13 Months!

I still can't believe I have a one year old. I have to say it's been a blast and I'm amazed at how much Mollie's growing, developing, learning, etc. She continues to amaze me!

Here's what Mollie Michelle is up to at 13 months...

1. Still trying to walk...she still refuses to let go of your hand or the furniture or whatever, but she is gaining confidence and ability in this area! I have to say, she is a lot like me: very cautious and timid at trying new things sometimes. I think she's just perfecting her skills and will let go when she thinks they are good enough to show off! (Hopefully we don't have another perfectionist on our hands, though)

2. Into everything! Currently, her favorite thing to do is throw things out of drawers, baskets, bags...however, she's starting to enjoy putting things back in! I'm definitely encouraging that behavior...

Fun outfit :o)

3. Talking: She currently says ball, mama, dada, hi dad, more, dog, baby, butterfly (bu-bu), night night, nana (banana); she repeats some other words we say occasionally, and can sign "all done", "more", and "please". However, most of the time she's in deep conversation babbling away about something! Most of it is still indecipherable at this time.

4. Loves to hug! She's been hugging her babies, her Raffi, her blanket, my leg, and just about anything else she can get her hands on. It's very sweet!

5. Loves to snuggle! Lately, every time I get her out of bed she just wants to snuggle before putting her down to change her diaper. She lays her head on my shoulder and holds on with both arms. We could set there for a long time and she'd be quite content. I absolutely love this.

6. Trying things on: When Mollie comes across something clothing related, she likes to try it on by putting it on her head, behind her head, and on her belly. She also tries to put her shoes on! And sometimes food...

Trying on Mommy's bracelet and necklaces!

7. Taking things off: She can successfully remove her shoes, socks, bows, hats, etc. in record time...usually from the time we leave the house until we get to our destination, she has all these items removed. However, the other day I caught her with her pants off, too! She was just sitting there with everything removed except her shirt, which was button-down; otherwise I'm sure she would have figured out how to remove it!

8. Teeth: Mollie has 8 teeth now; 4 on top and 4 on bottom. She's been teething like crazy working on those 1-year molars...I've never seen so much drool in my life!!! We've had to bust out the bibs again, in fact. She has had some moments where she's clearly in a lot of pain and it's disrupted her sleep a little, too. Hopefully they'll break through soon and we can have some relief again.

Look closely and see all my teeth!

9. Appetite: This child MUST be going through some kind of growth spurt! I'm absolutely shocked at how much this little person can eat. And just when you think she's done, she says "MMMMMMMMMMMMMM" and wants some more! For example, a typical morning she'll eat a serving of oatmeal (regular, not infant cereal) with fruit (usually blueberries), a poached egg, glass of milk, and half of a banana or a clementine orange. Lately she's even been wanting more, but we've usually run out of time at that point and have to get going!

10. Dancing: I've caught her several times lately dancing to some kind of music...this usually involves her bouncing up and down or rocking back and forth if she's sitting. She especially likes the music her Leap Frog refrigerator magnets plays!

11. Good napper: Mollie continues to be a good napper...assuming those teeth don't get in the way, and she is at home :o) On a day that we're at home all day, she'll usually take a 2 hour nap, followed by another one in the afternoon. However, she has started the weaning process from the morning nap, which means the days we have no morning nap we can expect a 3-3.5 hour nap! However, when she isn't at home, sometimes this nap length is shortened. I guess there's nothing like your own bed!

Having fun after a nice long nap!

12. She likes other kids! I love sitting back and watching her observe other kids. She watches and smiles as they play! Sometimes she'll join them, other times just watch. However, the other day I watched her basically chase a two-year old boy around! She would crawl after him as fast as she could and he would run away squealing!! So cute! She certainly loves her cousin Maddox most of all, though, and absolutely lights up when he's around!

13. Turning into a toddler: This is bittersweet. Oh how I love my baby!!! But I guess a girl has to grow up sometime. I've noticed just little things about her that seem more toddler-like and less baby like; some facial expressions, sounds she makes, things she's interested in...and it's only going to get worse. However, she seems to only get sweeter! So I guess it's a good thing :o)

Having a Tea Party with Daddy! Such a big girl thing to do!