12 months old! Happy Birthday!

• We are legitimately counting "uh oh" as your first, and so far only, word.  You now consistently use it "appropriately" so we decided it counted.  I use quotes because you do always say it when something falls out of your hands. . .however, half of the time you toss it deliberately and then say it!
• You wear 6-9 month clothes pretty consistently now.  I boxed up your 3-6 month things and gave them away. I've been giving all your outgrown clothes to a coworker, except for a few favorites.
• You are on a pretty consistent and reliable nap schedule and it is great!  For the last 6 months you've taken 3 naps a day, but they weren't at consistent times and varied in length.  You now pretty consistently nap twice a day for 90-120 minutes each.  Depending on when you wake up (usually between 6:15-7) you'll start your first nap between 8-9am, then start your second nap between 1-2pm.  You're usually in bed by 7pm and we sneak Bennett in a little while later.
• You demand snuggles by crawling right into our laps and burrowing into us.  No one can resist that!  You also snuggle into pillows whenever you find one.
• You've started snuggling stuffed animals when you come upon them.  You'll pick them up and hug them to your neck with one hand and pat them a couple times with your other one.  That must be how I pick up and hug you or something!
• You love "playing" with Bennett at the Lego table.  You're fascinated by these things that you see Bennett spend so much time on.
• You walk along furniture pretty easily but show no desire to try to stand or walk on your own.  That's fine with me! I know once it starts it won't stop!
• You use your pointer finger to point at things.  It's so cute watching you direct that tiny chubby finger.
• You still looooove to climb anything you can find - furniture, toys, people, pillows, etc.  Your favorite set-up right now is one Bennett created for you with two toy room chairs (different heights) and a book box that allows you to climb from one to another like stairs.  The chairs are soft padded and pretty low to the ground so it's safe for you.
• We've been making a lot of green smoothies (banana, kiwi, spinach, coconut water) and you LOVE them! You can easily drink half a cup of one on your own.
• You understand what your headbands are for and while you'll pull them off quickly, you'll also try to put them back on yourself again.  Since you are finicky about them right now then whenever I want your hair to be nice I have you wear one of your nylon headbands (I don't think you can feel them which is why it works) or I put your hair in a little ponytail on top.  It sticks straight up like Pebbles, as Daddy always says.

11 months

• We finally packed up the bouncer and play mat and put them in storage.  You just don't use them the way that Bennett did as a baby and now that you're crawling everywhere you keep entertained through exploring.
• You've started to understand the concept of games and fun and "funny".  For example, one game you've invented that you only play with me is to crawl up to where I'm sitting and bite my toes.  Then I shriek (either real or exaggerated, depending on whether I saw you coming) and you laugh and laugh.  You and Bennett are also making up all kinds of silly games on the fly daily.
• You CLAP!  You started clapping out of nowhere on April 10th and showed off your new skills at Grandpa King's birthday dinner that night. You clap frequently now on your own.
• You also WAVE! That started just a couple days before the clapping, although you need to be prompted to wave usually.  
• Also within the past week, you have started mimicking how to say "uh oh" and "oh no" but we're not really counting them as your first words since you don't use them appropriately.  More like they're just fun sounds you like to crawl around and say.
• You are still wearing some of your 3-6 month clothes.  Mostly because we're straddling that line between winter and summer so depending on that day's weather you wear either your smaller warmer clothes or your bigger summery clothes.  You're only 16 pounds still so many of your 3-6 month clothes still fit fine.
• You love to CLIMB!  You get a big kick out of climbing onto a box of books in the toyroom and sitting on top of it like a king.  And you have recently discovered stairs!  You first discovered them while being babysat at the neighborhood babysitting co-op and went up 3 stairs before the mom caught you.  Only a couple days later, you slowly but determinedly went up the entire flight of wooden stairs at Grammy and Grandpa's house!  It was sure a sight to see that tiny little body crawling up those stairs!
• We've started ditching your baby tub and letting you just sit in a bubble bath (usually with Bennett) since you were getting too active for the little plastic tubby.  You have a blast being free in the water, although we can't give you any cups to play with or you try to drink the bath water.

10 months

• Your eyes get complimented on all the time now.  I never expected that but I certainly see why!  With Bennett it was expected, the first thing people would say about him was to comment on his light blue eyes.  With your eyes being brown, I didn't think much about them but as you've grown they have become quite the little item of their own!  You have long dark eyelashes and have this way of staring up at people from under those lashes and you've become quite the dark eyed beauty because of it.
• You have figured out how to pull yourself up on things.  First and foremost, the Lego table.  We're constantly trying to push legos out of your reach, or squish your cheeks to pop legos out of your mouth.
• You love all animals, both real and in books or toys
• You will hold your arms out now sometimes when you want someone to pick you up.  Sometimes you just flap your arms instead but we know what it menas.
• If you're holding something you'll hold your arm out to us to "show" us and are very pleased if we smile and say something like, "oh look at what you have! how nice!"
• You've discovered the puppy food.  We were moving it to a new location every few days until you inevitably found the new location, but then I discovered I could put it behind the wedge couch with your carseat blocking the path.  The pups can still squeeze through just fine, but you haven't figured it out yet.  It's only a matter of time though before you figure out how to either push it out of your way, or that you get there via climbing into the puppy's bed.

