The New Year.

I am doing this for the 2nd year in a row. Feel free to post your own answers, either in the comments or on your own blog! Here are mine:

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Co-hosted family Christmas celebrations at our house, became the mother of a toddler, co-hosted a kid's birthday party

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Through calorie restriction and eventually increased exercise, I am trying to lose a total of 35 pounds (non-baby weight) by August 2010. I have lost 12 pounds so far.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Rashmi and Rohit (Ishaan), Holly & Joel (Liam), Rusty & Jayme (Mason), Stacy & Ray (Sara), and Belen and Rich (Isabella).

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. Where did you travel in 2009?
To Harrisonburg, VA, Virginia Beach, VA, and Washington, DC, in March to visit my in-laws, see my husband's alma mater and visit with the Showalters. Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Manitowoc, WI to visit our good friends, the Ablers.


6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A healthy BMI, a cleaner house and more pleasure reading done

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
6/25/09--the date pop music legend Michael Jackson died of sudden cardiac arrest. The first news reports seemed like a hoax. I grew up listening to his music, admiring his Geri curls and trying to emulate his dance moves. The Thriller music video changed the way music was marketed forever.
8/19/09--Kate's first birthday. We celebrated the fact that we kept her alive for an entire year by making sure she received her scheduled vaccinations.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Kate's first birthday and party; losing 12 pounds in 1.5 months.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Our messy, disorganized house; not exercising enough; having the TV on too much

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Around the time of my birthday, I injured my pelvic joint during a yogalates class at the Y. It seems to have swelled and now flairs up after carrying Kate around a lot on that side or after walking longish distances. I also have fluctuating high blood pressure and high cholesterol I am trying to address through losing weight and eating healthier. Read: Less cheese and smaller portions. Otherwise, our household has so far avoided the dreaded H1N1.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Infared backyard grill, materials to build a backyard deck

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Our family's--for understanding our inability to spend the holidays with everyone at once and for showering Kate with affection, attention and many, many thoughtful and generous gifts.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The people involved in helping my brother learn have failed him. The Gosselin family's extremely public divorce and cries for attention, The Octomom's decision to have 8 children and her fertility doctor's decision to implant 6 embryos at once, the balloon boy's parents' decision to stage a costly publicity stunt, the Nigerian radical who nearly blew his nuts off by attempting to detonate an explosive device on an international flight into Detroit and the military psychiatrist in Fort Hood who opened fire, killing and wounding several people.

14. Where did most of your money go?
House, food, savings and deck

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Kate's development--crawling, walking, talking, eating a variety of foods, developing a sense of humor and a goofy personality. I was also excited to see her reactions on Christmas morning and to watch her play with other children her age. I also loved spending time with my best friend's family around Christmas and watching Kate interact with her nephews.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Something off the Ziggy Marley "Family Time" CD for sure. It gets played over and over in our car. "Walk tall; walk tall; even if you fall, get up!"

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Reading a real book, exercising, gone out without Kate

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worried, being passive, surfing the internet, watching TV

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Chris really decked our halls this year. Kate's Gram and uncles Bill and Matthew celebrated with us in Mason, and Chris (sometimes with his Mom's help) cooked elaborate feasts each night. I did what I am much better at--washed the dishes. Kate was so wound up from spending time with her family the first night, that she could not fall asleep. Uncle Bill bought our family a high quality Lionel train set modeled after the Polar Express that brought Chris to tears. Kate learned to say "Nigh-Nigh" to everyone when she went to bed. A few days later, we exchanged presents with my Mom's side of the family at my Grandma's house, and Kate had her first taste of an Armenian dessert--Halva. Chris also made Armenian shortbread cookies this year among many other treats traditional to his side of the family. We celebrated Christmas at Thanksgiving with my Dad's side of the family at his house this year. Kate received so many presents that she had to take a nap while we finished opening them.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
More and more deeply every day with Kate and with Chris.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
We still watch "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers & Sisters." I think "The Big Bang Theory," "Modern Family," "The Family Guy" and "The Cleveland Show" are also becoming fast favorites. We also bought and watched Seasons 1-3 of "The Muppet Show" with Kate, who loves it.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No.

