Things to Remember

I realize Grace’s birthday post didn’t include all of the awesome things she can do now that she’s one! Since I’m using this blog as a way to remember her milestones, let’s take a look at what she’s up to these days.

MAAM. MAMAMAMAMA.

She’s a babbling fool. Things she can say:

MAMA

MAAM

MOMMMM

(These three comprise about 99% of her vocabulary, and they are delivered at the decibel equivalent of a jet engine.)

The other one percent =

Banana, All done!, Hot, Elmo, Ball, Dada, Grandma, Grandpa, Georgia, Ga Gah! = Go Pack!, (She says this while clapping her hands, for every sporting event on TV, or if she sees the “G” logo on a shirt or out at a store.  To say I’m proud would be a mild understatement.), and Doctor.  ?

And sleep? She finally does it.  FINALLY.  The last month she has given us a consistent 8-hour stretch, sometimes 10 hours, and sometimes 12 hours!  Sometimes she wakes up around 5 am because she needs a hug, and I’m not even mad because how sweet is that? Plus, she goes back to sleep, by herself!  

She’s moved into a bigger car seat now that she’s putting on some inches and lbs.  She hardly grew at all between her 10 month and one year appointment which, of course, probably isn’t a big deal, but my recommendation to you would be to NOT VISIT WEBMD if this happens to your child. We’ve stopped nursing (more on this in a moment) and she is drinking whole milk in the hopes of increasing her caloric intake.  She prefers it from a bottle -- the same bottle that she refused between the ages of 4 and 11 months.  That Grace, she’s got a special way of doing things.

She loves music, dolls, animals, and Georgia is her absolute best friend, although Grandma might be tied for BFF status.  She already loves to make believe all sorts of things, which is SO fun. She can make all sorts of animal sounds, and the latest one added to her repertoire is monkey. She loves music, especially playing the piano and singing.  She’s got a special hand signal where she taps her pointer and middle finger against her thumb and that means SING! She can walk most anywhere she wants to go, but she's still a little unsteady.

These boots were made for walking!

We enjoy going to the library for toddler time and, like her mother, she prefers to watch all the other people than actually pay attention to the stories.  She’s got her first baby-stalker…let’s call him Tommy to protect his identity…and whenever Tommy sees Grace he makes a beeline for her and gives her a giant hug.  Tommy is about 18 months old and I’m not exaggerating when I say he weighs 35 pounds.  Tommy is a tank. He’s a gentle giant, though, and he always says “baby, baby” as he gently puts his arms around Grace’s shoulders. Grace graciously accepts the hug while glaring at me like she kind of gets how amusing it is, and demanding I make it stop.  I cut Tommy off after two hugs, usually.  This week, as Tommy was toddling across the carpet to get his hug fix, another woman said under her breath, “Oh God here he comes.” How funny is that?! I can hardly blame little Tommy.  She’s so cute and cuddly, I want to hug her too.

Now since this post is functioning as a sort of a  journal, I want to remember my experience with stopping nursing, just in case I am crazy blessed enough to have another baby. Mostly, it hasn’t been that bad.  Grace likes to point at my chest and say, "All Done! All Done!" which makes me a little sad and a little amused.  I've felt a little blue, a little sore, a little angsty, a little hormonal.  Ok, a lot hormonal. Like this. Anyway, future self (and other recent post-lactating moms), the mean streak only lasted a day and you came back to your normal, patient, clumsy self.   The angst, the chills, the soreness, they are all tapering off, but the bittersweet feelings of putting the baby in her crib awake, without your sweet, special time…

I’ll let you know when those pass.