Maggie: 13 months

Our girl is past the one year mark and I feel like the learning process (for her) is really beginning. She's picking up on so many new things each day. It's both terrifying (what kind of dumb thing will I say that she tries to repeat) and hilarious (she doesn't need me for this part).

She's always loved exploring, but as she gets more and more mobile, her independence has introduced her to many new things. Maggie may not be walking, but she's getting around just fine. She loves to stand and hold on to the couch/her walker while "cruising."

Thirteen months of life means, I'm looking back on baby pictures of Maggie a year ago and saying things like "she was so small" or "look at those cheeks." Of course, I can still say such phrases with accuracy, but now I realize firsthand how much the human body can grow and develop in one year.

From her one year well visit we learned she gained 13lbs and 6oz and grew 9.75 inches on one year! I'm sure that's totally normal, but wow. Baby's growth amazes me (in case you couldn't tell).

A few things you might not be able to tell from her photos:

• Maggie loves music and has started to "sing" which basically means she says a string of ba-ba-ba to a little tune.
• She is downright silly. Maggie loves to do things to make us laugh/smile.

Lest you think she's an angel, turning one has meant she has a mind of her own...or so it seems. She's learned to say no, throw things on the floor and even had a mini tantrum. I know she's testing us, but it's been somewhat of a surprise that it's come so soon.

Likes

• Holding on to an object when she's tired (anything from a cucumber to a DVD box)
• Books...carrying them while crawling, holding them, bringing them to her parents, flipping the pages or pretty much anything besides quietly sitting while they are read to her!
• Blankets being thrown over her head. She giggles and then finds her way out. 
• Petting Milton (our dog) while standing
• Realizing she can make choices whether it's what food she does/doesn't want to eat or what book she likes best
• Hand gestures with songs...Itsy Bitsy Spider is her current favorite

Dislikes

• Any given food...some days it's meat and other days it's veggies. I think she may be rotating, but I haven't caught on to her rotation yet
• Laying down for her diaper changes...it's become a battle to keep her on the changing table

Seriously, being this girl's mama is so great!

Maggie's monthly updates:

1 month // 2 months // 3 months // 4 months // 5 months // 6 months // 7 months // 8 months // 9 months // 10 months // 11 months // 12 months