24. What was the best book you read?
Sadly, I started to read "The Year of Living Biblically," a secular Jewish author's take on his attempt to live the bible literally for a year, as part of a 2-person book club. Neither of us has made it through it yet. I think I do most of my reading on line, and it is mostly news and child development-related.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Does children's music count?

26. What did you want and get?
Comfy slippers, a Tassimo one-cup coffee brewer, a sweater, make-up, a bathroom scale, an outdoor shed, Christmas PJs, money

27. What did you want and not get?
Pilates mat and exercise DVDs

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
"The Hangover" or "Up."

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
On my birthday, Chris cooked me a lobster tail and steak dinner, and I attended a yogalates class at the Y. The weekend of my birthday, we enjoyed a discounted meal at Opus One because of Detroit's first annual Restaurant Week. I was 34.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A cleaner and more well-organized house. Otherwise, I am pretty satisfied.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Shirts long enough to cover the gap between my natural waist and the waist of low rider pants. These pants were not made for people with long torsos and big butts, and the baby doll style shirts just make me look pregnant. As I have been losing weight, I am just belting up my old pants and wearing larger shirts, until my shoulders, arms, butt and hips follow suit.

32. What kept you sane?
Sleep, Chris's voice of reason and being able to talk and write about it with myself and friends as we exercise together. Also--doing something instead of just talking about it.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Bradley Cooper from "The Hangover"

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
The state legislature's inability to reach a budget compromise and ongoing problems concerning that subject. At the federal level--the debate over publicly-funded and mandated health insurance. I was also happy that the state legislature finally mandated smoke-free restaurants and bars with a few exceptions.

35. Who did you miss?
My Papa.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Chris and I both enjoyed getting to know Amy and Beau better this year and meeting Belen and Rich.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
One of the hardest and most important things you can be as a parent is consistent.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

From Ziggy Marley's "I Love you Too"--

When you smile I'll smile along
When you cry my comfort comes

When you walk I'll be beside you
Holding your hands
When the sun come out we play
I'll never be far away
When you tell me that you love me
This is what I'm gonna say

I love you too, I love you too
I tell you I love you
I love you too, I love you too
I love you

THE DANA FAMILY’S 2009 YEAR IN REVIEW

You know you are the Parent of a Young Child when...

1. You have ever used a baby monitor as a walkie-talkie. “Dude! We are out of diapers/wipes/patience up here. Come quick!”
2. Seeing a movie in the theater and taking long, hot showers are rare luxuries.
3. You play rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock over changing the next soiled diaper.
4. You rarely wear clothing that cannot be easily wiped clean of bodily fluids.
5. A diaper bag is your new little black dress or “man purse,” as the case may be.
6. The consistency, frequency and odor of poop are frequent topics of casual conversation.
7. You plan your days around another person’s sleep schedule.
8. Your living room resembles a day care center in the aftermath of a cyclone.
9. You develop hair pulling and pinch deflecting moves that rival the best mixed martial artists.
10. Your spouse calls you at work to inform you that your child now knows what sound a cow makes. You consider drafting a press release.
11. You marvel at the versatility of the baby wipe. Perhaps it can cure cancer?
12. You have strong opinions about diaper pails.
13. You have ever hastily ripped out the batteries to a repetitive children’s toy while quietly muttering obscenities to yourself.
    
14. You have had to be peeled off the ceiling after being startled by a toy’s sudden, unexpected sound or movement in the middle of the night.
15. You know all of the words to [fill in the blank] children’s CD, as it is the only thing that magically captivates your child during long car trips.
    
    

Developmentally Speaking

You probably expect me to regale you with cute anecdotes about how precocious and above average our 16-month-old daughter, Kate, is. But I won’t. Kate is fairly average thus far. She rolled over at 5 months, crawled at 8 months, pulled herself to standing soon later and took her first steps at 11 months. At 16 months, she mostly babbles but says enough words to satisfy her pediatrician and uses sign language to say even more. So what if she sticks her index finger in her mouth when we ask her where her nose is? It’s perfectly normal that she likes to stick a bucket on her head and wander around the house bumping into things and giggling about it, right? She frequently walks on tip toes and admires the view between her legs in the downward dog yoga pose. I swear I did not teach her to make farting noises with her mouth pressed against the leather couch backs, either. And doesn’t every 15-month-old devour a chunk of raw, ginger and soy-infused tofu, miso soup and a whole bowl of pickled ginger while her parents have sushi?

