Michaela @ Thirteen Months (...and a few days...)

I just didn't get my act together for this post to be on time. Nor do I have a picture from June 18th of my dear little girl. I will say that as of yesterday, my camera (Michael's camera - that makes it special to me) has been charged and I am planning on snapping pictures frequently this summer. I changed the settings to the one for pets and kids because she is in motion all the time!

I am still in some kind of awe at how fast that first year went by. When I think back on where we were this time last year, and what she's like now, I'm just amazed. I am so determined to enjoy her babyhood because I realize just how quickly it goes by. I am not one of those moms who complains (too much) about the challenges of having a little one. It's a pleasure, honestly. She's amazing. That she even exists is incredible and wonderful, and I'd be an ungrateful fool to think otherwise. I do wish she'd stop dropping her food on the floor, though. ;)

So here are some things I want to remember about Michaela at thirteen months:

• She is still wearing 12 months clothing, and some 12-18 months clothing. Her shoe size seems to be a 4 or a 5 depending on the maker. She's still wearing a size 3 diaper.

• Her hair has gotten long. I have to clip it out of her eyes, but she usually wants to remove the clip. She has cute little curls in the back. Michael had wavy hair and so do I, so maybe she will keep those curls.

• As of Monday, she had walked a few steps on her own a couple weeks before. But after that she had not done so. She crawls very fast. As of today, she walked quite a lot on her own. Tia Lisa (her nanny) had stopped by for a visit, and Michaela was inspired (with a lot of encouragement from Tia Lia) to walk back and forth between us. I'm just glad she decided to wait on this until school got out. I really wanted to be there when she put it all together.

• Michaela babbles all day long! She has the sweetest little voice. Some of her favorite words right now are: Buffy (said more like "puppy" and inflected like it's a question), kitty (kih-ee),  and hih-gah! (no translation - seems like something to be said when she is happy). She does say other things, but those are the things I hear her say the most.

• She is still napping twice a day. She is a good sleeper. She's also a good eater usually. She is crazy about Baby Gold Fish crackers. I call them Baby Crack. When I put them in the grocery cart today, she had a meltdown because she recognized the package and I wasn't giving them to her. She drives me crazy with the amount of food she drops on the floor. Sometimes it's a sign that she's done or that she doesn't' like something. Other times I can tell it's just for sport. The dog doesn't mind, but I do. My floor doesn't pass any kind of inspection unless Elizabeth has been here to clean.

Overall, she's just a wonderful baby. She's easy going and almost always in a good mood. I know I am so blessed to be her mama.