13 Month Catch All

My oh my I'm behind...she grows and changes everyday and well, I don't do a blog everyday which means....I'm behind.  Where to start...

We continue to be amazed at the 13 month old daughter we have.  Amazed with how she changes, the way she comprehends and "picks" up on things, the way that diaper changes are just not fun, everything.

Here's what's new:

She's into making sounds- and has got several down pat...my favorite being her lion and her cow...it's my favorite because when you ask her what the lion says she roars really loud and then if you ask her what the cow is this sweet little voice peeps 'moooooooooooooooooo'.  She's working on elephant which makes her turn red in the face as she's trying to blow a tiny bit of air through her lips to make the sound...hope she doesn't pass out one of these days.

We're still teaching her sign language and "I love you" is what we're on now...I cross my arms over my chest when I say it to her and if I ask her to tell Daddy "I love you" then she crosses her arms, cocks her head to the side and smiles.  Sweet sweet. 

We've entered the cheesy grin smile stage.  Gosh it kills me.  I love it- the way she bears all 7 teeth when she is doing it- knocks her head back, scrunches her nose and squints her eyes.  It's ridiculous and perfect.

What's better than waking up to a fro-haired, cheesy-grin, happy-to-see-you 13 month old?  Not sure, actually...

She is obsessed with playground equipment...will climb to the top all by herself, sit on her bottom and fling herself down the slide again and again and again and again.  She loves making friends at the park- going up to them and waving in their face or trying to give them a hug.  Sometimes the older kids will befriend her and she'll spend time holding their hands and going down the slide with a buddy.  She's a dare devil and I see a broken arm at the park in our future.

It's a smile of sheer joy.

Bedtime is finally where I wanted it to be- so seamless with us putting her in the crib awake and her being perfectly happy and content to be there followed by a long sleep stretch.  Gosh I feel rejuvenated.  It was a long road with her waking up numerous times and being unable to put herself to sleep...but now that we're here, I feel empowered- like I could do it all over again because our method really did work.  It's a good lesson for me- putting in the time and energy will one day give you good results.  Funny how you miss the things you were so desperate to get rid of though...like rocking a sweet baby for 40 minutes just to get them completely OUT before you transferred...but when you're not in the exhausted moment of it, you miss being able to just end the day snuggling your perfect baby (cause what sleeping baby isn't perfect?!?!) and getting a neck ache from looking down so long.

I'm still obsessed with making Sydney's food...and I guess I forget that not everyone else does that.  For example- my friend and I were eating lunch outside yesterday when someone walked by and asked us if we made our girls' food (as we were feeding them at the same time).  We both responded yes- and she asked how old they were.  Turns out she has a grandson that just made one, but she was stumped...she didn't know what to feed him.  No joke- here was her comment- "I just don't know what to give him.  I don't want him eating what we're eating, and I don't want to give him canned soup or Vienna sausage!  I just don't know what else to give him!"  Pretty sure I paused for a good long moment before I kicked myself under the table and told myself to mind my manners.  Really people?  All you can come up with is canned soup and Vienna sausage?  Yikes.  I digress...she's turned into a great little eater as of late- we took a break there and it was just about enough to knock me off my rocker.  You see, food is my downfall.  Maybe I take it personally- but if I spend time making something for Sydney that I think is just going to knock her socks off and then she takes one bite, spits it out and then hand slaps the rest away...I can't help but be annoyed.  I'm working on it.  :)  Good thing she's got an appetite recently and has tried several new things....dishes that I make for Robby and I that are loaded with vegetables are being gobbled as if I haven't fed her for weeks. 

"If I could just get THIS bite in my mouth then maybe my stomach would stop grumbling!!!"  Yep, we're working on it...

Along with all the cute, adorable and fun stuff that Sydney is learning- she's also learning some things I'd rather she not...for example-when I tell her it's time to change her diaper she tries to HIDE from me.  If I tell her not to put something in her mouth- she could care less that I said it..when I walk over to her to take it away she will wait until I am ONE foot away and then throw it on the ground.  Speaking of that- everything still goes in her mouth...um, excuse me- when does this stage pass????  She loves standing up in the bathtub- which means lately, bath time has been cut short because "if you stand up, we're all done."  And looking at this post makes me realize how good I've got it.  If her eating shoes and hiding under the table for a diaper change is all I have to complain about- then perhaps I should just shut up, go give her a kiss and thank her for being such a good girl.  ♥

We went to church on Sunday and I couldn't resist the cuteness that she is.  

"Oh, this old thing?"

Besides the sweet smile on her face, my favorite thing about this picture is that you can tell she's beaming at her Daddy.  My eyes are looking at the camera, and she's smiling for him.  MELT me.

Robby has been wanting to take Sydney for her first merry-go-round ride...she loved it.