Kate also has awesome taste in literature—“I Love you Stinky Face,” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” and “Hands, Hands, Fingers, Thumb” are certainly tops. But she also appreciates other perennial classics like “Goodnight, Moon,” and “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?” Gloria and I started a 2-person book club. Unfortunately, unlike Kate, we have yet to finish a single book.

Recently, Kate has even cultivated a quiet reverence for “The Muppet Show” when she rarely pays TV much attention, otherwise. And my smart brother chose a Sit and Spin as a Christmas present for her this year. It is not the Sit and Spin of ‘80s yore, though. This thing plays a mixture of upbeat popular music and techno, so she can practice what it feels like to attend a rave. She even giggles and staggers drunkenly after playing with it for a while and now enjoys spinning around while standing in place, until she falls down. Her favorite CD is definitely Ziggy Marley’s children’s reggae music, “Family Time.” That thing is like toddler crack! One moment tears and whining, the next moment smiles and squeals and then car seat sleep.

Soon after being introduced to solid foods, we opened the stinky pureed meat food jar, and smart girl hated it. To those of you who have no experience, it resembled something worse than SPAM salad or cat food. While still not a major fan of beef, she now enjoys pork, lamb and seafood of all kinds, especially if loads of garlic, ginger or tomato sauce is involved.

Around Easter, she began crawling and almost immediately cruising throughout the living room. At her Great-Grandma Rosalie’s, she did repeated laps around the coffee table to cheers.

Road Trip!

In March, we took a pilgrimage to Virginia Beach and DC to visit Kate’s Gram and Uncle Bill. On the way, we took a detour to see Chris’s alma mater—James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. While there, we stayed with the gorgeous and extremely hospitable Showalter family. Unfortunately, Kate redecorated their couch with her vomit. Poor Chris soon followed suit.

Interests and Inactivities

In June, we realized that Kate was a bit too young for the Frederick Meijer Children’s Gardens . But we enjoyed the flowers, sculptures and strollercise, regardless.

We celebrated the 4^th of July in Mason with my Mom and Stepdad, watching the parade of large farm equipment and the Ingham County fireworks from our backyard. Unfortunately, despite our countermeasures, this also resulted in a particularly rousing attack of the merciless mosquitoes.

In July, we got to spend some time with old friends and their families--the Bells and the Aggarwals, who were in town visiting their families. Kate also experienced her first boating trip on Pine Lake courtesy of our neighbors, the Langones. “Go! Go! Go!” she seemed to instruct the Captain Jay, excitedly.

Meanwhile, Chris was consumed with constructing our self-proclaimed backyard “deck of ill repute” with the generous help of neighbors and friends. My brother, Trey, also came to stay with us to take care of Kate while Chris labored during the week. Kate adored spending time with her uncle and took her first steps during his visit.

A Man in Uniform

While enjoying ice cream at Turtle Tom's in downtown Mason, Kate spotted a uniformed Mason Police Officer standing in line for some ice cream. She promptly made eye contact with him and began beckoning him toward her with her index finger. He slowly saddled up alongside her to greet her and gave her a police badge sticker. She was beyond thrilled, and we never saw her do that to anyone before or since. What can we say? She likes men in uniform.

Kate Graduates to Toddlerhood; Cats Stage Boycott

In August, we commemorated Kate’s first birthday with a Winnie the Pooh themed party and BBQ lunch at our house with family and neighbors. We stripped her down to her diaper and placed her own personal chocolate cake on her high chair tray for her to devour with her hands. My Aunt commented that this should be a birthday tradition well into our adult years. I agree. On her actual birthday, Kate got shots and not the fun kind.

