Allison: One Year

Well, it happened. I blinked and our sweet little newborn baby is now officially a big ONE year old. Shockingly I haven't cried about it- yet anyway. It has been a pure joy to watch Allison grow this past year, and we can't wait to see where the years ahead take her!

Allison is doing all the things this month. She is clapping, waving "hi" and "bye", getting into everything, and is able to stand on her own for a few seconds before she realizes what she's doing and sits down. She will cruise along the edge of a couch or chair, and she will walk behind something that she can push. 

She is saying "mom", "num num", and "nigh, nigh" for "night, night". She can sign "all done". I thought maaaaaaaaybe I heard her say "dada" the other day when she saw Eric, but I haven't heard it again so I can't say for sure. She likes to smack her lips if she sees you eating or drinking and wants some. She loves to shake her head "no", and will imitate almost any sound that you make. Last night she started putting her arms up (and standing up on her own) when you asked "How big is Allie?". 

Her favorite food is still green beans. She will always eat those first if they are on her plate. But she's not super picky, and will scoop up handfuls of food to eat off of her highchair tray. She is also a fan of after daycare snacks, and prefers crackers or veggie straws. 

Allison absolutely loves sitting on the couch with you, and will crawl to follow you around the house as you get things done. And once she finds you, she'll either sit and put her arms up and whine, or will stand up right next to you or on your leg, look up at you, whine, and reach for you until you pick her up. 

She likes singing along to things, especially at church. She still loves chewing on anything and everything. She is not a fan of having to wait to be picked up. She also doesn't like getting strapped into her carseat. She doesn't seem to mind being in there once she's strapped in, but she's given me some resistance lately. 

Allison weighs about 22.6 pounds and is about 28.5 inches long (though she was less than cooperative for this measurement so it could be a little off). She is in size 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She still takes two naps a day, goes down for bed around 7:30, and sleeps through the night- seriously- how did we get so lucky with our kids and sleeping?

She has 6 teeth- 4 on top and 2 on bottom. Since she's been eating so much more, we dropped her bottles down from six ounces to five, so she's only taking 25 ounces of milk a day now. And I somehow still have milk in the freezer, so she'll be able to drink breastmilk for another few weeks before she's fully transitioned to cow's milk. 

Allison is a perfect fit for our family. As Ashley put it, "she's so darn cute". She's loveable, cuddly, and the sweetest girl. We love her dearly and are so excited to have a front row ride to what comes ahead for her. Happy first birthday Allie cat!