9 months

• You sleep through the night finally.  Yay!  I finally just started refusing to feed you at night and giving you your binky instead.  I knew you weren't hungry, it was just a sleep crutch.  It only took a few days for you to adjust and now that you can put your own binky in well then when you lose it in the night most of the time you just feel around for it, put it back in your mouth, and go back to sleep!
• We moved your crib into Bennett's room, so you two are temporarily roommates.  We had two different house guests this past month and the downstairs den is too cold in the winter (aunt Ayisha is living with us right now in the guest room) so we moved you to B's room and put the guest bed in your room so that they could be upstairs where it's warmer.  You both do surprisingly well.  We usually let you fall asleep first, then sneak Bennett in.  Or if you both are going to bed at the same time then if you're fussing we'll let Bennett fall asleep in our bed and move him into his later.  Bennett loves sleeping with someone else in his room and it's made it so that he never comes out of his room anymore after being tucked in.
• I finally moved the straps up on your carseat.  Everything was still on the newborn settings but it seemed like suddenly one day I looked at you and you were too tall now for it.
• You crawl well now, fast and smooth.  You have also figured out how to transition from crawling to a sitting position (instead of only the reverse).
• You love to be held.  You are very content to just be held as I go about my day and just watch what I'm doing.  You really don't like the jumper much and have to be in the mood to sit and play on your own or crawl around and explore.  The rest of the time you'd really rather be in our arms!
• You are becoming very expressive with your facial expressions and sounds and actions.  It's so fun!

8 months

• You are the best little eater.  There is pretty much nothing I won't let you try, at least in little cheerio sized portions.  When Bennett was a baby the recommendations on potential allergy foods was different, so he didn't eat any of those until he was one.  But now they say the earlier the better as long as it's regular, so you've already had eggs, dairy products, peanut butter, and strawberries.  The only thing we're not allowed to give you yet is honey.  You are also just so much more interested in real food than Bennett was.  I remember it was a really big deal when Bennett was one and the day came where I could make the same lunch for both of us.  With you, you pretty much demand we let you try whatever we're eating so at mealtimes we just sit you in our highchair and feed you little bits of whatever we're serving.  You're doing much better now at finger feeding yourself too, although it's still pretty clumsy.
• We finally moved you into your room on Christmas Eve to start sleeping there at night.  I've been working with you too on trying to sleep through the night.  It's going pretty well, usually I'll feed you once and then the rest of the night if you wake up we just comfort you back to sleep.  Half the time that means I just take you into my bed where you cuddle up and sleep the rest of the night.  But still progress!
• I would say that as of the last couple days we officially have an army crawler - you do really well pulling yourself to wherever you need to go, although it takes a while.
• Daddy is always teasing you about your wrists that won't stay still, you're always twirling your hands around.
• Have I mentioned that you are definitely a Daddy's girl?  You just adore him and sometimes prefer him to me.
• Your fingernails still grow so fast!  I have to trim them several times a month.
• You have always liked pulling your blankets and toys to cover your face, both when sleeping and playing.  You just get a kick out of it.
• You are aware now when people leave the room and will wail pitifully if you feel you're being left alone.

7 months

• You love food!  So much that you are starting to snub bottles.  You will still nurse fine, but would rather be offered solid food than a bottle any day.  You've tried several different types of baby food, and we've let you gum on things like apple cores and baby carrots as well as offering you little bits of egg, cheese, meats, bread, etc.  You love it all!
• You have finally figured out the bouncer and enjoy jumping up and down in it.
• You are a quieter baby, but happy and mellow.  Whereas baby Bennett smiled readily at anyone who looked his way, you tend to clam up with strangers or even extended family members and just stare and absorb.  If only they could see how you are at home with your family!  You are always happily rolling around, cooing and growling and laughing.
• You're close to crawling.  Right now you spend a lot of time flipping forward from sitting up to putting your weigh on your hands.  Once you figure out how to push up off your knees you'll be crawling in no time.
• You love your Bennett, no one can reliably make you smile the way he can!  I'm frequently telling him to play more gently, but you love his silly games and wrestling.  We're always amazed at the nonsense kind of games he makes up to play with you that you just absolutely respond to!

6 months

• At your 6 month doctor visit, you are 24 inches and weigh 16 pounds, 8oz.  You were very sad about your shots.
• You have discovered your hair and frequently pull it and cry out in pain.  Hopefully you'll realize quickly that you're doing it to yourself! Your hair has also started to grow again and is getting long and fluffy.
• With the discovery that you can reach the top of your head, you have also started pulling your headbands off!
• You don't like being swaddled to sleep anymore.  Mostly because you're too strong and break out of every swaddle wrap we've tried.  So we just swaddle you from the chest down and leave your arms out, or we don't even do that and just lay a blanket over you.
• We started sleep training a few weeks ago and you're doing really well!  We've stumbled upon the magical sleep combination of laying you down on your side, not swaddled, with binky and lovey.  If I lay you down right when you start to yawn or rub your eyes (after about 1 hour 45 minutes of being awake) then you go right to sleep without fussing and sleep anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours.
• You sit up very well and only fall when startled or reaching for something.
• You love to give "kisses" to people by pulling yourself to their face and gnawing on their cheek.
• You hold things firmly in your hands and rarely drop them anymore.
• We started rice cereal on your 6 month birthday.  You loved being offered real food although you're definitely getting used to the texture!