I remember being little, and my family always telling me that time was flying. I also remember thinking they had lost their minds. Time wasn't flying. It was slow. Five minutes seemed like an eternity. We don't even want to discuss how long an hour was. "Crazy adults!" I used to think.
Now I catch myself doing this with my own family. Emery has gotten to the stage of, "mom, what time is it?"... Every. FIVE. Minutes! I catch myself telling him, "time goes so fast and you two need to slow down." He is now the one that looks at me like I'm crazy. The irony of it all...
This being said, I'm still taken aback by how fast this last year has went. I know it's cliche... But seriously, my little girl was just born yesterday. And now today, well today, she is no longer termed a baby, but instead, a toddler. My baby is a toddler? What? Pardon me. I need a moment.
OK, thanks for the moment. I'm back.
So now, I'm going to do any overview of her first year.
GROWTH: When she was born she weighed 7lbs 6oz. and was 20.5 inches long. Today, she weighs 19lbs. 6oz. and is 30.75 inches long. Her weight puts her in the 25th percentile. Her height puts her in the 95th percentile. The doctor joked today about her being either a supermodel or a pro beach volleyball player if she follows this height/weight pattern. HA!!
EATING: When she was born, and for the first eight weeks, Annie was breast fed. After that, I thought I was going back to work. So, we weaned and switched to formula. Today, she eats everything. OK, almost everything. She's not terribly fond of eggs. Or Lima beans. The eggs, I don't understand. But, I can't blame her for not liking Lima beans. BLECH!!! Her favorite food is probably re fried beans, or sausage, or avocado. You can really tell when she likes a food a lot because she slurps and smacks. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever.
We've switched from formula to milk. I actually have her on soy milk, currently. I may try whole milk at some point, but we are a family with lactose issues. So I figure she will follow suit. So I'm hesitant to try whole milk. I haven't exactly found any other beverage that she likes. I've tried different juices. Juice isn't fun to wear after your baby spits it out in raspberry fashion all over you. I'm still trying. She does like coffee. DISCLAIMER: No, I did not willingly give my baby coffee. But if she finds a wayward cup, you best believe she's going to slurp it down until you stop her. SIGH...
SLEEPING: When she was born, she had time backwards. It stayed backwards for about five months. I distinctly remember whining about not sleeping. Now, I really miss our late night snuggles and giggles and getting educated by all the info-mercials. Annie now takes a nap in the morning from about 9:30-11:30, a nap in the afternoon from about 4:00-5:15, and goes to bed around 7:30 and sleeps all night. When she was a newborn, and for several months after, I would rock her to sleep. And she slept in bed with me. But around eight months, its like someone flipped a switch. Now she just wants to be laid down, in her own crib, so she can go to sleep. No crying or fussing. I know in the grand scheme of things, this is good and healthy. But I really miss those snuggles.
PLAYING: Over the the last year, I have watched her morph from this little swaddled thing that just watched everything, to this busy, destructive, busy, playful, BUSY (did I mention busy??) little girl. She loves to do all the "baby classic" games: peak-a-boo, patty-cake, and sing nursery rhymes and songs. Other favorite games include: taking everything out of her toy box and then ignore every toy she has, attempt to steal Emery's toys, crawl away from anyone who is trying to catch her while simultaneously laughing and squealing, clapping and saying, "YAY!!", riding around the house in the laundry basket being pulled by yours truly, and pointing at random things so someone will look at what she is pointing at. She's also, very recently, started to attempt to climb on things. (Oh goodie!!)
She isn't quite walking yet. She can stand, unassisted. This usually has to happen when she doesn't realize it. I know if she tried, she could walk. She pulled up the other day and started walking, while holding on to the strings of my hoodie. Because, you know, hoodie strings give so much stability and support. HA!!
I love my baby girl. She has made my heart swell in more ways than I can imagine. Her personality fits so well into our family, and we are still learning more and more about her every day. I'm excited for the this next year. To see what it holds, and how much more we learn about her. But I wish time could just stop for a little while. Before I know it, she's going to be the one that's telling her kids that time flies. And I'm just not ready for that yet!
