thirteen months

written March 11th

Please excuse the mostly crappy photos.  Someone was NOT cooperating at all.

Thirteen months?  What?

You see, I have yet to document Elsie's first birthday party, so how on Earth can she be thirteen months plus a few days already?  That is insane.  As is the amount that she has changed over the last month.  It is all a big pile of craziness.

I intended to weigh E, and maybe I still will ok I did this morning, 20.8 pounds?, but for now as far as size stuff goes she is wearing a size 3 diaper, size 4 shoes, 6-12 month onesies and 12-18 month clothes.  I've also been squeezing her in to Carter's 12 month blanket sleepers, because we don't have any in the 18 month size and it has been super cold.  Hopefully with the weather warming up a bit we can get away with just cotton jammies and the poor girl will be able to straighten her legs at night.

Sleep isn't a complete disaster this last month, but pretty dang close.  Bed time is a piece of cake, and she is usually out of the night by 7:30pm.  It's the whole waking up at 5:45am thing that has me annoyed.  I should be thankful that she sleeps for ten straight hours, but, um, no.  That clock better at least have a six on it.  Occasionally she'll still take two naps, but that is usually because I make her take the morning one because she got up so dang early.  Otherwise she is fine to skip it, however that usually means she falls asleep in the car and has issues with her afternoon nap.  I'm no longer nursing her to sleep for her afternoon nap (still nursing before that nap though) which I'm thrilled about.  Sometimes she lays down and goes right to sleep, and sometimes she still puts up a huge fight.

showing off her muscles

I think a lot of our sleeping issues are related to constipation and teething.  She always needs to poop or manages to poop when she should be sleeping.  Her sixth tooth just popped through last week, and the amount of drool and constant fingers in her mouth makes me think there are more on the way.  Ry had popped some more teeth at this point, so I just need to look.  And I need to get a better blender so we can do more smoothies with spinach and flax to keep everything moving.  Yes, I am still nursing her three times a day.  I want to drop another session, but I haven't decided for sure which one and she hates whole milk with a firey passion.  Which makes me lazy on offering it to her.  She doesn't like it cold or warm, so I think I'll just keep giving it to her cold until she drinks it?  Sometimes I'm so lazy...  She is a lover of fruit, and still enjoys most meats.  Veggies are very hit and miss.  Last week she spit a chocolate chip back at me (say what?!?!) and crackers aren't really her thing.  Go figure.  If I had to pick one thing as her favorite, I'd say avocados.  I can work with that.

In about a weeks time Elsie went from not really wanting to walk more than a few steps between people, to trying to walk all over the place.  Seriously, just two weeks ago she was refusing to stand unassisted, and now she surprises me by coming walking around the corner when I'm in the kitchen.  And now that she is slightly more confident in walking she tries to take off at a run.  Sweet girl, you're nowhere close to running.  Good try.  She gets kind of ticked off when she falls and throws a mini fit.  It's pathetic.

oh the horror of having your picture taken, it is just to much to handle.  drama queen.

Her developing personality is just the cutest.  I'm slightly terrified, because I think I have another one that is going to give me a run for my money, but her adorableness slays me daily.  Elsie is so damn ornery, and giggles the whole time she is more or less misbehaving.  The other day in the bath she was gently kicking Ryann's leg while giggling, just trying to get a rise out of Ry.  Now she'll pinch me over and over again while saying 'ow? ow?' until I say ow or tell her to stop, which prompts the biggest grin of course.  She says 'uh oh' all the time, and it is even better when the 'uh oh' comes before she spikes her cup to the ground.  She also says 'uh oh' if she finds a piece of trash on the ground, and loves carrying it to the trash can.

Ow is one of her new words this month.  She also tries to say shoes, please (while rubbing both hands across her chest, which is apparently her sign language for please), night night, rock and naturally a few other words I can't think of right now.  While we were at my parents this past weekend she plain as day said 'Papa? Papa?' when we were looking for him in the morning.  It was adorable.  And she finally, FINALLY says mama.  Not too often, and still not always directed at me, but sometimes it is, so I'll take it.  Seriously girl, as the one who takes care of you 95% of the time, I could use a little more love.  Oh well.  Her current favorite animal 'noise' to make is for a gorilla, where she pats her chest and says 'uh uh uh'.  She says that a bunny hops and rocks back and forth when I show her a penguin for a waddle.  E knows where her head, ears, shoulders, belly, hands, fingers, feet and toes are.  Oh and her tongue.  But despite being the first one we ever talked about she never knows where her nose is!

E has taken an interest in fitting objects inside other objects and cups.  It is entertaining to watch her look for things that she can piece together.  The other day it was a doll bottle through a stacking ring.  She enjoys flipping through books, and likes for me to read to her.  However the books she'll actually let me read are few and far between.  She'll drag one over to me and hurl herself in my lap, I'll start to read, she slams it closed while forcefully shaking her head no.  Repeat repeat repeat until she actually finds one she wants to hear.  Lift the flap books still win every time.  We've also progressed past trying to eat crayons and chalk, a milestone I foresee being very helpful with an older sister who always wants to color and craft.  Baths are still very much a favorite pastime, but you need a poncho, because splashing is a favorite too.  And it is so hard to tell her cute smiling face to stop.

Diaper changes and getting dressed have become a huge struggle lately.  However I can guarantee her to stay still for just under three minutes if I let her watch Let it Go on youtube.  I truly don't know how parents functioned before technology, not only does it allow for a much smoother outfit change, that Frozen single has calmed many crying fits.  When Elsie really gets talking I'm sure she is just going to start singing that song.

Elsie still isn't much in to strangers.  At all.  If anyone tries to touch her prepare for the waterworks.  But from the safety of the cart she treats every Target trip like a parade, throwing out her pageant wave and saying hi to every one we pass.  After we pass them, naturally.  She always wants attention, but again, it has to be from a safe space, such as my lap.  If people are talking to her when she isn't touching me she cries.  But when she is sitting with me at gymnastics, she'll stare other moms down until they acknowledge her, and then do the whole shy cute hide thing over and over again, wanting them to play with her.

headband

Elsie Jo really, your daddy and I are just having so much fun watching your personality grow.  We love you to pieces!