Our Little Family: a moment in time

Morgan at one year...

This little girl. And her face. And her hugs. And open mouth kisses. I just love her to pieces.

I took her for her one year appointment a week ago. She weighed in at 18 lbs, 8 oz (10-15th percentile) and was 29.5 inches long (50-75th percentile). As much as I want to turn the car seat around because it's a huge pain in the you-know-what, I won't do it. Not yet. She needs to be at least 20 lbs and 30 inches. I would hate for something to happen and then I would have to play the "what if" game. I don't like that game.

We also went for a check of her tubes. They're in the right place and so far look good. She also had a hearing test that day and even though her reaction to the sound is subtle, she's completely normal. So far she's had a cold which passed with no problem and some drainage from her left ear which started on Sunday. We've been doing the antibiotic drops for a couple of days now and it seems to be working. This is so much better than the many trips to the doctor. Better for both of us.

Now, to preserve this moment in time, here is what Morgan has been up to.

She's a super fast crawler and loves to follow me and Addison around the house. She gets frustrated when she follows us in to a room and then we turn around and leave because we've completed what we went in for. I can imagine what she's thinking. "I just came all the way in here and then you leave me? What's that about?"

She's walking along the furniture and behind moving options, but doesn't quite have the confidence to let go. We're working on it. This past weekend I had her standing by herself for split seconds at a time.

She has her 2 middle bottom teeth and one top tooth. The other one is making it's way through and should be here any day now. She's a late bloomer in the tooth department.

She eats almost all table food now, but we still give her a jar of fruit a day. I just want to make sure she's getting enough since she doesn't like the texture of whole fruit. We keep offering her different stuff and she's getting used to it. She loves avocados and bananas.

She is FINALLY sleeping through the night. She started right at 11.5 months. She goes down around 8 and we have to wake her up in the mornings. It took awhile, but that's okay. Actually it was miserable, but I'm trying to forget.

She's still taking two one hour naps a day. A part of me wishes she would go to one nap, preferably at the same time as Addison, but I'm not going to push it.

The sippy cup training is almost complete. She can finally get the fluid out, but she's not drinking as much milk as she needs to. So because of that we still give her some of her milk from a bottle. Trust me. I don't like her having it, but she's a little thing and I need to make sure she's getting the nutrients she needs.I can't wait for the day (very soon) that I can throw them out.

Speaking of bottles, she still won't hold her own bottle. It's ridiculous really. Last night I held it in front of her for minutes. She whined and cried and drooled over it, but would not grab it and put it in her mouth. And when I give it to her she puts her hands behind her head and sometimes plays with her hair. Really? This is why you can't hold your own bottle?

She can say mama and dada, but really isn't talking much yet. But she catches on to things quickly. She can clap along to Happy and You Know It and do Wheels on the Bus. She participates in games and loves to copy our movements and sounds.

She loves to blow kisses and recently started to give big open mouth kisses.

She's so cuddly and loves giving hugs. I love when Michael brings her to me in the mornings and we just lay there for 10 minutes snuggling.

She loves music and dancing. And she gets a kick out of watching me and Addison dance, but who wouldn't.

She really hates having her diaper changed. She acts like I just put her in a torture chamber and she's being punished for a serious crime. The twisting, turning and body thrashing really wears me out.

She likes to pull on the nightlight in the hallway. And take the books of the bookshelf. And bang the cabinets in the bathroom. All stuff she shouldn't be doing.

When Michael flies her around the house Superman style, she instinctly puts her arms out in front of her and smiles from ear to ear. One of the cutest things ever. (I really should get it on video.)

She really, REALLY adores Addison and can't get enough of her or her toys.

She likes to come in the kitchen and take all the magnets off the refrigerator.

She HATES bibs. She will choke herself trying to get them off. I either strip her or put old t-shirts on her when she eats.

She HATES animals more than the bibs. She literally shakes in fear when she sees a dog. And this past weekend she got up close and personal with a horse. I thought she was going to pass out. Eventually she will calm down and can handle them in small doses, but overall, not an animal lover.