Britta Alice,
You are 12 months! A whole year. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...this has been, without a doubt, the fastest year of my life. I can't believe it. We had another great month to wrap up your first year, and love you more than ever (though I didn't think it was possible).
You teethed...big time...
We knew for a while that you were working on some teeth. You had had your bottom teeth for a while, and we knew you were due for some top ones. And then came the crankiness, and sleeplessness (worse than usual)...sure signs of teeth.
And then early in July, when we were at Lake Harriet taking in a concert, I was bouncing you on my lap and tipping you backwards (which you love). As you were laughing/shrieking, I saw your that your top gums were super swollen, and discovered that you were working on all 4 (!!!!) of your top teeth! Youch! I could actually see all four teeth trying to poke through. Poor girl! No wonder you were crabby!
Around mid-month, the first one popped through. We lovingly refer to it as your "snaggle tooth," since it is not the middle one, but the one to the side (your right side). It looks a little silly now, but I'm sure the other ones will follow soon.
You started walking (with support)!
As I said last month, one of your big milestones was learning to pull to stand. You worked hard to improve your confidence, and got steadier by the day.
I knew you were capable of a lot more in terms of movement. Since birth you have been big, sturdy, and strong...you just needed to gain some practice and confidence. At the beginning of July, I encouraged you to try walking behind push toys. And sure enough, after a couple tries, there you went! True to form, you took off like a pro.
You still aren't walking on your own, but I'm sure you will be in a month or so. For now, you are very proud of how you can walk with the help of your push toys. It's so fun to watch you explore the world in new ways! Once you learn to walk on your own, there REALLY will be no stopping you. Watch out world!
You vacationed in Duluth...
This month daddy and I decided that we needed a little bit of a getaway. Magna was closed for a few days near the end of June, and we decided that was the perfect opportunity!
We headed up to Duluth for a long weekend to enjoy some time away just the four of us. We lucked out in terms of the weather - it was perfect for the majority of our time up there. It was just gorgeous!
The highlight of your trip was DEFINITELY exploring the rock beaches. I think you would have stayed there all day. Seriously. We had to keep a very close eye on you though...you wanted to try to eat the rocks.
The only downside of the trip was that we had a poolside room in the hotel and there was a girl's soccer tournament in town. It was SO loud, and really disrupted your sleep the whole weekend. You handled it like a champ though...sleeping when you could, and keeping a pretty good attitude. We had a really fun weekend.
Up next is your first flight later this month! We can't wait!
We celebrated your 1st birthday!
We had a fun day celebrating your birthday! We spent the morning at the zoo - we rode the carousel, watched the bird show, and enjoyed the beautiful day.
After your nap, we had a star-themed party for you at Grandma and Grandpa's house. You were surrounded with lots of family and friends to celebrate. We were so thankful for the weather - we stayed outside the whole time.
You loved your cake. It took a little bit for you to get into it, but once you did...game on!
It was a great day to celebrate a year of Britta Alice!
You've grown and changed a lot too...
You had a well baby check with Dr. Khan the week you turned 1. Per usual, you are doing great - growing and developing just as you should! You weighed in at 25 pounds, 10 ounces (98th percentile) and 31" long (96th percentile). You are continuing your trend of being big and strong!
Not many 12 month clothes are fitting anymore. You mostly wear a mix of 18 month and 24 month/2T clothes. The 24 month/2T stuff is still a little big, but it tends to be more seasonally appropriate. You haven't really been wearing shoes, but as you are starting to get more mobile, I'm thinking we should get some good shoes for you!
You're still in size 4 for diapers. They're fitting pretty good, so no switch it sight at this point.
For the most part you are still jolly and easy-going. As I said last month, your limitations are probably what frustrate you the most. I have a feeling that this is going to continue for a while. You are a determined little girl, who knows what she wants - and can get a bit frustrated.
Linnea continues to be enjoy being able to play with you more and more - and you love it too. Watching your friendship develop and grow is a HUGE joy to watch. I really hope you two stay friends forever.
You continue to love to eat! You are trying more and more foods, and will eat most anything! You have continued the bottle boycott. Some days you'll take it, and some days you just aren't having it! After last month I got a little nervous. I didn't remember Linnea doing anything like that. I looked back at my notes from when she was your age, and sure enough...she did! That made me feel a lot better. That, and that you are, as I said last month, obviously still healthy, happy, and growing. We're still working on the sippy cup (it's going better, but not super great). I'm thinking the bottle will be ditched completely very soon.
Bedtime is about the same - get ready for bed shortly after 7, down around 7:30/7:45 (after eating). You're still pretty flexible if needed, which is nice/
Sleep is still difficult. As I've said before, there's just no rhyme or reason to it. I try to pay attention to if there's anything that leads to harder sleep, and I'm not finding a connection. So I just ride it out - I try to have you "cry it out" a bit, but it doesn't seem to work for you. That, and I don't want you to wake your sister. Teething has definitely seemed to make it worse, which I guess I understand. So it's a work in progress. I remind myself that you will sleep through the night some day, and enjoy the snuggles.
You are pretty much always just napping once/day (unless you are at Grandma and Grandpa's or are REALLY tired). You can tend to get a little crabby around 10:00/10:30...but most days we can sort of push through it. You're still napping well in the afternoon (1:00-3:15/3:30).
I can't believe you are 1! It's been an amazing year watching you become your own little person. You have brought us more joy than we could ever have imagined. We look forward to experiencing even more with you in the year to come!
Love,
Mama (and Daddy and Linnea)
