Evelyn's Twelfth Month

I can't believe my little baby girlie is a whole year! It's ridiculous. She still looks like such a baby to me. Could be the complete lack of teeth. Or that she has a 3-year-old brother who really does look huge in comparison. Either way, I was so not ready for how fast this milestone came!

At one year, Evelyn weighs 20 pounds 7 ounces (60th %), she is 30 inches (80th %), and her head is 18 inches (70th %). She wears 12-18 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She started wearing the cutest little shoes from Target. I thought her feet were bigger than they are and ordered her a couple pairs of soft-soled shoes and moccs (even though I'm not a big fan of the fringe), and they were HUGE. So I sent them back and got her some 6-12 month shoes and they fit her little feet perfectly. She's got the softest little blondie hair and it's getting longer and thicker, and filling in on the top of her head (no more receding hair line!). As I said before, she has yet to cut any teeth. I'm not complaining, though. She still nurses 3+ times a day. It would make for more food options if she had some chompers, but for now she's content with all the foods she can gum.

She loves food. We call her the bottomless pit. If there is food near her, she will fuss until she has it. She will eat all of her food, and finish off Nate's food. If there are other picky children around, she will finish their food too. She loves beans, cheese, yogurt, avocados, oranges, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, peas, carrots, green beans, corn, oatmeal, Cheerios, veggie straws, goldfish, pretzels, quinoa, rice, baby food purees, crackers, hummus . . . basically anything we give her. Except canned tuna. She did not like that. She also likes to feed herself with a spoon. She's not bad! It's a messy affair, but she's got good coordination and gets the spoon to her mouth.

She's gotten really chatty. She says "Dada," "Mama," "Na na na" while shaking her finger at us, "dah!" (dog), "tahh!" (cat), "uh uh," and now shes waves and says "haaaaa," or "baaaa." It's so cute. She waves and says hi to all the strangers who pass by us at the store, all the people at church, animals . . . Despite her friendliness, she is still a mommy's girl. She clings to me. She still cries occasionally if I hand her off to Jesse. She just turns toward me and stuffs her face in my shoulder when others reach for her. I don't mind the snuggles.

She's still a good sleeper. She takes a good 2-3 hour nap everyday. And she needs it. She is so cranky without it. She sleeps well at night, going down between 7 and 8 and sleeping until around 8 or 9. She wakes up at nights more now, I'd say it's about 50% of the time. When she doesn't want to sleep or when she's getting sick she sits in her crib and talks and shrieks and plays. It's so weird. She rarely cries in that situation. When she wakes up in the morning or after a nap, she often lays there quietly with her fingers in her mouth. I don't realize she's up until I check on her or hear movement on the monitor. Total opposite of Nate.

She started taking a few steps here and there at 11.5 months, but she has not perfected the art yet. I think she's hesitant because Nate's around. She loves to climb everything. She loves to play with all of Nate's toys. She loves his Star Wars toys, light sabers, Duplos, stuffed animals, blankets, and books. She loves to turn pages. She loves to give kisses and hugs. Her favorite game is peek-a-boo and she's so good at it. She plays it in the curtains or with sheets, blankets, or clothes. She doesn't jump out right away when you say "Where's Evelyn?" She waits it out for the right moment and then giggles when you say "There she is!!!!" She is super ticklish and laughs hysterically. She absolutely loves to dance. This girl has got the moves. It doesn't matter what the music is, when music comes on, she immediately starts to dance. Even to the hymns at church. Or if you just say "dance." She doesn't even need the music.

I'm sure I could go on forever, but I'll stop. We just love our little ray of sunshine! And now for picture overload.