Twelve Months...ONE YEAR OLD!!!

May 9, 2014: Leila's First Birthday

I can't believe a year has already passed since I gave birth to my sweet baby Leila. So much has happened this past year and she has grown so much. It is so fun to see the person that she has already become.

12 Month Statistics

Weight: 20lbs 6oz (60%)

Height: 29 inches (43%)

Head Circumference: 44.5cm

She was all over the place for our monthly photo shoot; no time to sit still for a picture!! I finally just gave up and let her play with her peoples. :)

My amazing friend Jessica took some actual one year old pictures which are 100% better than these ones. Prepare for cuteness overload!

She is such an independent little girl. Anything she can do on her own, she will. When I try to feed her she will refuse and then start to feed herself. One of my favorites is that she puts her binky and blanket back her in crib all by herself. Sometimes I wish she wasn't so independent. She won't snuggle really but just wants to be put down in her bed which makes me sad. :( She has also started this raptor like screech when she wants to do something which is not my favorite. But we work on it and hopefully we help her balance her independence.

It's fun to have her starting to help me with things. Her favorite chores are emptying the dishwasher and the washing machine. She also likes when I vacuum and mop the floors.

Now that she is crawling around all over the place and pulling herself up she is getting into everything! She loves to get into the movies and the VCR especially. While she loves her toys she would be just as happy with any non toy item including paper plates, water bottles, Tupperware, etc. By far however her favorite toy is her Carolina basketball. Other than mama and dada, the only other word she says consistently is ball. She gets so excited any time she sees one and will just say "ball" over and over.

(**This face was captured at the exact moment she say her Andrew and Isaac, the three year old twin boys that Leila absolutely loves.**)

She hates getting her diaper changed right now because she just doesn't have time for that! There are so many other things she would rather be doing. Even when she is eating she will sit and eat for longer if she has something to play with. She seems to be a little bit of a picky/moody eater. One day she will like something and the next she won't. But she loves craisins, graham crackers, and any fruit.

(**The balloon segment of the shoot was actually done in two parts. I tied the first balloon to her wrist and it flew away within a few minutes. This was the face that resulted. I purchased another balloon and weighted it for the second try. She managed to pop it within about 5 minutes.**)

Leila is very social and loves kids of all ages. She is a little wary of many adults and she is not afraid to show them with her mean mug. A lot of times she will just shy away from people but as soon as a kid shows up she is ready to play. She loves to wrestle and growl and isn't very soft. We are going to have to work on this before a sibling comes!

She cut three bottom teeth all right before her first birthday. The right, bottom, side was the first and it came in all crooked. Then the two middle ones came in one right after each other. It's so funny to see three teeth poking out in her cute smile. She looks so old!

Leila really has such a great sense of humor which I love. She laughs whenever other people laugh even just in normal conversation (which makes me realize how closely she is always listening) and tries to do things to make you laugh. One of her favorites is to stick her binky in your mouth and then yank it out. She is a breath of fresh air when I find myself taking life too seriously.

Love our big one year old!!