Audrey turned one on November 18th. We didn't do anything too crazy on her actual birthday since the birthday party will be on the following Saturday. Fear not, though, because she got plenty of love, kisses, hugs, and love (did I say that?).
So what is Miss Audrey up to these days? Well, this month, she went from taking one or two steps to taking walks across the room. She doesn't exclusively walk, since sometimes crawling is just faster, but she definitely is walking. It's no longer a question as to whether or not she can do it. What is so funny is that she practices by herself when she doesn't think anybody is watching. Her big accomplishments seem to happen under the radar, on the side of the room or around the corner. I've really had to secretly watch her to catch her picking up speed and distance for the first couple of times. She takes her time with new things but works hard on them once she gets it in her head. I love her determination.
She doesn't have new teeth yet (although the early morning of her birthday consisted of me rocking her to sleep, which is unheard of, and then laying with her on the couch because she was so distraught over her mouth pain) but she can eat anything she wants. Those top two and bottom two do just fine. She must have gone through a growth spurt followed with minimal growing because she went from eating more than Josie to being picky and only wanting milk or water. Now she's back to eating, but she's not quite as easy as she used to be with food selections.
No bottles, no more formula (hallelujah), and no more bottles at night or before bed. She is still waking up with a dirty diaper every other night or so, but we are so glad to have broken the early morning feeding she absolutely insisted on up until this month.
I got out all of Josie's 12-18 month clothes and combined with what Audrey already has, we have enough to dress like four kids. Needless to say, she has options. She's pretty average sized although she feels so small to me compared to when Josie was this age. Part of it is the mobility, part of it is that her hair is still "baby hair," and part of it is that she truly is a little leaner than other kids her age. Don't be fooled, though, she has the sweetest baby rolls on her legs. I just love them. I'm not too eager for her to walk more because I know they'll disappear in a blink of an eye.
Audrey keeps up with the big kids pretty easily. She is getting a little more assertive and lets it be known if someone has wronged her. At the same time, she is pretty easy going. I've seen Josie or other kids take toys away from her and she barely bats an eye. She usually just moves on to the next thing or toy without a second thought but every once in a while, she'll declare war for the toy and it surprises everyone. I love it.
She's more clingy than she used to be. Frequently, I'll look down to her giving me the eyes, you know the ones, begging to be picked up. If I do happen to make eye contact and don't pick her up, she is not happy. She'll scream and throw a mini tantrum until she gets distracted or until she gets her way. Then, of course, she's not interested in me at all once I've picked her up. I'm merely a tool to get higher and to a better location with more fun things. But I don't mind so much that she wants to be around me. It won't be long before she's too busy playing with her big sister to give her mom the time of day.
Her vocabulary is the same. She hasn't really added more words but does have a lot expression. Her favorite new face is a big O mouth with wide eyes and a bit of a cheeky smirk. See below for an example.
Audrey is constantly bring out smiles in everyone around her. It sounds cheesy, but she is just a gem and everyone catches her contagious happiness. I can't even begin to describe how much we love her.
To prove she doesn't always smile...
I still can't believe she's already a one year old.
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