No freaking way is Bailey a YEAR old today.
No. Way. I just can't believe it. How is it possible for it to feel like I just had her yesterday and yet also feel like she's been part of our family for so, so much longer than just a year?? However we got here, we're here...
Happy Birthday, Bailey!!!
Age: 1 year!!!
Size: I'd guess about 17 pounds and 28 inches. We have her 1 year check up (and yes, my list of questions for the doctor is about a mile long) Friday, so I'll know for sure then.
She's officially in 6-9 month clothes and even SOME 12 month clothes, though that has mainly been just because I bought Halloween shirts and such last year on clearance before she was born and girl was wearing it even if she was swimming in it. Oh, and she's still comfortably in size 3 diapers. Small little peanut.
Sleep: No news is good news, right? She's still doing great. Goes to bed right after nursing around 7:10pm and gets up around 6:30am. We had a really, really tough time with a double whammy of the time change and teething and that threw us off for a week or so, but we're back on track.
Naps are still great too. She naps from about 8:30-10:30am and then again from 1:30-3:30pm everyday. She can miss a nap here or there if necessary and does OK, especially if we're out and about and she's entertained. She definitely gets GRUMMMMMPY in the evening if she misses that afternoon nap, though. Wowza. We try very, very hard not to miss that nap.
For both naps and sleep, I put her in a sleep sack (more for warmth than to keep her contained... girl can move around in that thing just as good as she can without it), tell her that her daddy and mama love her, and set her in her crib-- fully and 100% awake. I give her George, her monkey paci (yes, we're still using the paci-- let's not talk about it), wind up her girafee that plays music, turn on the fan, and walk out. I can count the number of times she's cried or fussed on 2 hands. It's magical and wonderful and I am SOOOOO grateful. KNOCK ON FREAKING WOOD. You. KNOCK. DO IT. Thanks.
I don't consider Bailey a natural sleeper. She has never been and likely will never be a sleepy baby by nature. Even at just a few weeks old, she could stay awake for HOURS at a time. It took a LOT of work to get her on a schedule and have her become a good sleeper. I'm incredibly proud of it. Sure, I'll give Bailey SOME credit. I mean, she is the one sleeping, right? But, I really, really don't think it's just HER and is natural. If it were up to her, she'd crawl around and play til she physically dropped each day. She'd be the queen of the 15 minute power nap. So, I'll give the Hubs and I most the credit. It took WORK, but I am so, so glad we did it and do it again a thousand times over.
Nursing and Solids: Again, no news = good news. We're still nursing 4 times a day. I plan to cut the 2 middle of the day feedings and replace them with 1/2 cow's milk and 1/2 frozen breastmilk (til the stash runs out and then 100% cow's milk) in a sippy cup. Yep. No more bottles! We packed them all up and they are gone! Girl is a champ with the sippy now and didn't have to take a bottle very often anyway so the transition was 100% seamless.
I know I CAN keep nursing past a year. I know that. I have no shame in saying-- I DON'T WANT TO. I loooove nursing Bailey. I love it. I am so incredibly grateful and proud to say we exclusively nursed for a year. But, I'm ready. I'm ready to not have to think about all the things that come with nursing. And, wanna know what? I don't really have to justify WHY. I'm just ready to be done. At least with the middle of the day sessions. I'd love, love, looove to continue the morning and before-bed session and really hope my supply keeps up so I can.
Oh, and I am so, so, soooooo done pumping. Yep. I packed that shit up and threw it into a closet to never, ever think about again. OK, not never. Til Baby T 2.0. But, for now-- NO MORE PUMPING!!! Feel free to have a mini dance party. I did. GOODBYE, Pump! You will NOT be missed. Not even a little.
In the world of solids, girl is a champ (again-- KNOCK ON WOOD PLEASE!!!). She eats pretty darn well. We still struggle with breakfast. She's very hit or miss (way more often miss) on eggs, waffles, french toast, pancakes, and sausage. She LOVES most fruit and yogurt. And, I've learned she'll eat almost anything if I hide it in a bite of yogurt. The hubs jokes that she's going to eat the weirdest foods when she's grown up because of how she eats now (ok, because of how I make her eat now). Whatever. It works!
I made a homemade minestrone soup (thanks for the recipe, MIL!!) and girl LOVED it. I gave it to her, just without much broth, and she fed herself. She even ate the cabbage. LOVED it. It was so cute!!
Her favorite foods of the moment are: yogurt, cheese, pizza, turkey, animal crackers, peas, asparagus, blueberries, ravioli, minestrone, and chili
Her very-often-miss foods of the moment are: avocado, bananas, and eggs
Likes:
-Pretending to be a and playing with big kids. Girl thinks she's 3.
-Going down slides. How did she even learn how to do this? She loves it! Told you. She thinks she's a big kid.
-Standing and walking along furniture/walls and just overall mooooving
-Climbing up stairs.
-Sadie. 100000 times over. Bailey's love for her doggie just grows and grows each month. It's so incredibly adorable.
-Dada. Girl is a dada's girl. She lights up when he gets home and even just at the sound of his voice. SO cute.
-Playing in her carseat (not to be confused with SITTING in her carseat-- see dislikes).
-The kitchen. It's her favorite room.
-Waving. She loooves to wave. She waves to YouTube videos of other babies, pictures on the wall, Sadie, cars driving by, and pretty much every, single person in a store. ADORABLE.
-Eating, bathtime, books, George (her monkey paci), routine, grandma and grandpa (OMG- the cutest thing last week... she was playing on the floor with the Hubs and his mom and Bailey crawled right over to her and sat in her lap and cuddled her. If you know B you know she is NOT a cuddler. It may have only lasted 4 seconds, but it still melted every heart in the room)
Dislikes:
-SITTING in her carseat. It's not AS bad as it was.... as in, not every car ride is a complete melt down, but she still doesn't like it. Blearh. Oh well. I've conceded to defeat in this area.
-The "witching hour"-- 5:30-7pm-ish. Ugh. She's just her crabbiest and an overall grump during this time. Except when she's in the bath. She loves that, so we try to make the bath break the record for the worlds longest bath every night. Parents of the Year, right here.
New This Month/Special Moments/Milestones:
-Really, really standing. Like, for as long as she wants. She's got the standing thing DOWN.
-ALMOOOOST walking. She's taken a step here or there, but nothing substantial enough to call it WALKING. She's THIS close though. Any day.
-Lots of ba's, da's, ya's... still no freaking ma's, but we'll get there.
-Identifying things. I put a ball and a book and another toy on the floor in front of her and say "Bailey, where's the ball?" and she'll pick up the ball. WOAH. Where did that come from?? She's SO big!
-Her first Halloween!! She was the cutest monkey evvvvver.
-Leaning words. OK, she can't TALK yet obviously. But, I'm about 100% positive she KNOWS (at least) the following words: Bailey, Dada, Mama, Doggie, No, Hi, Ball, Book, Water (her sippy), George (her paci), Dance, Shakey (she'll start shaking whatever toy she's holding).
Nicknames: Peanut, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Jelly Butt, Stinker, Bug
Looking forward to: Her birthday party this weekend!!
It'll be a great time. And, for the record-- we did not get her a "present". But, we did put money in her college account this week. That counts, right?? :)
Oh, and I'm definitely looking forward to her starting to talk and walk. SO MUCH FUN is just around the corner. I CAN'T WAIT!!
