The last 3 months since Parker’s first birthday have absolutely flown by, and I have to say that I really have loved this age. She’s generally very happy and getting things done with her is easier than it was before since she is more tolerant of interruptions to her usual routine. It’s been amazing to see her develop, and I can tell a huge difference in how attentive she is to the world around her and how much she is soaking in. It’s crazy to me when she mimics behaviors that you have no idea she was observing. Like putting on our shoes and walking around, or copying the way you stand. She has such a sweet and funny disposition, so it’s really amazing seeing her personality start to shine; she’s always making me laugh these days. She’s currently in mostly 12-18 month clothing, wearing just a few items in 24months/2T and in size 5 diapers.
Milestones:
- Saying new words (Nana and Ellie to name a couple new ones) and definitely understanding more words. She knows the names of her stuffed animals and will bring them when you ask. She can also point to her nose and ears when you ask her where they are.
- Taking books and flipping through them on her own.
- Shaking her head “yes” and “no”
- On her first birthday, she was just beginning to really walk and was pretty unsteady. She walks very well now, and can even manage to step over things now.
- Actively pointing to things she wants.
- Attempting to use her spoon. Although she still gets more on her face and the floor….and the walls than in her mouth most days.
- Helps with getting dressed. She will actively put her arms through her sleeves and pull down a shirt to help the process go faster (that is once you can get her standing still long enough to start the process).
Likes:
- Music. If you ask her if she wants to listen to music, she will start dancing…wiggling her shoulders from side to side. Baby Beluga is still her favorite, but the Moana soundtrack is a close second.
- Bringing people her toys and random items.
- Along the same lines of the above, she loves offering up food to other people (and the dogs too). She is
the most pleased when you actually take it and eat it. - Collecting items and putting them into something else. This sounds weird but she likes picking up toys and collecting them in cabinets, bags, or her shopping cart. We are always finding things in weird places now!
- Playing with measuring cups, pots and pans.
- Food. If you give her something she really likes (fruit or anything sweet), she will start dancing. She also begs for food if anyone has something she thinks she wants.
- Doggies. She loves running around with them, and we are working on getting her to pet them gently.
- Cell phones are still her most preferred toy when she can get her hands on one.
- The Ocean! She loves splashing around in the waves as they come in. She also got over her dislike for sand which she wasn’t too fond of on our first trip.
Dislikes:
- Being in her carseat for more than a quick trip in town. She used to love it and find it relaxing when she
was smaller. Now she doesn’t want the confinement. It was so fun learning this on our drive down to the beach. - Being confined. She wants to be roaming free, and she gets irritated if you hug her too much and she’s in a gated area.
- Having her face wiped off.
- Brushing her top teeth (she loves getting the bottom brushed, but for some reason brushing the top ones irritate her)
- Staying still for anything…especially diaper changes or getting her nails clipped.
- Hats. Or anything on her head or in her hair like clips or headbands. The picture on the right is the reaction I get any time I try. *sigh*
- (Unsurprisingly) Having anything she’s interested in taken away from her.
Sleeping Patterns:
Mostly very good….I know, we are lucky. She goes to bed between 7-8pm and wakes up between 6:30-7:30am. She mostly takes one nap these days, a longer one in the morning, but sometimes she gets a quick catnap in the afternoon. When teeth are coming in, she wakes up during the night, but other than that, she sleeps straight through. One thing we learned is how much better she sleeps when you get her down at her usual time. If she goes down after 8pm, she has really restless sleep and seems to get up earlier in the morning and then just take really long naps when she finally crashes.
Toddlerhood has been a fun ride so far, and I am looking forward to Halloween this year with her. Last year she was still a baby, and even though it was fun dressing her up, she couldn’t walk or interact fully; this year will be much different! I still have to get her a costume, so if you have any suggestions for me, please share!