I should also take this opportunity to write about what our now 1 year old is up to. My memory isn't as great as it used to be, so I have to document while it is all fresh in my mind.
Jillian...
...is pretty much running now. She is so darn fast I can't believe it. Matt picked her up from daycare last night and he decided to see if she could hold his hand and walk out to the car. As soon as he opened the door to her classroom she bolted out the door and down the hall into the 5 year old class. Not quite time for that!
...has a lot to say. She is imitating and using lots of new words. She says "baby", "all done", "puppy", "elmo" (mah-mo'), "bye bye" (buh-bye), "bath" (baaah), "shoes" (ssuuzz), "brrr!" (learned this because when I carry her to the car I always say, "brr, it's cold out here!"), "hot" (hotuh), "hat" (hatuh), "water" (wah-wah) and most recently "balloon" (buhooon). Yesterday, our daycare provider told Matt she thinks that Jillian said "Alex" in reference to her friend at daycare. We later asked Jillian "do you like to play with Alex?" And she said.."Ah-es". I am really amazed at how her skills have exploded in the last 2 weeks. She requests that we sing her Kindermusik songs by signing "bear" (and saying 'bah') or signing "happy" (and saying 'hah-pah'). She gets a really proud look on her face when she realizes you understand what she wants and then oblige her by singing the goofy songs.
...is destructive. She opens every drawer or cabinet she cans and throws its contents on the floor. She "unloads" groceries for me, which I do appreciate, but hasn't mastered the fine art of putting them away. She unfolds clean laundry and is tall enough to pull the knobs off the stove.
...is learning to be gentle. Her daycare providers told me recently that she isn't pulling hair or poking eyes anymore (hooray!) and that she likes to pat the smaller babies on the back. I have seen her do this with her baby doll and it is really sweet.
...is still dramatic when she tries a new food. She pretty much either loves a food or hates it--I don't notice much of a middle ground. She either asks for "mo" (more) or shudders repeatedly while she throws it on the floor. I have recently loosened up in the food department and decided I would let her try many more foods. My desire to feed her food that is as fresh and unprocessed as possible without any added sugar or salt tends to get in the way of letting her experience foods around her that would expand her taste and texture repertoire. I have a lot of experience with children who are extreme picky eaters from my work as an OT, and I know that restricting her exploration is not a good thing. All things in moderation, right? I want Jillian to grow into an adventurous eater with a willingness to try new and different foods, as well as enjoy some occasional treats that are typcial of childhood. (And let's face it, life without much flavor is b-o-r-i-n-g!) So, in light of that revelation, I let her eat a chocolate chip muffin at daycare on her birthday. (The daycare teacher was shocked that I allowed this! It was really eye-opening to me to realize how strict I'd become) It was her first taste of chocolate and she LOVED it! See?
We also introduced eggs last week, since the whites are now "approved" by the AAP at 1 year. I scrambled her an egg for breakfast one day and she gobbled it all up!
Other new 'likes' include hummus, turkey italian sausage, my mom's spaghetti, and grilled cheese. I almost fell out of my chair one day when I presented peas (for the millionth time) and she actually ate them! She kept asking for more. Perhaps she was short on some nutrient that is only found in peas that particular day, because I haven't gotten a positive response since then. Jillian also loves Annie's Macaroni and Cheese and doesn't seem to mind that I add lots of pureed green stuff :) Mealtimes are messy (you know, one perk of not having any hair is that it is really easy to clean up food she rubs on her head!), and she seems to enjoy our time as a family around the table.
Our girl sure is a ton of fun--she brings laughter and sunshine to every single day!
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