As Kate gained increased mobility and independence, both of our cats developed UTIs and an aversion to peeing in the litter box, once treated. After a weekend ER visit, our older fat cat was diagnosed with diabetes and now receives 2 insulin shots per day from Chris. My one and only attempt at sticking her resulted in malpractice as evidenced by the yowling. Our younger cat is apparently depressed and/or anxious, since Kate learned to walk and more easily chase and torment him. He began marking when he never did before. So, now our smallest furry family member is on anti-depressants. He is not yet seeing a therapist. Too bad cats cannot qualify for Medicare or benefit from health care reform.

Furlough Fridays Fun

The summer and fall were consumed with state budget woes. Since I am a state government employee, we experienced another suspenseful night on September 30^th, wondering if we would have another state government shutdown based on the legislature’s inability to reach a compromise on balancing the budget by the constitutional deadline. During the summer, because of the deficit, we took 6 involuntary unpaid furlough days. At least they resulted in long weekends, sometimes around paid holidays. We took advantage of those days to visit the Ablers over Labor Day weekend in Manitowoc, WI. This year was special, because we got to watch Kate interact with their two boys, one of whom is only 1 month older than Kate. However, I am thankful to have a job at all.

This year, Chris honed his photography skills by shooting weddings throughout the summer and fall, including one he shot by himself in Lansing. He is excited to continue doing so in the coming year.

For my birthday, we managed to exploit Detroit’s first annual restaurant week to have a hugely discounted meal at Opus One in downtown Detroit. Unfortunately, around the same time, I somehow managed to injure my pelvic joint during a yogalates class at the Y. Happy Birthday to me. I am still not quite right. But you all already knew that.

The Great Pumpkin, Kate Monster

In October, Kate’s Gram visited for a week while we prepared for Halloween and attended Chris’s first Mason Orchestral Society concert of the season at MSU. Gram also taught Kate the ever amusing "happy face/angry face" routine which provides hours of entertainment for adults and toddler alike. They constructed a large wooden painted witch for our front porch that slightly disturbed and/or impressed our neighbors with its size and intricacy. Kate took her first trip to Uncle John’s Cider Mill and helped pick out our big pumpkin. Unfortunately, once it became a Jack ‘o Lantern, it transformed into a scary monster that eats cute toddlers. Later that month, we saw Robin Williams: Weapons of Self Destruction live at the MSU Auditorium and relished the brief child-free excursion.

Kate was an actual “Kate Monster” for Halloween. She was very scary in her puffy pink outfit complete with horns and large feet. After watching her valiant efforts at unwrapping some of the candy she received from trick or treating, we opened a few miniature chocolate bars and gave her a sample. She could not stop with the “Mmmmmm-ing!” And she cried between bites, because we could not get them to her lips fast enough for her liking. She now does this in response to me demonstrating how much I like a particularly healthy fruit or vegetable I want her to try.

Kate’s Great-Grandma Jo survived 2 major surgeries to remove colon cancer and correct the incision site this year. She is now recovering and living with my Dad and Stepmom in northern Michigan. We wish her continued healing and an improved quality of life.

Kate’s Uncle Bill dropped in for a visit during a working tour of US cities in November. In no time, Kate was reaching up to him and climbing all over him in glee.

Spirit of Christmas

Later in November, I took a squirmy screaming Kate to the Mason Orchestral Society’s Christmas concert to watch her Dada play and the Lansing Civic Players act out a few skits. We think she may have to stay home for future concerts, until she gets a bit older, but it got me in the Christmas spirit, and she made a few older ladies giggle.

Over Thanksgiving, we traveled up north to celebrate an early Christmas with my Dad’s family. Being the only tot in the family, she received a ridiculous amount of toys and clothes. In fact, she had to take a nap while we continued opening her presents without her.

Like a true dieting martyr, I began a new campaign to lose 35 pounds within the next 9 months or so just before Thanksgiving. After a brief hiatus, I am back on track and have lost 11 pounds so far just by restricting calories and keeping an on-line food journal. This should be a bit easier now that Chris stopped the continuous baking of Armenian shortbread cookies and key lime cheese cakelets!

