12 months

Months 1-6

Months 7-12

I wrote this post two weeks ago and never published it. A lot has changed since then, but here's a little bit about Claire at twelve-months-old.

Last week, Claire turned one. All of a sudden, she seems to have grown six inches and resembles a kid more than a baby. She is losing her chub and is developing some long legs. Thankfully, the cheeks, while not quite as round as they once were, are still very present. We get comments everywhere we go about her cheeks!

Our sister-in-law Sarah, who is an excellent photographer, took some pictures for us in South Haven

Stop taking my picture and give me that cupcake!

I say it every month, but I am shocked we have a one-year-old. The days are long but the years are short, as they say. Watching someone go from a tiny eight-pound lump to a standing, waving, kiss-blowing, clapping, laughing, "dada"-saying, sweet, funny, adorable person is pretty incredible. But one year of parenthood/Claire-hood deserves its own post, so I'll leave it at that for now.

SLEEP

After about a week of multiple nighttime wake ups and too short naps, we (I HOPE) are back to normal around here. She is doing great at night 98% of the time, and still does best when she gets two naps a day. We were on vacation last week and completely messed with her schedule, and she did really well. The routine is essential to everyone's happiness, but it's helpful to know we don't have to be obsessive about it.

EATING

She is, yes, still nursing, about 4 times per day. All attempts to wean have been met with STRONG resistance. She does completely fine when I'm not around and will enthusiastically take a bottle of milk. If we're together, though, she will not accept any substitute snacks or liquids. So, rather than trying to force something that she is clearly not ready for, we're going to stick with nursing for now. I am fairly confident I will not be breastfeeding her when she goes off to college, so I'm not to worried about it.

She continues to have a hearty appetite and eats most of the stuff we give her. Sometimes she looks us right in the eye and throws it on the floor, which drives both of us a little crazy, but hey, welcome to life with a kid. I made cupcakes for her birthday, and she was a BIG FAN. We also ordered her her very first kid's meal at a Mexican restaurant last week during our trip, and that turned out to be a good idea. She can EAT, so having bites of food off of our plates will no longer tide her over for long.

cupcakes and paparazzi

MILESTONES

She is super close to walking, so I know one of these days she'll take off. She cruises along the furniture and will sometimes stand without holding onto anything. Standing and looking out the window is one of her favorite things.

clapping without reservation

Otherwise, she continues to say "dada" and "baba" along with many other sounds, so she clearly has a lot on her mind. No real words yet, and no "mama," though not for a lack of effort on my part. She waves, points at everything, and holds up her pointer finger when we ask how old she is. When we read books, she will point to things when asked (particularly balloons), and it is SO COOL to realize how much she understands.

LIKES:

The beach, swimming, opening drawers/cupboards/everything, taking all the books off her shelf, dancing

DISLIKES:


Not being able to hold onto whatever she wants to hold onto (eg Brian brushes her teeth before bed, and she DOES NOT want to let go of that toothbrush when it's time to leave the bathroom), diaper changes, riding in the car for too long

In sum, we are really glad to be here. Having a newborn is a unique and beautiful experience, but it is tough, raw, and exhausting. Having a one-year-old is exhausting in its own way, but it is also so much fun.