Parenting...FAIL!!!

What is that saying?  "The best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry"  Yes, here it is June.  My Itty Bitty turned ONE on May 11th.  And not only am I just now getting around to writing her 1 year old post, but because of the crazy hectic month we have had, her birthday party WILL NOT be until the end of June!  Can we say THIRD CHILD SYNDROME?  So without further ado, the much awaited, highly anticipated One Year Old Post!!!

Dear Itty Bitty,

Look at how much you have grown in just 12 short months!  This past year has flown by.  This year has been both difficult and amazing all at once.  What we once thought was colic/acid reflux, I am now beginning to wonder if it wasn't just your strong will.  You know what you want when you want it and make sure everyone around you knows it as well. 

We can still call you Itty Bitty.  At your 12 month check up you weighed in at a whopping 16 lbs. 9 oz. and 27" long.  That is the 1% for weight and 3% for height but your head circumference is near 50% which means you're too smart for your own good!  What is surprising is that you are eating us out of house and home.  We have yet to find a food that you will not eat.  You want black beans and rice? Okay! You want a dill pickle? Alrighty! You want a whole corn on the cob? You got it, Girl!  The only thing we are having trouble with is getting you switched over to whole milk.  You are still nursing 3 times a day, but twice a day you take an 8oz sippy cup of formula.  I tried weaning by slowing increasing the amount of whole milk and decreasing the amount of formula, but you didn't really care for that too much.  So then we tried cold turkey and gave you all whole milk, which you rather impolitely turned your nose up to.  So we've decided to just keep you on formula for a little while longer.  And frankly, with the summer coming up and all the go-go-going we've got, formula is a LOT more convenient!

Your favorite things right now are your Elmo couch (which used to be Sissy and Bubba's "weekend" bed).  You love to sit/lay on it and read your books, play with your toys, drink your milk or even conk out for a little cat nap!  Although you can walk a good bit, you still prefer to crawl.  It's your comfort zone.  You're speedy and coordinated with crawling, but walking? Not so much!  In fact, you crawled into Brady's room the other day and pulled out his big Pokemon Book.  This book weighs almost as much as you and yet you managed to get it from his room back out to the family room so that you could lay on your Elmo Couch and read it.  You are getting more bold and brave in your walking tho.  If you start to crawl, we tell you to stand up and you do.  I think it's just a matter of confidence for you.

You know where your toes are.  You can tell us what a cow and elephant say.  You love to be sung to and you try really hard to sing back.  If we ask you what song do you want to sing, you always put your fingers together for the Itsy Bitsy Spider.  Your vocabulary is not very big right at the moment.  You can say mamma, dadda, hi and bye, ball (which sounds like bye).  You make a noise that sounds just like you're saying "what's that?" and it usually is accompanied by a point of the finger.  You have practically lived at Abbey and Brady's school this year.  Everyone at the school oohs and ahhhs over you and you love it.  You are still very much Momma's girl (which I thoroughly enjoy), but you also enjoy flirting and entertaining people as well.  There's not a whole lot of people you will go to other than me, but if they are offering food it certainly makes you rethink the whole Momma's girl decision.

You're gorgeous and goofy at the same time...a dangerous combination in my opinion.  I have enjoyed this past year with you and I look forward to many more years of you learning, developing and becoming this amazing little girl!  Happy Birthday to my sweetness!