Annual Wins and Losses

This year, we lost Michael Jackson and Edward Kennedy among many other notables. Obama increased the number of troops in Afghanistan but set a goal for withdrawal in 2011 AND won the Nobel Peace Prize. We followed the train wrecks that were the Gosselin family and Octomom. Perhaps having extreme multiples is an indication of other ailments. Boo on Carrie Prejean with her fake boobs, beauty queen crown and support of Proposition 8. And I must snicker a bit at SC Governor Mark Sanford’s “hike” along the Appalachian Trail of lies. He may have met his “soul mate” in Argentina, but he also lost his mind and political career. At least his wife, the apparent brains behind his political success, landed a Vogue interview and a book deal out of it. And she didn’t go all Tiger Woods’s wife on his ass, either.

And how can we forget poor, vomiting balloon boy, Falcon Heene. First of all, who names their son Falcon? At least his parents were sentenced to non-consecutive jail terms, so they can keep better track of all of their children in the future.

Also in 2009, “Wise Latina” Sonia Sotomayor became a new U.S. Supreme Court Justice. We worried about H1N1 and stalked public health departments for our share. “Birthers” questioned President Obama’s origin, and we questioned their ability to read. We watched the U.S. Legislature debate and ultimately pass a version of healthcare reform and the Michigan Legislature hem and haw over state budget cuts. Cash for Clunkers was a smashing success. My, what a large Stimulus Package you have there!

Groovy Train

Kate’s Gram and uncles Bill and Matthew visited us over Christmas. Much to our surprise and delight, Uncle Bill presented Chris and our whole family with an elaborate Lionel Train set modeled after the Polar Express to start our own family tradition. This reduced Chris to tears, as he thought of his late Father and his childhood love of train sets. Kate loves to make it whistle and will even control the train herself and then squeal and run away to Mama. We are proud of our budding conductor.

Well, we hope you enjoyed our little year-end review, despite its lack of colonoscopy, childbirth and kidney stone references. Off we go to crash a Presidential Ball or two.

Kate is 15 months old.

Kate enjoyed crunching, running and falling in the soft fall leaves outside of her Great-Grandma Rosalie's house. Sadly, Kate has very few leaves of her own to jump in.






Kate was a "Kate Monster" for Halloween this year. She attended a Working Mom's Play Group Halloween party in E. Lansing earlier in the day and then went to a few of her friends' houses trick-or-treating before helping Dada pass out candy. Unfortunately, it was rather cold and windy that evening, so she had to come inside early. When she did, she promptly dumped out her candy and tried to open the wrappers. She loudly exclaimed "mmmmmm!" when we gave her a few bites of a plain milk chocolate Hershey's bar. She also cried between bites.

Her Gram visited in early October and helped us pick out a pumpkin at Uncle John's Cider Mill and pumpkin patch. Kate did not so much enjoy the bonus Elvis impersonator, though. Gram also helped C paint a gigantic wooden witch for our front porch to go along with the birds, black cat, spider web and other various and sundry Halloween decorations.

Kate turned 15 months old on 11/19. She measured 32 inches tall (90th percentile) and 25 lbs., 4 ozs (83rd percentile.) Thank goodness we were able to get her both doses of the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine, as well.

We all visited Papa Tom, Granny and family over Thanksgiving to celebrate Christmas with the extended family. Kate had a great time playing with her aunts, uncles and cousins but was exhausted from all the excitement. She received so many thoughtful gifts, including The Wizard of Oz, clothes, gold glitter high tops, a pink snowsuit, footed PJs, boots and board books. It was also nice for her to spend time with her Great-Grandma Jo, who is recovering from a second abdominal surgery following the removal of colon cancer over a year ago.

Kate is walking and running, saying a few words ("Hi," "Yeah" or "da," "'nana," "s'that?" "mama" and "dada." She also signs "milk," "hungry," "all done" and "more." Her favorite things to do include flipping through board books, having them read to her one right after another and playing "I'm gonna get you!"

Helicopter Parenting.

This article by Nancy Gibbs of Time Magazine discusses the new fangled concept of "slow parenting," where you allow your child free play time and do not constantly hover over their every activity and learning opportunity. C and I have discussed this numerous times. Parents who overschedule and constantly push their children may be doing them a disservice. The freedom to actually be bored births some of the most creative boredom busters and sparks independent thought. While I can relate to and understand the inclination toward helicopter parenting, I am glad to see a cultural shift in the works.

