Happy Birthday, Savannah!

my sweet savannah is one today.  i can. not. believe. it.  

where did the time go??

i am at such a different place now than where i was a year ago... nervous about how ethan would handle having a little sister... nervous about how i would be able to do it alone after faustino went back to work {when she was 5 days old}



i think we managed just fine. 

some trivia on baby sister  {along with some random photos throughout the past year}:  



two of her most used nicknames are sister and savvy.  i also call her missy pickles.



she is a good morning napper... too bad we are on the go many mornings.  in some ways, it has made me feel a little non-social.  i try to be mindful of naps when scheduling things... and so many tuesdays and thursdays we just stay home.  {ethan has school MWF, savvy just on wed., so i try to schedule things like errands on monday or friday}  its better that way.



afternoon naps are hit and miss.  oh well.  but getting better...

she sleeps just fine at night... 7:45pm - 6:45 am

she loves her gumdrop paci.  she will have one in her mouth and carry another one or two around most of the time.  she sleeps with at least 3 pacis in her crib.  i thought she would be a thumb sucker, so i really started pushing the pacifiers back around christmas.  i was horrified to think about trying to get a child to stop sucking their thumb... at least i have control over the paci!



She has 5 teeth...the two on top and bottom she got awhile back... then at the beginning of the month, the third on top started coming in on the left... the one on the right {top tooth #4} looks like it should come in any day now.  that's what i blame any and all of her bad behavior on ;)





she loves babies.  it was her first word.  she likes to give her dolls a bottle or a pacifier.  i think it is super cute.

speaking of words --- this is what she can say:  night night, baby, mama, dada, cat {although you need a trained ear for that one} bye, and waves hi and bye, and will sign for more.  and shake her head no.  and she can point at things...

more and no are definitely related to food.  sister can eat.



i started her on milk once or twice a day, and she really started understanding the concept of a sippy cup. {finally!}  she enjoys milk... {especially milk on-the-go}



we are also still nursing.  she is definitely more of a grazer.  it drives me crazy.  ethan was a "feeding" kind of baby.  we would sit down and have a "feeding."  savannah... not so much.  she wants to nurse 3 or 4 times a day but it is quick.  like a couple of minutes.  and she might want to nurse again 5 minutes later.  and then 5 minutes later again.  and again.  and it might be TMI for you, {but when i have another child i can come back and reference this for myself} but she goes from one side to the next... maybe switching 10 times or so.  nursing an older baby is so very strange.  oh well.

she enjoys all food.  really.  everything.  i feed her off of my plate.  just not shellfish and peanut butter yet.  although, in all likelihood, i would bet that she would be fine...  she loves to feed herself.  and is getting pretty good at it.  she managed to eat all of her oatmeal this morning with minimal mess!





and while we are talking about food, let me put it on record, she eats like a teenage boy.  now, i will say that in the last week, she hasn't been the same wild hungry beast that she has been for the last couple of months... so maybe it was some sort of growth spurt.

she is in the same size {large} cloth diapers, and a size 4 huggies disposable.  18 month clothes... 12 month are getting t i g h t.  and dresses are always a better bet than pants... she has a chubby belly.  :)



she is really starting to want to be affectionate and snuggly... i think that now that she walks, she can focus her energy on other things.  before it was just go, go, go.  and it seemed to make her crazy to sit still.  now she wants to sit in my lap... i melt.



although, i can hardly keep her still for a diaper change. and the bathtub.  oh my.  thank god for this genius invention -- the bath sling.  it has been handy from day one {well, i didn't really have it on day one, but you get the drift} and i primarily use it now to immobilize her so i can scrub her down!



she loves to play with ethan.  loves it.  loves to be "chased" by him.  she giggles and laughs... she loves to play peekabo, and will move my hands over my eyes to tell me she wants to play. 



i can not imagine my life without her.  she is the perfect little girl for our family.  i really look forward to watching her learn new things and grow... she is a wonderful blessing.   having a daughter is a really special thing that i feel honored to experience. 



happy birthday, my little, sweet girl.  i love you so much.