Grace: 1 year old

I didn't get around to doing an 11 month blog post, so I'll combine them here. Grace has changed a LOT from 10 to 12 months and we cannot believe how quickly her first year has gone. Here are a few stats:

• At 11 months, she weighed 19 lbs. 11 oz.
• At 12 months, she weighs 21 lbs. 3 oz.
• At 12 months, she is 28 1/2 inches tall
• She is now mostly into 12-18 month clothes although I am making her wear some 9-12 month clothes because our winter weather keeps popping up here and there and I don't want to buy a bunch of winter 12-18 month clothes. However, some of her 12 month spring things will probably fit for 2 or months.
• She is still in size 3 diapers.
• Her hair is getting just a little bit of length in the back--enough to grab a little between my fingers. It's so soft and sweet and while darker than Atticus', it is light blonde. I can't wait to watch it grow! Also, as of now, she still wears lot of headbands and bows. I am hoping she is always a girl that will wear bows in her hair!
• Grace took her first steps on February 15. It is important to note the date because Vic and I had a bet where he thought she would walk by Valentines Day and I did not. We made this bet at Christmas. Whoever won got 6 hours of kid-free time. Well, I won! I still need to cash in those hours. It was so funny though because she could have cared less about taking a step until the 15th. She had not even attempted or acted interested. I have been really surprised at her this past month while she learned to walk. Now, she walks and crawls each about 50% of the time, but walking more and more every day. The other funny part of this is that Atticus yells "Yook Drace is walking!" many of the times she hops up to go. He is just as proud as we are!
• Still takes a paci all night and lately, lots during the day. She is becoming more vocal about what she wants or when she is not happy and sometimes I just pop it in. I need to do it less, but goodness that paci is an amazing invention.
• Still napping 1.5 hours in the morning and about 2 in the afternoon and sleeping 12 hours a night without waking up.
• She says "mama" and "da". Typically she says mama when she is fussy or upset, but also sometimes sweetly. She says "da" when she is looking at Vic or wants his attention.
• Still has only 8 teeth.
• She is becoming a really good eater, although she is still sometimes very picky. I am learning to put her least favorite thing on the plate first and her favorite last. If I put them all out at once, she only eats the good stuff first and never touches the rest. Currently, her favorite foods are bread, cheese, crackers, strawberries, and yogurt. She will eat fish, sausage, and sometimes a little chicken. She will also eat green beans - hooray and has liked carrots and peas and beans and rice. Oh and surprise, surprise - she loves cookies!
• She started around 11 months to drop to only 2-3 nursing's per day. And, sometimes she will only nurse well for one feeding and not be interested at all in the other two attempts I try. Part of me is ok with this because I had planned to wean her around one year old. The other part of me is sad because I love nursing her first thing in the morning and most especially, before bed at night. And, the best thing to do when she is sick is to nurse her so she feels better. But, I am soaking it up every chance I do get and also happy that the transition to no longer nursing will not be too difficult.
• She is fantastic at using sippy cups. With Atticus, we used the soft rubber type of lids for a long time. But, she knows how to get water from the hard lids as well as use a straw.
• She is still learning to play and loving her toys. I recently got down all of the toy kitchen food and plates and toys and she has attached herself to one tiny little plastic jar and a spoon that she pretends with. She also got lots of new sweet things for her birthday that she is already playing with - her dollhouse and her stroller and her tea set. She also has some dolls and stuffed animals that I keep in her bed and when she is waking up in the morning and playing in her bed by herself, I can see her in the monitor picking them up and looking at them.
• She still gives lots of bedtime kisses and even plays the same game as Atticus of sometimes wiping them off when I give them to her while she grins and laughs!
• She also loves water and water faucets. She has a great time going to the big Jacuzzi tub in our bathroom and turning the faucet on and off. And now, if I sit her on the kitchen counter while I talk to Vic, she will reach for the kitchen faucet and turn it on and off. She will also imitate washing her hands with the soap on the kitchen counter as well. She is too smart!
• She is getting a mind of her own. She knows what she wants and when she wants it. Whether it is a toy, or some food, or just for you to pick her up, she will grunt and point until you figure it out. It's almost as if she is just dying to say the words herself but just can't get them out.
• She is also a hitter. She will look directly at Atticus and hit him if he is in her way or playing with something she wants. I tell her no and that we do not hit, so that not only does she understand but to also emphasize for Atticus. He loves her and while he can be rough sometimes, he typically is not ugly to her. So, sibling fighting is already starting I guess...I don't like it!
• Overall, she is still a mama's girl but also a daddy's girl - as long as one of us is holding her when she needs some loving, she is happy. One year old - it went fast!