Evie at Twelve Months
Evelyn Mae you are twelve months today! I only have one chair photo this time (and your collages) because that was all I needed for your party. We might take more later, but for several days on either side of your birthday the weather was either very cloudy, rainy or icy and that made your room kind of dark and dreary. In addition to that, you were very,
very
wiggly in your chair trying to get the one picture I needed. I would position you and take a few steps back to photograph you and by the time I got to where I needed to be, you had ripped off your 12 sticker and were on your knees about to topple off the chair. Oh my, you keep me busy little girl!
This was a big month of growth for you. Something changed in you in the last two weeks - all of a sudden you are becoming more like a little toddler and leaving your babbling, waddling baby-ness behind. You are a fast walker with a giant stride. You can point to things that you want to hold or want to know more about and you are trying so, so hard to talk. It's complete jibberish, but it has the flow and intonation of a real conversation and it's hilarious to listen to. When you don't want something you shake your head "no" and an excited grunting noise means "yes!". You are growing out of some of your baby toys and finding new ways to play with others. You can build some wicked block towers - always six blocks high (because all we have are six blocks!) and you can open and close lots of different doors and compartments on other toys. You are very strong and have great fine-motor skills already. Just like big brother!
While I have to say you are a very flexible, go-with-the-flow kid, you have created several routines and patterns you love to follow. Every morning you wake up, hand me your binkie (buh-buh), your blankie and Miss Bunny and then lift your arms up for me to get you out of your crib. You give me some hugs, then peek around the corner of your room to see if Sam's up. Then you get down and play with Sam for a minute. After that you go straight to your room, unplug your nightlight, bring it to me and mutter something, which I assume means, "Here, Mommy". Plug protectors are useless with you, by the way, you can pick them out with your chubby little fingers in no time flat. You still take a morning nap, and we know you're ready when we see you laying on the living room floor with blankie and bunny. When you hear Daddy gets home from work and you hear him at the back door, you start squealing and talking and you all but run right for the door. At night, when you're ready for bed, you lay back down on the floor with your blankie, and after kissing Daddy goodnight you wave bye-bye to him all the way back to your room. You've even started waving goodbye to me while laying in your crib before I shut the doors. So sweet. You wake up around 5:30 for a morning feeding then go back down for another couple hours of sleep. Then we repeat it all again!
We've had fun playing games with you lately. You still love Peek-a-Boo, This is the Way the Lady Rides and Horsey, Horsey but we've made up our own game recently, too. After Sam goes to bed, when you're supposed to be calming down for night-night you try to get Mommy to chase you in your room. Because I can't resist playing the game with you, I chase you and say "I'm gonna get you!", then you fall down, I tickle you, you giggle uncontrollably and then we wave bye-bye to each other. Mommy leaves the room and you peek around the corner to see if I'm coming back. Of course I am, and we do it all again! It gets ridiculously loud for a before-bed game and Sam usually watches and laughs from his bed. Daddy and I think you're going to have a great sense of humor. I see it in your eyes, the way you look at me when we're playing a game or doing something funny. It's like you completely understand what's going on and what's funny about it. Daddy says you're going to have to have a good sense of humor to survive in this family. I think you're going to fit in just fine!
Fall was a busy time for us this year. We visited the pumpkin farm and you fussed the whole hay ride, just like Sam did the first time he rode it. You enjoyed a couple other Lens Baby playdates and had fun just being outdoors, practicing your walking. We took Sam to his t-ball clinic Saturday mornings and we spent his practice time finding leaves to crush. A couple of weeks ago we had our family photos taken by our sweet friend, Carrie, and you were a very good girl as long as we kept the Cheerios coming. You love to drop off and pick up Sam at school, and Mommy has to take you in strapped in your stroller because you want so badly to walk around and check out all the kids' cubbies.
You are getting into things like crazy - rooms, drawers, closets. We had a feeling you would do this and we knew it would be tough because Sam never did for some reason. Your favorite place to be is Sam's room. We can tell you think it's some kind of forbidden wonderland, full of colorful little toys that are dangerous yet oh so fun to chew on. And there's always lots of paper on the floor to crinkle and rip. Your eyes get so big and you make your excited noises when we catch you in there. You also love to get in the pantry and play with the boxes in the recycling and, of course, the dishwasher is still a favorite place to hangout. You'll take anything out of the bottom rack (and sometimes sippy lids from the top rack) while Mommy is filling or emptying the dishwasher. As I said before, you keep me very busy.
Sam is your very best friend and everything he does is hilarious (to you, that is). You follow him everywhere he goes and it's not unusual to find you two rolling around on the floor like puppies. He likes to run around the house with your push toys or kick the sweater ball right past your head and you're happy just cackling right in the midst of it all because you think you're playing, too.
You're still an awesome eater. I know it's probably not going to last so I'm enjoying it now. You eat everything Mommy and Daddy eat and lots of it. After we see Dr. G next week we'll get the go-ahead for cow's milk and possibly peanut butter, too. You love to feed Mommy Cheerios off your tray. You pick them up and offer them to me, all while saying "Ahhh!" Such a thoughtful girl!
Measurements: I'll come back and add these in after your appointment next week...
weight - 22.6 lb. - 85%
length - 31 in. - 95%
head - 18.8 in. - 98%
We're very proud of you, Evie. Look how you've grown this year!
You're so sweet and fun you've made the past year fly by! Happy Birthday, Evelyn.
