13 Months

Today Clara is 13 months old!  Her sweet little personality is shining through more each day.  At her one year checkup our doctor asked if we'd dealt with any tantrums yet.  I shook my head no and told him how she was such a good baby.  Well, I'm pretty sure that was her cue to start being a little more picky, defiant and grouchy.  Anyone who knows Clara at all is probably laughing or shaking their head and thinking, "Sarah has no idea" and I completely agree.  She is still a SUPER good baby, but this past month she's thrown a few face slaps in with her snuggles, leg-kicking wrestling matches in with her "sure I'll lay her quietly while you change my diaper" moments, and increased crying and fussing to make me appreciate her near-constant smiles and darling chatter just a little more.  Here's what else she's up to at 13 months:

-Her favorite toys are her cell phone and a ladybug puppet - both can keep her entertained for very long periods of time

-Independent playtime has resumed!  We went for a dry spell of screaming whenever mom left the room, but we've worked our way back up to it and Clara loves it.  She'll happily play in by herself for 30-60 minutes or so and I think it puts her in a better mood for the rest of the day.  I love that she's learning to entertain herself and build her imagination by using only what she has during this time each day.  This will probably be an invaluable skill when and if a new baby joins the family.  (not an announcement) It helps my sanity too! Especially considering the next point...

-We're down to one nap a day.  I fought this for a while, but she was ready.  We're still figuring out when the ideal time is, but most days it's right after an early lunch.

-Clara loves to "give loves" - to her parents, her toys, and even the cat.  She gently lays her head on you to give you a love.  It's super sweet.

-Nighttime sleep is at an all-time high right now (probably why we're down to one nap) but we've kind of just been following her lead on this one.  These days Clara's ready for bed between 6:30 and 7:00 and sleeps until 8:00+ in the morning.  I'm pretty sure she enjoys some quiet playtime on both ends of her sleep, but she is definitely eager to get to bed each night and doesn't make any noise for me to come get her for 13 or 14 hours.  Insane, I know.

-She loves to sit and look at books.  It's hard to really read her a story, but she loves to look at the pictures and turn the pages herself.  Her favorite books are MOO and In My Tree.

-She's continuing to learn animal sounds and we're starting to work on body parts.  She's an eager talker, even if the words don't make a lot of sense (to me).

-She's made a seamless transition to all of the foods that are now permitted: whole milk, peanut butter sandwiches, strawberries, and oranges are all favorites.

-When she's finished eating, she'll sign all done.  But if I'm a little slow to get her out of her seat she'll start to casually and subtly drop any remaining food off the side of her tray.

-She doesn't seem to have any serious issues with stranger anxiety.  She might take a minute to warm up, but most of the time will happily let anyone hold her.

-Clara has the sweetest little giggle and such a soft and sweet little voice.  I can't wait for her to start saying more words just to hear that little voice.

-She's a speedy little crawler and although she walked across the room a few times by herself at the beginning of the month, she's regressed back to mostly crawling and cruising (while running) along furniture.  No worries, I'm sure she'll be off and running before we know it.

-Clara loves loves loves the kitty.  We're pretty sure the cat doesn't share a mutual appreciation for Clara.

-She has such a little belly!  It's no wonder - her daily breakfast consists of an entire banana, a cup of cheerios and about a cup of whole milk.  She can really eat and after a meal her tummy is especially round and pronounced.