One.

Our baby is one year old. She is so happy, so funny, so much work, and so much fun. This past Sunday, on her birthday, we celebrated with family, friends and chocolate cupcakes. It was a blast, and Lydia Grace loved her big day. I marveled the whole time at how much love Lydia is surrounded by, and it was surreal to observe my baby girl acting all grown up. Now, for the last of the monthly updates!

Stats: Lydia weights 19 pounds, 6 ounces and is 29.5 inches long. She has grown 10 inches and gained 12 pounds in the past year! Her measurements for height, weight and head circumference put her right in the 50th percentile. She is perfect. Lydia has 2 bottom teeth, 2 top teeth, and her auburn-ish hair is beginning to thicken up. She is still kinda chubby (especially with her round belly!) but her proportions are definitely becoming more toddler-like as she moves constantly.

Eating: At her first birthday party Lydia scarfed down and entire chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing (made by her great grandma). A lot of people were surprised, but not David and I. We know that this girl LOVES to eat. We are so fortunate to have a baby who loves all food - from blueberries, to green beans, to spaghetti to cupcakes. Every now and then Lydia will turn her nose up at a banana or some chicken, but she usually rejects food because she is finished with being confined by her high chair. She usually eats breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with a snack after each nap. See the Heaven-sent Baby Items section for some of our favorite snacks!

Now that she has teeth eating is obviously so much easier on all of us. She can take bites, and has learned to chew up her food before swallowing. There are still times when she gags or spits things out, but she is clearly very much in control of things in her mouth.

Along with eating solids Lydia is still nursing 5-6 times a day. She nurses frequently in the mornings, and then her feedings trail off as the day wears on. We may start supplementing with cow's milk at meal times, but are definitely in no rush to wean. To be honest, I cherish the times that she will lay on my lap and nurse because it gives us both a rest from her craziness!

Sleeping: Lydia's sleeping patterns are great. We still have a wonderful bedtime routine, and she sleeps from 7:45-6:30 every night. Waking up early is a little rough - but next semester both David and I will have to leave for work around 7:30 so we all have to get used to it. Lydia takes fluctuates between taking one and two naps a day. Generally, she sleeps for 2 1/2-3 hours each day - so if her morning nap is long then she won't take a second one, whereas if the first one only lasts an hour and a half, she is sleepy again by 2:30 or 3.  David is the person who can most consistently get her to sleep. Sometimes I have trouble, and other people usually have no luck. I am definitely nervous for her to be away from home 5 days a week next semester (I will be teaching 7:30-12:30 each day), but I figure that she will adjust and her naps will work themselves out.

What she loves: Moving! Crawling, walking, climbing, and dancing. She is really starting to enjoy music and tv (not that she watches much), and she LOVES books. Obviously she loves to eat, and she adores our extended family these days. It is so cool to see her reach for her aunts, uncles, and grandparents even when I am holding her.

What she hates: Diaper changes. She screams!! Lydia does not like being constrained when she wants to move which means sometimes she throws fits in the car seat, or the shopping cart. She hates being told no - and has thrown a couple tantrums this past month. In general she is super sweet and eager to please; but she is also independent and smart so she has her own opinions too.

  
Personality/Milestones: As is probably clear from above Lydia is extremely mobile. She can stand up from sitting rather than just pull herself up using objects, and she can climb up and down stairs. She has finally started to clap! And sing, and dance.

Lydia says many words, which translate to "daddy", "dog", "hot", "nurse", "nose", and "Josh". All of the sounds aren't perfect, but she is pretty consistent with all of them so we feel that they are words with meaning. She also makes the signs for "more", "eat" and "all done".

 
Heaven-sent baby items: As promised, below are some of our favorite snacks. For meals she eats what we eat in general, but having snacks handy is always useful.

Food pouches - I wish I had thought of these! Lydia refuses pureed food, unless it is in one of these convenient, mess-free, feed-yourself pouches. Lydia eats one of these a day, and we always have an extra in the diaper bag.

Annie's graham crackers and cheese crackers - It may be silly, but I feel good that these snacks have all natural ingredients and are made with organic wheat (whatever that means...). She still gets goldfish and animal crackers some of the time, but I like that she has snacks that are all her own too.

Archer farms fruit strips - These are somewhat sticky, but are much cleaner than most other fruit options. Lydia LOVES these things, and they are all fruit so that is a plus.

Words from Daddy: It is hard to put the past 12 months into words.  There have been so many ups and downs, but everything that I've experienced has made me more excited about the future.  Each month being a father means more and more to me as my role gets bigger and bigger.  I'm disappointed that as I start my new job at the beginning of the year I'm going to spend way less time with Lydia, but I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

To echo what David said, it is so difficult to put this first year into words. It has been the best year of my life by far and I have grown so much with becoming a mother. Each day with Lydia is truly a joy. I am so blessed to be entrusted as her caregiver and teacher. I truly can't imagine my life without her!