Birthday Girl

Birthday Girl
Originally uploaded by Jenmomma.

Today is Grace's birthday. Doesn't she look excited. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling very well today, so she went to daycare for the day, but we did sing the birthday song and her party is this weekend.


I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by. I still remember clearly the first time I got to hold my squirmy cone-headed baby girl.


Today, she can already walk and give hugs and kisses. She is continually showing her growing personality. She is eating mostly table foods and has 4 teeth. She has learned how to throw objects and I think she's going to be left-handed. She is showing signs of real intellingence (although I may be a bit biased). She's learned what "no" means and is starting to obey it regularly. She's figuring out how to manipulate objects and can figure out how things work. I am amazed by her development this year and am excited to see what else she has in store.

On Wednesday she has her 1 year check up with the doctor. We'll be starting to replace whole milk with formula. The carseat is about to turn to forward facing and in one month she'll have her surgery to repair her cleft palate.

Happy Birthday, Grace! Mommy loves you very much.

And for our last update from What to Expect the First Year.
By the end of this month, your baby
...should be able to:
- walk holding on to furniture

...will probably be able to:
- play patty-cake (clap hands) or wave bye-bye
- drink from a cup independently (she's tries, but spills all over herself)
- pick up a tiny object neatly with tips of thumb and forefinger
- stand alone momentarily
- say dada or mama discriminately (mama)
- say one word other than mama or dada (Zeus, although it sounds more like "oooh")

...may possibly be able to:
- indicate wants in ways other than crying
- "play ball" (roll ball back to you)
- stand alone well
- use immature jargoning
- walk well

...may even be able to:
- say three words or more other than mama or dada
- respond to a one-step command without gestures