I rocked my sweet Lilly a little extra the night before her first birthday, savoring the sweetness of her baby cheeks and warm breath, her chubby hand reaching up to touch my face and giggling behind her paci when I kiss at it. I would've loved to have rocked her forever and get sentimental thinking about how fast she's grown this year... but this girl doesn't fall asleep in my arms anymore! There's only so long I can rock her before she changes from relaxation to fighting sleep mode. I gave her lots of kisses, lots of hugs, prayed with her and put her to bed for the last time as a baby. This girl is busting through the gates of toddlerhood. 

She is adventurous and curious but not necessarily fearless. She is loud and opinionated in all of her screeching glory. She loves people and makes her presence known everywhere she goes. She's quick to flash smiles but also quick to fall into an epic meltdown. She has intensity in her veins. She is impossibly sweet when she wants to be and challenges my patience with her constant need to find everything she's not supposed to have. We love her endlessly and can't imagine our family without her. 

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Size

Lilly hits her one year birthday weighing 20 pounds and around 28 inches tall. 12 month outfits are starting to get a little too small for her, wearing mostly 12-18 and 18 month clothes. 

Health

She got 2 more top teeth and 1 more bottom tooth. So a total of 6 teeth right now :) Our family caught a 24 hour stomach bug a few days before her birthday, thankfully Lilly only had a few runny diapers and nothing else. She has probably been the healthiest family member this winter even with the few colds that she's had. Probably thanks to still being breastfed.

Feeding

She still nurses 3 times a day, Morning, before her afternoon nap and at bedtime. Occasionally Mark will feed her a bottle after her nap on the days that I'm at work if she's fussy. She eats almost anything you put in front of her. Her new favorite thing is Greek Yogurt. She ate fish for the first time this month and liked it. We're working on NOT throwing her food on the floor when she's done eating. If Reaghan is still eating breakfast when I get Lilly out of her highchair she immediately toddles over to Reaghan's little table and asks for bites of her food. I've started handing her the spoon after I put food on it and she can bring it to her mouth on her own. 

Sleeping

Bed time is still around 8pm. She gets cranky if she's up much past that. She isn't waking up as early any more, usually wakes up around 8-8:30. I'm a super happy mama when everyone can get that much sleep/quiet time at night! She will take a small morning nap (45min-1 hour) and still taking long afternoon naps 2+ hours. 

Likes

She likes to open and close cabinets and pull kitchen items out of the cabinets that don't have child locks on them. She likes to pull out the DVD's from the entertainment center and carry them around. She loves to play with any size ball. LOVES to climb on things - the stairs, the fireplace, Reaghan's little rocking chair in her room. I know she's going to try and climb out of her crib at some point - something Reaghan never attempted. She likes to sing "If you're happy and you know it..." She loves her paci. She loves to squeal, give hugs around the neck and open mouth kisses. I love when she pats my back when she gives me a hug. She likes to hold play phones to her ear when we say "say hello!" Likes to brush her hair. I love to watch her become more intentional with her play - feeding baby dolls bottles, putting things in/out of cups, etc. 

Dislikes

Her biggest dislike is still sitting still and sitting quietly! She doesn't like to be told No, but that's not a big surprise! She has recently started revolting against mommy at bath times... Full out tantrums in the tub when I try to wash her hair. Lord have mercy. She gets Hangry. Snacks almost always brighten her mood. She doesn't like cows milk or almond milk. She's not interested in watching any type of TV. 

Milestones

She is walking around everywhere and rarely crawls anymore. She says, Hi, Mama, Dada, Nin Nin, "EIEI" (when we sing "EIEIO") and has just started trying to say sissy now that she has more teeth! She gives high fives, waves "hi" and "bye", FINALLY started using sign language and does "please" and "all done".