exciting things to discover - I know that the best days are yet to come in our relationship. I am just so thankful for the gift of you.
Here are a few highlights from this month -
- You learned to do "so big" and raise your hands up when we ask "How big is Jocelyn?" You don't love love to perform, but you will happily do this for us if we catch you in the right mood. You are pretty proud of yourself about this.
- You are typically pretty happy in the church nursery, although I still feel like you have probably been in there less than 10 times in this whole year. You won't typically take a morning nap while there, but if I give you enough food you will usually happily play with toys and eat snacks through both services without me having to get paged. One Sunday, a nice lady from church stayed through both services because you had fallen asleep in her arms after she rocked you, and she didn't want to disturb you.
- Very early into this month you figured out how to stand up without pulling up on anything and then stand alone, unassisted for a little while. You just kept getting better and better at this throughout the month until you decided to "eat" most of your birthday cake standing up tonight.
- A couple of days after figuring out the standing thing, you learned to push your walker toy around the family green room.
- While we were at Disney, you took your first steps while holding onto Dad's hands, even doing it while holding onto just one hand. This quickly became one of your favorite things. You love to get down and walk. Mackenna will actually walk around the room with you like this. It makes you seem so old to me.
- You haven't taken your own steps yet, but there was one night a week and a half ago where you were so so close. We aren't rushing you, but we could tell you were close, and Dad and I were both there that night, so we were hoping it would be the night. Dad did see you take a pivot step tonight on your birthday. We know it is soon!
- You still happily give kisses. If I ask you for a kiss, sometimes you will blow one, but sometimes you will crawl over to me from wherever you are in the room and give me a real one. Dad, Micah, and me are the usual recipients of your kisses. You have also figured out how to smack or make fish faces while giving kisses. Too too cute.
- You have added "please" to your list of signs. You also are getting better and better at mimicking the syllable sounds, saying "uh-duh" when we say "all done" and consistently saying "muh" when doing the sign for "more" (which is still just clapping for you). - You learned to push the button on the ball popper toy to start the air and music - and you love to do it, either while sitting or standing.
- You have been waking up more at night to eat - 85% of the time you get up at least once, maybe 20% you get up twice - 12 or 1ish and then again at 5 or 6ish. The cutest part of this - if Dad takes you back to bed when you are done snacking, you will wave bye to me at the door, sometimes even blowing a kiss. You will consistently start to wave bye bye before naptime or nighttime if you are ready to be laid down.
- You love to mimic back and forth with people. You played back and forth with Micah one day in the car for a long time - blowing raspberries, clapping hand on mouth and saying "oh-oh-oh-oh", playing peekaboo. It was fun for me to listen to. I love it when you really get along with your siblings who love you but don't always express it very well.
- You have become pretty vocal when your siblings get too close. This used to be well founded because they were always too close or taking your toys, but now you start squawking before they even have a chance to do those things. I keep saying you are a sensitive soul. You have got to figure out how to not take it quite so personally when you are told no or don't get to play with what you were hoping to play with. I have a feeling this is a little window into the Jocelyn we will see more of in the coming months.
- This next picture speaks for itself. You are not a fan of being closed in.
- You have figured out how to climb up into chairs. Also, while in Indiana you figured out how to climb the stairs (only falling down a couple once). You also showed yourself to be a little daredevil when you got onto a rocking horse and stood up while rocking instead of sitting.
- You had a successful trip to Indiana to "help" Aunt Christa with baby Patrick. You did okay on both plane rides - you got your own seat on each flight and that helped a ton. You really just wanted to stand up and show off the whole time. You didn't sleep very well there at night, but you did take two good naps most days. You really loved to stand up at night and cry for me probably 3 or 4 times every night! Thankfully, since we have been home, your naps have been even longer and you have only woken up once a night. You seemed to love seeing your cousins. You would interact very cutely with Maggie - smiling huge when you saw her and laughing back and forth with her, and you really loved the calm way that Audra took care of you and played with you.
- You may be daytime weaning, but you have nursed more since we've been back in Florida than you did in Indiana. We'll see. You are a good eater and still love finger foods and whatever we're eating. It is nice to round out your diet with breast milk, but morning and night would be fine with me too. You definitely have an opinion on this - you are quick to tell me "all done" if you don't think it is the time for "num nums." We have your one year check up on Monday - we'll see about your weight and if you have caught up with your big sister at a year or not.
- Tonight we celebrated our first year with you. We had Aunt Marcia and Uncle Bruce over, and one other family from church. We ate mashed potatoes, chicken and noodles, green beans, and rolls. You got so excited when we put you in your highchair. You seemed to approve of the menu and just ate happily the whole time. I enjoyed cooking a meal for you that I knew you would like, and that was also probably the same meal that I ate for my first birthday. We sang to you and did cake outside. You enjoyed playing with the cake and tasting a little of it - but you really managed to stay quite clean and didn't eat a ton. You sure were cute though as you stood up big and tall on your blanket. You really loved the balloons behind you - probably more than the cake. You were in a good mood though - pretty calm - but definitely a "you" mood. You enjoyed opening presents and tearing the paper, especially the tissue paper. You had LOTS of help from Mackenna and Micah, and Dad too. You got some pretty awesome toys that I'm excited for you to wake up tomorrow and play with. It was a special night - low key and special - just like you.
I know I say it a lot, but I am so very thankful for you. You just fit right into our lives, exactly where you belong. I feel like you are really becomming you - both in the way you look and act. I know this last year was full of changes, but I know from experience that this next year is really going to be a ride. Right now you are still my baby, next year you will be my big toddler girl. I am ready - to take it one day at a time, to count every blessing, to kiss you a lot, to tell you I love you, to soak in every snuggle, to read to you, talk to you, pray for you, rock you, hold you, and I guess let you go as you learn to walk and run into this year of being one. I love you very very very much.
Your Mama
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