Whether born out of necessity or on purpose, I often had time to do nothing as the child of a single parent. Although I was not athletically talented or predisposed, I spent hours riding bikes through our neighborhood with my best friend, watching the dreaded TV and writing and tape or video recording our own newscasts, choreographed dance routines and plays in her parents' basement. We even kept journals, wrote poetry, sang and played instruments. We did not attend a regular dance, music or gymnastics class outside of public school, and Gymboree did not exist. However, we were able to explore our own interests, cultivate creativity and test the boundaries of our independence. As teenagers, Chris volunteered caring for autistic infants, and I helped clean up a local river. He also played the violin, began learning German and cultivated his other, varied interests, and I acted, sang and hosted a high school radio show.

Kids may also benefit from being allowed to fail, get hurt and fight their own battles. Not once did my Mom intervene on my behalf to argue a grade with a teacher. And I would have been absolutely mortified if my Mom ever argued with my college professor or attempted to negotiate my starting salary with an employer! If I felt strongly enough about it, I knew that it was my job to do so, or I could simply work harder to prove myself the next time. While I agree with the author that immunizations, car seats, seatbelts and bike helmets are rational methods of reducing risk to children, I also agree that trying to shield them from every possible harm, no matter how remote or improbable, is irrational.

These are interesting revelations for me, because, by all accounts, my Mom was an overprotective and nervous Nelly as a parent. She was one of the first moms in the 1970s to insist on the use of a child car seat and fought with her parents and in-laws about it. When I was a baby and toddler, she was afraid of letting me fall and get hurt, or that I would catch a cold from an inquisitive stranger at the grocery store. She constantly read books and talked to me as an infant and toddler, exposed me to boy-centric toys, taught me "Free to Be You and Me" and told me I was smart and beautiful all the time. And she was terrified when I learned to drive and rode in cars with teenagers. But, she must have eventually let go or learned to live with the fear. I hope we can, too.

Creating a Happy Family Life.

This article entited "The 5 Secrets of Happy Families," by Barbara Rowley, in Parenting magazine offers some insightful tips:

1. Express gratitude to yourself and those around you even if you have to fake it.

2. Try to be satisfied with your choices instead of constantly trying to maximize or second-guess them. Do not compare yourself to others. Limiting your options and those of your family helps.

3. Focus yourself and family members on moments of joy in your past, present and future.

4. Spread out special experiences and treats like toys, clothing and vacations to create contrast, anticipation and appreciation.

5. Nurture your inner circle of friends and family, because your relationships, not your money or success, bring you happiness and satisfaction.

Chivalry is not Chauvinistic or Dead.

I read this article from The Frisky web site on CNN's web site about why men should buy flowers for their romantic partner. But it could apply to any thoughtful gesture between a couple. Not to brag, but my husband is really good at this. I could be better.

The point the author was trying to make is that buying your partner flowers, their favorite dessert/junk food or a trinket that they swooned over in a catalog or while shopping recently demonstrates that you were thinking about them when they weren't there. You were not thinking about your anger or how much they irritate you but of how you could make them happy. How purely loving and romantic, especially if you are not merely 'a courting each other.

Kate is One Year Old!

Kate turned one year old on Wed., August 19, 2009. We celebrated her birthday the previous Saturday afternoon with a party at our house. She seemed to enjoy every part of it after she got used to having so many family and neighbors in one place. She adored tearing into her own birthday cake and into all of her many gifts. Unfortunately, she got poked with 3 more immunizations on her actual birthday. She is now 30.5 inches tall and 24 pounds--both exactly in the 89th percentile. She also has many more teeth growing in, including some molars.

Since getting a bunch of push and pull toys, her walking skills have improved. She practices all the time and can now walk across the living room without assistance. She is so proud of herself.

She is weaned from her bottle and from formula and now drinks whole milk out of a sippy cup in addition to nearly everything that we eat. She only uses her pacifier at nap and bedtime now, too. She constantly babbles in a conversational tone and enjoys flirting with people who catch her fancy in the grocery store or a restaurant.